Hello all! I bought this token at Heritage last year, and just heard back from NGC about the grade. This is a tough type - figured it'd be a great Guess the Grade for us! The pictures below are from the Heritage Auction. This is a Fuld 127/401 in German Silver, also known as AL 1864-60 in DeWitt/Sullivan or King #214, and is Rarity 9. As a teaser, Heritage called it XF - were they right?
AU Details Corrosion ? Just taking a guess. The details look strong, I'm assuming it is a weak strike on the shield? Was NGC able to conserve those spots or are they permanent?
I will add this for the masses - this token received a problem free grade. The spots look much worse in the photo than in hand - they are superficial and have not damaged the surface, but are not able to be removed.
Drumroll: NGC graded this one as MS61 - I don't disagree. The type is almost always struck weakly in the center of both sides, so the grades end up being based primarily on the devices around the edges. I felt that Heritage was conservative in their listing. Happy to give this one a home.
I've followed a link to this and have a grading tip that for you all as I'm sure Mr. Ed knows this and could explain it much better now that I mentioned it. Although this is just a photo, and it is very hard to see the token's luster, the first thing I noticed was no detail on the head. In a blink, I saw the rough ORIGINAL surface where the design was missing = not wear but flat strike. Due to the image, it is more difficult to apply this tip to the reverse. Anything to add?
Oh no, I was thinking the token was under graded but look inside the "UR." Baking soda residue from a cleaning! That's why only a 61. My guess the color is too "white" and perhaps continuous hairlines (61) we don't see at this angle.
It may be a typo in your post, but your Lincoln is 127/201 GS and in the 5th Edition Fuld changed to R-8. It definitely is very rare and would be a nice addition to one's Lincoln Campaign/Patriotic Token collection.
