I am in negotiation with a private that is offering an 1885-S straight raw coin. From the pix he sent, I am seeing almost an 1885-S VAM-4. Doubled 18, MM extra sarifs (hard to see), but this example also shows obverse distorted denticle from 1 in date CW to above the B. This most obvious reverse abnormality is the missing lower breast features with some sort of indent. He calls this an AU with no mention of VAM. He's asking $100 obo Any thoughts?
@messydesk - What do you think, John? LVA shows no plate photos, and I don't know whether to trust the additional photos or not. Chris
The indentation on the eagle's breast is simply a heavy hit from the edge of another coin. I can't tell if the mint mark is an S/S from the picture shown. The denticles on the obverse commonly get a little squished at the edge where they meet the field from a combination of die wear and strike doubling.
@messydesk Are you sure about the breast and leg feather detaining? A hard hit could erase those? This is a standup seller everyone knows from a different forum(edgch) and his claim is it's an AU. Is there anything besides Vamworld for pictorial reference? Thanks
I would call the coin XF45. A little too much wear for AU for my tastes. Eagle's breast is a high point of the design and will show wear quickly. Take a look at PCGS Photograde.
