Picked this one up at the NWCC show this past weekend. Vote in the poll as to what you think the PCGS slab calls out for a grade. Have a crack at the Overton as well if you are so inclined and put that in a reply. All comments welcome. I will do the reveal tomorrow.
I voted "Fine-12." I don't know why you would say "details." That about as mark-free and original as you could ever hope to get for the grade. It might be better than that because these coins were struck with shallow dies that had less detail, especially with respect to Ms. Liberty's hair. The pieces issued from 1801 to part of 1806 were much sharper. My guess is that the mint did that to increase the useful life of the dies. I will post an AU example after the reveal.
VG08 seems low. While the bust is worn the rest of the obverse has good details. The lines in the shield are excellent. And the lettering also very good on the reverse. Just the eagle is a bit worn. But the center of the coin (I am assuming) is raised more and will show more wear. I agree with V-15 at the least. A 200+ year old circulated coin should benefit slightly from grading bias.
Like many of you that chimed in/voted on this thread, I do not completely agree with the grade given and feel it should have been higher. The dealer I purchased this from and I chatted for a while about this very thing. I got the coin for a decent VG08 price and am happy to add this one to my collection.
