This coin grades Au-53 by PCGS possibly they did not like the toning much either . I however do like the coin and the nice blue on the edges. Coin looks quite nice for the grade to me and was a bargain at 250 I think personally. Yeah I have seen a few nicer ones come up in Au but there always in 58 and quite expensive. Unlike many of the dull 53 and 55s this one has quite a bit of extremely nice luster still.
Yes, it's an AU. Getting an example of this date and mint mark combition in a Mint State holder is like walking on water. AUs are common; Mint States are very hard.
To me, is tarnished, not toned and needs dipped. I have a half dozen that are multi toned but consider Blast White as being preferred.
If you want a quickie beginner’s lesson on artificially toned coins, look at the previous post. Some people actually like that CRA ... sort of material.
I think the scratches, if on the coin, in the focal points of the coin would cause it to be a lower grade, not the "toning." JMHO
I'm late to the party the large scratch on the field and cheek is a distraction I would have posted AU-58. For your sake I'm glad I was wrong. Thank you
I’ve examined the pictures as best I can and couldn’t see hair lines. For my education can you point out what you see and where?
A lot of the scratches are on the holder . Has full luster for the most part . I don’t see cleaning hairlines but it has scratches for sure
They are mainly horizontal in the fields. You can see that once it gets to a raised area, they go away. But as the OP said, it graded alright, so it isn't cleaned. It might have been the effect of the wear and the photo quality
Oh no that's sad. I can't even fathom how someone could willingly dip a coin. Get yourself some real toned Morgans and then I'll respect you a bit more.
Thanks for the reply. I have a hard time with pictures and pictures through taken through holders. I’m trying to up my game.
I’m all for original surfaces however we have a coin with terminal toning. It can only get worse. For the sake of the coin I would think the lesser of two evils would be proper conservation no?
I wonder how it will get worse ? I don’t think it looks bad to begin with especially for the grade. Is it going to spread? If it’s just that it gets darker I don’t think it can really get to much darker . It’s not eating into the coin
I think just be happy with it. It's great to be aware of how other experienced collectors perceive our coins. But PCGS did straight grade it, didn't call it environmentally damaged, and the central devices are crisp and attractive. It's not perfection, but hey, this isn't an 1881S. As far as getting worse, I would expect it to be very slowly if it does, but you can just keep an eye on it.