1843 LS Dollar Grade

I have a friend who is a collector of everything, two barns full of stuff that he has amassed over 60 years. Knowing my interest in coins he usually brings me some raw stuff to our weekend breakfasts at the diner and I evaluate them, grade them, photograph them, figure die marriage/die state where applicable, and try to give him a value. Fun for me and helps sharpen my skills.

This 1843 dollar is the latest (I have two others from him I will post in separate threads). I give it a grade of VF-30-Details/Damaged. How do you assess the technical grade?

I see nothing to indicate it is anything but genuine and he tells me his family has owned it since the 1920s.

In valuing the coin, Greysheet says about $400 for a slabbed coin straight-graded. This one is raw and damaged but not too horribly so I'm saying it's worth about $160. What do you think?

 

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Well, how about I post some photos?

 

Yea, I'm in at VF30 . Too bad about the rim damage and reverse damage .

 

agree with 30. I think the large central disturbance on the rev is a "struck through."

 

I had thought about the possibility of a strike-through but I don't know enough about them to make a determination. Much more likely, I thought, to be damage. Occam's Razor and all that. Besides, the rim damage makes it a details coin, anyway.

If you blow up my photograph, the bottom and sides of the gouge look quite odd, particularly just opposite the eagle's beak.

 

Perhaps the reverse gouge is a lamination error?

 

Vf 30 original skin and damage. I wondered about the reverse being a lamination too

 

I think there was some foreign matter, like wood, on or in the planchet. You can see some grain or fiber in it thanks to the excellent photos. As the metal bent into the die to form the bird beak it compressed the fibers together, as shown.

 

Concur with VF30. The thing on the reverse is a lamination error. It will straight grade

 

You think so, even with the rim damage?

 

It’s just barely market acceptable imo

 

Thanks for everybody's thoughts. I have sent images of the coin to Dick Osburn to see if he has an opinion on lamination/strike-through. If he responds, I will share his thoughts if he OKs it.

 

Dick responded with this comment.

"I believe that the reverse damage is the result of a strike-through. A planchet lamination is also a possibility, but the depth of the indentation makes me think that a strike-through is more likely. They're not common for the Liberty Seated series, but they're not extremely rare. I've got two or three examples in my reference set. Although not truly varieties, I think they're interesting."