Here is an 1805 quarter from my collection. I bought it from a local coin dealer when i first started collecting US coins. I may have been over-eager at the beginning, and may have overpaid - I bought it as Very Fine. I am bothered by a tiny pit which i see almost exactly at the center of the obverse which i had not observed before (maybe my eyer are getting better with age...). What is it. Maybe it is normal for the variety. I would like your opinions on grade, and any other comments you may have on condition and whether it has been cleaned or not. Thanks, Eduard
p.s. I do have concerns about its authenticity. Something strikes me as odd. Understand, however, I'm anything but an expert on early quarters.
Your coin is a b-4 variety, which means it has a rarity rating of 4. The ones I have examined typically show the weird dishing effect you see in the middle of the coin. I would say that your coin has been lightly cleaned, and shows vf-30details. It i a very nice piece!
It looks like a cast to me -- mushy details and pitted. I'd examine closely the edge for the telltale seam/tooling. Could also be corrosion and a subsequent cleaning. Could just be the photo. Again, I'm no expert and would yield to anyone with a strong knoweldge of the series...Mike
Thanks for your comments. I have checked the edge, and the reeding seems unbroken with no seam lines. I also checked the coins diameter and it comes out at 28.2 mm. The Red Book says it should be approximately 27.5 mm. So i guess it is in the correct range since the Book says approximately 27.5. Next i will check the weight of the coin to see if it weighs around 6.74 grams as it should (per Red Book). Is there anything else i should look for? Once again, thanks for your comments. That is what i like about this forum, getting input from knowledgeable people. eduard
I had one of my mentors take a look at the pics. He assured me that I'm wrong about the coin and that it is genuine. The"pits" are evidence of old corrosion likely cleaned off the coin, and not evidence of a casting. Sorry for the confusion...Mike
A beautiful example of an early quarter that I would give a VF-20 clnd, but the cleaning is old, and actually improved the overall condition of the coin as it probably removed the corrosion that was going to eat the details away. A nice piece to have in your hands I would say.
