1909 VDB Lincoln Did I mess up?

Here is the 1909-VDB that is in my type set. This piece is NGC graded MS-65, Red.



I think that you probably did okay. One concern is with the exposure of the pictures. One of the ways that sellers make their coins look better than they are is to overexpose their photos. That can cover-up scratches and light spots.

Here are two photos of the same coin. The first is overexposed.



And here is a photo that provides an image of what the piece looks like in person.



This is something you should keep in mind when you are shopping for coins on-line.

 

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That's good to know and I'm not going to resell. I'm keeping it. I'm collecting all Lincoln pennies that I can find or afford. The 1909 S VBD is going to be hefty for me. I should say the best examples of...Lincoln pennies and stuff

 

Ahhh yes I see

 

Beautiful coin

 

That's because of the glare in this photo.

I don't think those photos provide enough info for even a good guess, but here would be mine, based on what I can see and on Great Southern's reputation:
1) It's not circulated.
2) It's been improperly cleaned or dipped in a way that prevents it from grading cleanly. There are certainly bright red 1909 cents, but this one rubs me the wrong way.

 

Should I get it graded when I get it? Just to find out.

 

Just take some photos that are representative to the coin, and post them here. We will gladly help you with the details end of the coin.
Jeff's statement is spot on. No need to waste money on grading fees, if the coin only is worth low AU because of a cleaning.

 

No. Don't waste your money.
Like @Pickin and Grinin said, take some decent pictures and post them here.

 

Great Southern has a reputation for buying problem coins cheaply,
and then doing something to them (conservation, whatever) and reselling them at much higher grade prices, YOU CAN JUST SEE FROM THIS UNDOCTORED PHOTO THAT THIS COIN IS AU!, and then the coins don't grade and come back as details.
Sometimes, not always.

 

I am going to disagree with about everyone.

Taking your own pictures is going to be the best teacher about understanding other people’s pictures. Once you make all the mistakes in lighting, focus, and exposure (I have!) you can see what went wrong in the seller’s photo, and see past that to figure out what the coin really looks like.

The photos from GSC have their own style. They get a bit grainy as they keep the resolution down to a fairly small number of pixels for their eBay posts.

I have bought quite a few coins from them. From their pictures, I see a MS 65 RD 1909 VDB, which you got at a nice price under $50.

I think it looks a lot like this one of mine, which I post so you can compare what’s visible in their photo compared to a higher resolution photo. I paid $36 for this one. I think this is probably MS 65 RD, so should be what you see when yours arrives. Price guide value would be $160 for MS65 RD.



Edit: I took the original GSC photos from your screenshots, cropped, joined, and color adjusted them. Now you can see the surface marks better. They are pretty clean with no unusual scratches. There is a long mark in front of Lincoln's nose at the 3:00 position, but it does not look like a ding, a scratch, or a planchet flaw. It will not affect the grade or your enjoyment. There are two small marks at the back of the head, again very minor. The small variations in coloring you see look totally natural and are not an issue of any kind. It simply looks terrific.

 

I have 25,000 wheaties I bought about 35 years ago. You're giving me the itch to go through them. Haven't looked at 4 of the 5 bags yet. Just looked quickly in one bag to make sure they were wheats. Bought all from the same person. I think I paid 55.00 a bag back then. Put them in my closet and just left them there. I have a bag I bought about 20 years ago that I have been going through with grandkids. Not getting rich but having lots of fun.

 

It would have driven me mad knowing those bags were sitting there and not going through them. Kudos to your... willpower?

 

While I agree with you in a general sense, it is my experience that they don’t do this for common coins worth less than $100. Now if this coin was a 1909-S VDB, I would advise to run away as fast as possible. That said, their photos are deceptive, pretty much across the board.

 

Yes that is a die crack, think mountains when it is a die crack and think of a valley when it is damage.

 

I paid $45 for my 1909-VDB which is raw and would probably grade MS64.

 

I look forward to seeing your photos @Brandi Wilson

 

Great Post John!

 

It's coming regular USPS. I'll let y'all know as soon as it gets here and I take some pictures.

 

Brandi you have hundreds of years of experienced collectors on this board and all of us started out just like you. I started putting my penny set together at age 8 and that was 50 years ago and I am still upgrading and expanding the same set! Start with learning about each coin. Seek out the very best affordable common date pennies you can find. If you stick with it, you will get that SVBD and the 14D and the 31S. It may be by purchase of the ugliest but affordable date fillers at first or you will come by a really great deal from a dealer at a show or trade with a trusted friend.

The key is being very patient, always try and make good decisions, never quick impulsive ones , do not ever overspend, ask your connections the tough questions as you have done here. In time you will get every one of the keys and then start trading those in and up as I have done for many years. Then maybe add in all the proofs. Then the errors like the 55, 72 and 83 double die varieties. The fun is in learning then setting a single goal and then go on the hunt.

Someone very wise advised you on this board "do not" go 0-60 and try and buy them all as quick as you can. Set up time to read as much as you can whenever you can on each coin before you buy it. You will be blown away at what you learn. Each day you become a little wiser and then finding and negotiating the purchase of a perfect cherry red MS common date coin is as fun as buying the SVBD at a great price!

 

That seller does everything in their power to make the coins they sell look better to the buyer then the actual coin in hand.