1875-S Twenty Cent Super Rare Proof?

Care to take a guess at the pop of this coin in MSPL?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Im not sure offhand, but it isn't like they don't exist. It doesn't really matter anyway, a proof like will never be as valuable as a proof.

 

According to NGC the pop in MSPL 66 is 0.

 

Not all coins are or need to be certified. Plenty of collectors, including myself, routinely purchase raw coins and never get them certified. When I say that it is not like they don't exist, I am saying that I have seen other proof like examples of twenty cent pieces. They may not necessarily have been MS-66 examples of the 1875-S, but believe me, with a mintage of 1,155,000 they do exist.

 

I don't know if the MS66 was a guess, but this looks an awful lot more like a hairlined AU to me than any MS66 twenty-cent piece I have ever seen.

 

Not really even a guess, just the high price for a business strike vs proof strike.

 

I agree.

As to PL 20-centers - they do exist. Maybe not as common as the quarter, but they are around.

 

You have to remember that you can't really compare a branch mint proof with a Philadelphia proof. The branch mints lacked the experience and the proper equipment to make proofs of Philadelphia quality.

 

While I do think this when I see a coin like this, there are still coins out there that are "undiscovered." A friend of mine went to a refinery where he found an 1865 $5 for gold price and now an NGC53, I believe. A $20k+ coin...

 

Doesn't look anything like a proof to me. I think it is a good strike business strike. Given its scarcity, if it were a real proof, it would have been slabbed long ago. The fact that it isn't tells me in isn't one.

 

I very much agree with your statement, but generally the multiple strikes of proofs are fairly obvious. These New Orleans branch mint proofs are pretty good examples of what a well struck branch mint proof should look like. By contrast, this SP-66 Barber lacks some detail and the special striking that took place is not as evident. I have examined all of the coins above, and though the Barber is clearly a special strike, I would hesitate to call it a proof, but the eagle and Morgan (from the Jack Lee collection who owned two of the four known pieces) were clearly made with multiple strikes.

 

I'd just send it in. Better yet, take it to a big show and have it authenticated at the walk-thru tier. You can probably get 5 expert opinions at a show like Long Beach.

 

http://www.pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/5307

 

As a side note, I love how PCGS's price guide has numbers in it for non-existent coins.

 

Spectacular coin!
It does look like a SP, to me.

 

I'm betting that when you purchase these raw coins, you know whether they're a proof or business, genuine or counterfeit right?

In my probably-correct opinion, this coin has already taken a trip to a grading service and has either come back AU Detail, Quest Authenticity, etc. and has been put back in a 2x2 as plausible deniability for the next seller. "It could be a proof!"

 

I know enough to know to consult a dealer who I trust if I am not certain about a purchase.

My point was that very rare and expensive coins have been traded for centuries without being in a slab and this is not going to change. Just because a coin is not slabbed, I would not automatically think that it is a problem coin or has been body bagged in the past. Some collections stay within families for generations so what would be the point of getting something graded? My own collection has been in my family since somewhere in the 1870s and I am the fifth generation to keep it going.

 

Wanna sell it?

 

Hi, and welcome to CoinTalk!

Please note that the last post in this thread was over 7 years ago, and the original poster hasn't been around in more than a year. You're unlikely to get a response. You should also read The Rules before you start posting -- among other things, you'll find that offers to buy and sell are prohibited here, except in the dedicated buy/sell/trade forums.

 

Offers to buy, trade, or sell are verbotten in the general forums.