Howdy Folks I picked this '09 VBD up at the coin shop today. The rainbow toning on the reverse is much better in hand. I have a couple questions for the experts... 1. Grade? All it said on the flip was MS. 2. Not book value, but what you personally would pay for it? 3. Any tips for better photography of coins is appreciated! I will post a little later what I actually paid for it. Thanks for looking!
The obverse looks AU and has hairlines in different directions indicating cleaning, but the reverse looks MS. When I see brite blue toning on a business strike I wonder, but it looks good. Thats as far as I go with pics. EDIT: Also not an expert opinion by any means, just a person who loves the series
I'm wondering on AT, but still nice none the less. I'd say AU, and I'd pay about $10-$15 if I had the extra cash. :thumb: Phoenix
I wish you had clearer pictures. The coin looks nice to me, but I am not sure since it looks a little blurry to me. As for price - can't say. I always recommend using heritage - you can look at MS prices there. That will be a better indication - because no telling what price people will say here.
And also, thanks everyone for the opinions, I really appreciate them, as it is helping me learn. I haven't really paid too much attention to the Lincoln cents until very recently.
Much better picture and I agree au. A very nice AU coin so from what I can tell it was priced about right(in my opinion).
I was kind of thinking AU myself, and I agree, it did look like cleaning hairlines before I removed it. The toning on the reverse is what really made me buy it. As far as artificial toning goes, how can you tell?
I'm not convinced either way on the toning. I have learned that pics are deceiving, especially on this laptop I'm on. I have seen Lincolns tone like that in an album or a folder, and that would explain the reverse being toned and in mint state condition, where the obverse would be exposed to wear and or damage, or in case of an album, slide friction from the clear plastic sleeve when adding coins ........... Bright blue and purple on copper CAN be a sign of cleaning with MS-70 or a similar soapy coin cleaner..... Early Proof issues were often stored in tissue paper containing sulfer , causing the blue and purple color , thats why on a business strike I would be more " concerned " about the toning source Either way, nice coin at a nice price !!!! Oh yeah, Welcome to the forum !!!!!
I was leaning towards AU53 myself because of very light wear. Im not a fan of toned copper so I'll refrain from commenting on that.
Your price was pretty good. I would have spent about $15 myself for it...but I got a much better one recently for just under face value! I agree with Arizona Jack about that reverse...it seems questionable. I have personally seen toning like that only on proofs, though I have seen some interesting purples on more modern business strikes (70s-80s) resulting from albums. I would grade your obverse a choice EF, though (EF-45). I lean strongly toward technical grading, so a lot of people would disagree, and my grades would fall a bit under others'. The wear on the cheek and jaw notwithstanding, I'm also seeing wear in the hair above the ear and along the hairline behind the forehead. This wear is why I would place the ob verse to EF45. I also see some slight wear on the coat and coat creases. If this piece was indeed in an album, then it would be explicable as to why the reverse is still in mint state. Every time the coin was removed to "admire" or validate the reverse V.D.B., the coin would have to be "pushed" back into the coin slot. If this was done "often" over a period of years, this would explain the rub in the varied places on the obverse. If the coin was pressed hard into the slot, then the reverse toning could be explained in this manner as well. I would be curious if the rim exhibited any evidence of toning. If I am not mistaken, I believe the rim should be clear of any toning if this is indeed album toning as the rim would not necessarily come into contact with the contaminating piece of the album. Whereas, dipping the coin would most likely leave dip residue on the rim, thus affecting the coloration of the rim. GD may be able to validate or correct that statement if he sees this. Great coin for the price, nonetheless. The most important thing, though, is whether or not you are happy with it! :kewl: I have paid WAY over "book price" for a coin I absolutely loved and wanted, just to have it. Other times, I would not even pay under book price because it just did not have the appeal. And, welcome to the board! I won't respond often to posts, but when I do, you can be sure it will be quite the novel. Enjoy your time in the community here.
Again, thank you everyone for the comments That does make sense to me, it could have come from an folder explaining the wear on one side but, there is some toning on the rim.
I agree this is a tough crowd, but I like that! I would rather have honest opinions that are very critical and expose any possible flaws, or issues that might detract from the value of a coin. You can almost expect then that if you do get a coin graded or go to sell it in the future - if anything you might be pleasantly surprised! Keep up the good work guys!!!! I've been learning an ton from all these grade my coin threads.
Purple and blue toning can also be caused by heat... ie. boiling your copper coins in hot water to remove crusted dirt off them. I've *cough* acidentially/on purpose done this a hundred times.
