found a 1916 standing liberty quarter what do I do with it?

LD, It's NGC, I believe. Regardless, a quick call couldn't hurt...Mike

 

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How ridiculous can you get? A key date coin with all the correct and identifiable die characteristics and it ends up with some no nothing grader who can only see that it doesn't have a date! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Un-fricking-believable!

I am so glad I do not belong to NGC.

 

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Major Congratulations emanaresi!!:hail::hail::hail::hail: That is without a doubt a dateless 1916 in my mind! I have cherrypicked 2 of these in similar condition this year. The latest one is almost identical to yours in detail(see pictures). I sent it into ANACS last week and just found out today that they graded it FR02(though it barely makes that grade imo).
The one in the comparison drawing that you posted was the other one I found earlier this year, and it also graded FR02.

Mark. You have graded at NGC, but from my understanding, NGC will not grade a 1916 slq that is completely dateless. I say this because a friend of mine on CCF sent one in and they returned it stating that they wouldnt grade it since no date was visible. He then proceeded to send it to ANACS where it graded AG03. Maybe you can dig up a dateless 16 in an NGC slab, and i would be wrong....but this is just what I've heard.

In my personal opinion, I think ANACS is the easiest and best way to go. This is because PCGS appears to have goofed several times with the diagnostics(several threads on CU about this), and it's questionable to me whether or not NGC will grade it at all. I think in this case, you also have a better chance of getting a FR02 with ANACS than PCGS. PCGS is definitely stricter as far as the grade goes, but as others have stated, it WILL bring the most money on a resale given equal grades. With most valuable coins I would recommend PCGS or NGC; but with dateless 16 slqs, I prefer ANACS. I know many will disagree, and that is fine.

Oh, and WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!!

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Another major diagnostic is the "box lines" on the bulkhead. On the 1916, these lines are excuse and therefore susceptible to wear. On the 1917 they are incuse, and retain sharp detail all the way down to PR01 level of wear. I updated my original charts circling and describing this diagnostic. You can see on emanaresi's coin that the box lines are extremely faint(almost invisible) which also indicates that it is a 1916.

 

Is 'excuse' the opposite of 'incuse'?

 

Johny, I am glad you jumped in here, I read your thread start to finish and referenced the pics in it while determining, first that I have a dateless 1917, then that I also have a dateless 1916. I thought I was going to just get it slabbed then sell it right away, but I believe I have decided to hold onto it for a while. I can't see the value of it dropping any, so it won't hurt to hold onto it. I just can't decide where to send it. I would like to send it to PCGS, but I am a little nervous that they may only grade it a P01, do you think there is any chance of that? Also, I have seen the 1917 that PCGS had slabbed as a 1916, and that is a little discouraging. Also, there is the cost difference between ANACS and PCGS. I guess if I send it off to ANACS, I could always send it to PCGS later, but that is even more costly.

Everyone please weigh in on grading for this coin. Is it a firm FR02, or would I be risking getting a P01 from PCGS? This is how PCGS defines their gradingO-1 Identifiable date and type FR-2 Mostly worn, though some detail is visible
I hope that would make it an FR-2, but I don't know.

 

Johny, on the shield of your more recent find, is that dirt, or pitting?

I think my coin may be in slightly better condition than your more recent one, but it is hard to say, just from pics.

 

yes. I guess I could have used a better choice of words. Basically the lines are "raised".

 

I did not know that. I knew the bottom of the gown loop by Liberty's foot (left as you are looking at the coin) was an indicator but I did not know about the lines in the wall. Learn something every day.

 

Yeah, yours looks like it may have slightly better details, which makes me think it will get a FR2 at ANACS, but it kind of depends on the graders at this point. I really don't know about PCGS since I dont have many data points of 16s in the PR1 to FR2 range. All I know is that I recently saw a PCGS FR02 that was extremely strong, actually stronger than an ANACS AG3 that another forum member had. That along with PCGS's reputation for being more conservative makes me think that your coin would more likely get a PR1 from PCGS than ANACS....but it could go either way. I think an ANACS FR2 would bring more than a PCGS PR1, but PCGS will bring more with equal grades. I like ANACS because you dont need a membership or need to submit through a dealer to get it graded. ANACS is also extremely fast and will give it a details grade if it has problems, but PCGS will always be the more reputable service.

The surfaces on the one I just sent in are really clean with very few marks or hairlines. The dark areas are just toning.



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Gotcha, i don't know the right terms for things. Does toning like that affect the grade? Or is that acceptable?

I think I may go with abaca for now. If I really wanted to later I can have it graded by pcgs, or maybe ngc would do it of it is allready slabbed. I don't know though.

 

Toning is generally acceptable, unless it turns to corrosion which alters the texture of the surface. I think you'll be happy with ANACS. Make sure to keep us updated on this thread and post the results!

 

It's a small bet for a large potential, and you have the "feel" that it is a winner by doing the research. Best way to make a wager. Calculated risk/reward x percentage positive outcome. I would send it in if you have the descretionary funds available. Don't ever bet the rent or grocery money.

gary.

 

Great find. It has all the diagnostics of a 1916. Send it to ANACS. I'd estimate the grade at FR-2.

 

get it certified, then get it on ebay...or sell it to a dealer, if you want to just make money from it.

 

Too cool to sell because of the story attached to it.

 

I'm kind of surprised at how many of these have been popping up lately. I'm glad to hear that you will keep yours. Should you decide to sell it, a problem free FR02 should bring between $1,100-$1,500, probably more on the lower side for that example....but I wouldn't let it go for under 4 figures. However, you never know. This ANACS PR01 1916 slq brought $1,500 in 2005 on Heritage:
http://coins.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=360&Lot_No=6558

Way over priced in my opinion, but obviously 2 or more buyers wanted it really bad.

 

I wonder if there are more of these turning up because of the combo of the bad economy and relatively high value of silver means a lot of junk silver that has been sitting in attics for years is now changing hands and being examined.

 

I'm thinking that the flow of information on the diagnostics for finding and identifying a dateless 1916 has been a major part of this trend.

 

Yeah, I am sure that is a big part of it too.

I sent it off to anacs yesterday, I'll update as soon as I hear something back.