Now I know this would qualify as Red Brown, it's not totally red, but could it be called close? Also, would MS64 be a fair grade? Seems at least MS63 but looks better. Also, what do these usually go for (again not looking for PCGS price guide figures)
I'm not very good with the US grades to be honest, so I will leave someone more knowledgeable to answer that !
Personally I think the coin is AU. And while the spots on the coin are not really corrosion, they haven't progressed that far, there is or was something that got on the coin to cause those spots.
AU, why? I've had one other person tell me that, but a whole lot of others give me a wild range of MS grades
On the obv, look at the high points on the hair, the stars and the rim. See how it looks slightly flat and is a different color than the rest of the coin and has no luster ? On the rev, the same is true of the high points on the leaves. That is what light wear looks like.
I edited the pictures to better show the wear on the coin! It is very evident on Miss Liberty's hair and areas of the rims. There is some wear on the leaves in the Wreath but it is not as prevalent as the aforementioned areas! Frank
I don't know, I compared this to some certified MS coins and couldn't find any difference. I'm not denying what you're saying, though I'd be pretty disappointed if this was AU since I bought it as MS something a long, long time ago. Does this picture show the detail better?
I'm just so confused here. I keep going onto heritage, and I see the same exact thing in coins labeled MS63-65. Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you're saying, but I really don't understand what people are saying about this. What do you mean by 'luster breaks'? Less luster on the design than the coin? Or what? Maybe I can post some here.
It might be the pictures, but if you will look at the high spots on Liberty's hair - the curls on top of her head, the large curl behind and above her eye, etc, you will see (at least on the pictures) that the color is different, a "flat" brown look instead of the lustrous reddish brown of the fields. This is usually a sign of light wear.
I have to admit that the coin appears to be in much better condition with the new pictures! It might get an MS grade but I don't believe that it will go high on the scale. There appears to be light wear but at the same time a soft (weak) strike as Miss Liberty's hairlines and the details of the leaves on the Wreath should be better defined. Due to the weakness of the Obverse rim from K12:30 to K2:00 and on the Reverse rim opposite the Obverse rim weakness, the Dies may have been obstructed by some foreign material. Frank
That's interesting...I did notice that the rim at the top is pretty weak; as there are much weaker dentacles there. I was just really confused about the wear, because I was seeing the same thing on some other coins certified MS and really couldn't see any difference in the details. Yet, some had the really strong detail you seem to be talking about. Particularly those dated 1835. So this really threw me off. I'll admit I'd be upset if this came back AU 58, but if this is the case, I want to learn from my mistake and not make it again. But I also actually want to be able to recognize where the wear is (no pun intended) which I cannot seem to do given what I've compared it to. Some more questions: 1. Did strikes vary from year to year? Or is it typically just per coin? 2. I took the first picture in very bright sunlight and I don't know if this gave it a certain appearance, what's the main difference between the first and second pictures? The second picture was more in average lightning, if I can recall. Does this make a big difference in the appearance? 3. What's generally the best lighting set up to portray the coin the most realistically? I want to be able in the future to tell the difference between light wear and a weak strike, but I assume it takes a lot of practice. Even with certified coins, you know, buy the coin, not the slab, etc. I do worry too much and in the future I'd like to have more confidence in my assessments so I don't worry as much, even if I do take some time to look carefully even now.
You can't really compare coins by pictures , it'll get you in the ballpark but thats it . The only way to tell is to slowly rotate the coin in decent light , when rotating look for breaks in the color on the high points , if color & luster don't break or change , there's probably no wear if you notice a slight change thats usually due to wear , it does take practice , looking at as many coins in hand as you can . rzage
Irespire, 1. Not generally; And no! It is more a condition of the Die State (i.e. new Dies put into use versus slightly, medium or heavily worn Dies! 2. Lighting has a lot to do with how the coin will appear in a photograph! Too much light can distort some or much of the details and or not enough light can make the details somewhat or totally indistinguishable. 3. Strong flourescent lights or indirect lighting are probably more suitable for taking pictures of coins that most other types of lighting! However, the problem maybe more a condition of incorrect lighting and other settings on your' camera! Frank
