Any opinions on why this one is just about completely toned on the obverse, and just speckled on the reverse? It is in an NGC slab, graded MS-65. The pictures are kinda cruddy. Does it deserve the grade it has, and what is the potential value? Does the toning hurt or help the value of this coin? Thanks for any insight.
Sure. The coin probably sat either: 1) Face-up in a holder with a harsh environment (large quantity of gaseous sulfur dioxide), with the bottom protected, or 2) Face down in a neutral air environment, with a very heavy sulfur-content paper or cardboard product (an early coin folder) in contact with the face. I have a coin very similar to this, except the obverse is blast white, and the reverse is very nearly black -- even darker than yours. This kind of toning is market acceptable, as evidenced by the fact that my coin sits in a PCGS holder, I'm a lover of toned coins, and I knowingly purchased it.
In some cases, different toning patterns for obverse and reverse are not only market-acceptable, they're expected. Rainbow-toned Morgans immediately come to mind; they toned that way because one side was near the bag.
Thanks for the good info Borgovan and swhuck. Do ya'll think it deserves the MS-65 grade that it has?
It's close, anyway. NGC usually (not always) grades nickels one grade too high for my taste. I'd probably give it a 64, but I don't think 65 is unreasonable. It does have a pretty weak strike for a gem coin, but that's to be expected on the 1945-S.
Oh...as for your inquiry about price. It depends on the buyer. For me, I would pay a premium for the toning. A lot of people wouldn't even consider buying it. It's not a hugely scarce coin; probably only worth $15 or so in that grade, slabbed. But like I said, the premium you get for the toning will vary by buyer.
Thank you again for the input Borgovan. Although the toning on the obverse seems a little drab to me, I still like it. I don't care for the speckels on the reverse, though.
The specks on the reverse are almost like lots of flyspecks, which I generally detest, but which I could probably live with on this coin.
It may be MS-65, but I don't really like it that much personally. It is just too splotchy and dull for my tastes.
Thanks Mike!!!! :kewl: when I expand the image,there's 3-4 steps on the west side and then it's so fuzzy I could not tell!
You'll almost always have a trace of steps on the left-hand side. And, I don't think the picture is fuzzy. The strike is just so flat in that area that there are no steps. If you want to use the quarter-step method, it's a 3-0-0-2.
