Is it a P or D...I can't tell....it might be my eyes playing tricks... I would say MS64....I don't see any wear...it's a harder date coin IMO and its also hard to find one that is UNC--the planchet is well centered and the starts show how the strike was strong....in fact...if the toning was a bit nicer MS65 might get it IMO. Speedy
I think luster is there...but the toning covers most of it...I think in hand it would show BU-T-Full! Speedy
I happen to believe that Heritage would have given the coin the grade that was shown on the PCSG slab, and on these slabs it could have been a 70 and I wouldn't have been surprised. The coin appears to have rub marks on the face and could very well be a slider. The reverse has so many finger prints on it that it's hard to tell exactly what the luster may be. I agree with a couple of the posters and would think that a AU would be very generous.
Where are the prints??..... Is PCSG a new grading Co???.... I would be the first to say that I could be wayyy off on the grade but I sure don't see the pints and such. Speedy
I went and found the coin and lighten the photo...I must say that the light shows the coin much better... the slid-marks on the face are just breaks in luster...they aren't deep or the like. The back ans pretty toning IMO...this photo is just a little darker than it should be IMO. I don't agree with the grade NGC gave....but its GEM none the less---this is a 1897-S and that is hard to find in any grade Speedy
This is one of those coins some people love to hate. And coins like this convince even more people that the TPG's are up in the night. But that's because with toning like this it's all but impossible to capture the coins good side in a pic. Its one of those coins that you just have to see in hand to form an honest opinion. I'll grant you, forming an opinion of a coin based on a pic is tough anyway. Some people won't even try. But in this day and age, a pic is often all many of us ever get to see before we buy a coin. So with a coin like this - when all ya have is a pic - many would walk away. Now I don't know what the coin's grade is, I can't see it well enough in the pic to judge. But the NGC graders got to see it in hand. They got to see if the luster is there under the toning. They got to see if the toning is covering marks. They got to see if there are signs of wear. So this is one of those cases where you trust the plastic. And if when you receive the coin you decide you disagree - you send it back.
Well, for what it is worth, this coin is an NGC 1897 MS67 - an $18,000 coin. http://coins.heritagegalleries.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=65124&Lot_No=24197#Photo Persoanlly, which would you want more, the one we've been talking about or this one?
I would much rather have the first one....its pretty and has a great look to it! I don't think its corrosion...but I could be wrong. Speedy
Oh, I'm surprised at NGC's grade, too... But, like GD said, you really need to have the coin in hand to grade it accurately. I was pretty sure of an MS-grade, however due to the apparent lack of circulation wear, but I never would have guessed that high of a grade by looking at the photographs.