Best Flea Market Deal Since The 5 Cent Jerry Rice RC

In addition to the 1950S and 1958S Roosevelts that I got for 40 cents apiece, I got this beauty at the Flea Market today. The color is a bit off, suggesting it has been lightly cleaned, but the details are all there and there are only a few distracting marks on this coin. It was in a box of random junk...I asked the vendor what his price would be for it...and after he said he had no idea what he'd charge for it, I asked if he'd take $1 for it and he said sure...

I knew it'd be worth more than that...but this coin is (IMO) around an XF/AU (book price $19/$40.) Good gracious...

And yes, I did get a Jerry Rice RC for 5 cents about 15 years ago, along with a stack of football cards (including a Steve Young RC, Bruce Smith RC, etc.) that I then foolishly proceeded to trade a VERY happy dealer for a handful of packs of basketball cards. First lesson in KEEPING THE GOOD STUFF YOU GET and not trading it in for what's popular at the time...

What would everyone grade this (of course, without the coin in hand it's hard but guesses are always welcome.)

I'd also like to say that I FINALLY found an XF/AU Buffalo from 1927 for my grandmother's Christmas present...after 6 months of searching for one at local dealers...got it for $9.90...all I had left on me (it was priced $12.50.)

Hooray for a good Sunday afternoon...

 

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Nice coins!

 

I'd call the Lincoln Cent a high AU. There's just a tiny bit of wear on the hair above the ear, the few tiny dings are minimally distracting and it has been cleaned. It would be a worthy addition to any (my) collection. If you send it to me I'll pay you double what you paid.

I'm not a fan of the Buffalos but I would grade it a XF obverse and AU reverse.

 

I'm tempted to call this one MS and as such MS63. From your image I'd also say it has been cleaned but would like a little better image to work off of.

Given how you bought, I'm going to play it safe and say AU

I think what you're seeing as wear is due to a late die state on both the obverse and reverse of the coin. If the wear were more uniform I'd feel really comfortable about the AU grade, but generally the first place that Lincoln wears is his cheek and bowtie, which with yours look untouched.

 

AU-50/53 possibly cleaned?, hard to tell from the photos. XF on the Buff.

 

I would guess 55 for the Lincoln, but I strongly suspect it has been cleaned. Buffaloes are not my area, but that one looks AU to me and weakly struck on the obverse.

 

I'm also going to say that this coin definitely has the look and feel of a coin that has been cleaned, although lightly, with some sort of non-abrasive chemical. The color is just toooooo pink to be natural. However, either way...still way worth the price I paid...so it gives me motivation for returning to the flea market every month. I just wish it had that tiny little "D"....

I'll work on better photos HOPEFULLY next month when my birthday hits...I've been strongly hinting that I'd love a digital camera as my present...of course, given how much my family actually LISTENS to my hints, I'll probably get a SIRIUS radio or something I don't need/really want.

But hey, gotta love them for trying. Somewhat.

Thanks,

~benjamin

 

No expert here, but I believe the Lincoln was whizzed to get rid of some corrosion in the fields (look at the unevenness above the date) because I see some parallel striations going from SW to NE. It looks like they may have gone a bit deep on the cheek.