Cuba, 1915 Silver (20) Veinte Centavos Coin. Grade/Value?

This is a quick-n-dirty taken several years ago that may not tell you much. Somehow I managed to bungle the lighting to the point that the coin looks polished, although in hand it looks nothing like that.

 

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Very nice coin! First observation is MS63, Low Relief? Need magnified pics, of star and same for cap on top of shield, key and tree foilage on obverse if possible

 

To this day I do not know how to determine if it is a high or low relief star.

 

Join the club. As I stated before, even the "Pro" graders differ within the same TPG.

 

I thought the fine reeding was the rare variety.
If the OP coin has not been cleaned, I am high VF/ low XF. 35/40
$6-$10.

 

NGC explains it decently here: "Coins with high relief stars normally exhibit a weak key and palm tree on the reverse. Coins with low relief stars tend to exhibit much more distinct lines in the valleys running towards the center of the star."

(https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide...s-km-13.2-1915-1949-cuid-1035287-duid-1272913)

The issue with it, is that when a coin gets circulated, it's hard to tell if any weakness is from circulation or the relief. The easiest way to tell us to look at an uncirculated example.

Here are some Vcoins examples:

https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/co...ding__high_relief_star_xf/630170/Default.aspx

https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/co...eeding__xf_scarce_variety/820219/Default.aspx

Here is NGC's: https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/cuba-20-centavos-km-13.1-1915-cuid-1035452-duid-1273328

 

The fine reeding, high relief, receives top billing, However, coarse reeding, high relief in the MS class, is also rated as rare, but below the FR/HR mentioned. A check of Heritage Auctions will bear this out. Some of the TPG grading only list 'High or Low' on the slab and do not indicate reeding.
PS. Thanks for your input, but I have a harder question. Is the coin in the original thread High or Low relief. Similar coins have been graded High Relief by NGC.

 

Good to know it's not just me.

 

I have researched the High/Low issue for over a year and a half and still am baffled by some of the TPG's grading of the coins. I think the problem was/is not much was written in the past about this coin issue. The most extensive primer of the 1915, twenty centavos coin, I have been able to locate so far, is from AllCoinsCuban.com, but it can also leave you scratching your head. There is too much wiggle room for interpretation of what constitutes High Relief, eg. this is and this is not. I stated in a post there is discussion concerning another relief, the Mid Relief, if I recall correctly, which would classify the variants between High and Low Reliefs. I believe this should be added to the lexicon of relief determination. I have seen many coins that fit this "Mid Relief" variety.

 

I've found plenty of high quality reference photos, but they haven't helped. I have to wonder if the distinction between high and low relief would be more readily apparent if I held actual examples of each in hand.

 

I do not feel comfortable opining, because it would just be a guess. I have not seen enough to be able to tell the difference.

 

Therein lies the problem. Had you examples of both Low relief (hard definitive lines between the points of the star running to the center) and High relief (radiused valleys between the star points running to the center) the issue would be clear for those two coins. However, the problem of identification becomes muddied when coins are 'similar' to High relief, but the valleys are not solidly defined. Some TPG gradings of High relief coins caused me to blink, I do not consider myself an "Expert" on High/Low identification, but I have seen many, many auction result pics. that have me scratching my head at the slab indicating 'High relief.' I would check the auction results and determine whether you believe you have a valuable coin. The decision for having it graded is then up to you.
Your coin sure looks like a Low relief. How about those pics. I asked for?

 

The photo I posted is the best I have, and unfortunately I'm not in a position right now to take more.

 

I understand, so I can help you no further. Thanks for your input.

 

At some point I'll be able to stop and take more pics, just not now.

I've owned the coin for probably 20+ years, so obviously I'm not in any hurry to solve the mystery.

 

I'm interested too, I've bought a couple of coins from the motherland and have great difficulty determining. Allcoinscuban.com seems like something I'll have to check out.

It's allcubancoins.com