Tough one for me to grade. Outstanding luster from worn die is obvious -- 66 or 67 level. Chatter on high points on obverse seem to limit grade -- more like a 65. I'll guess in the middle. 66 rd.
NGC probably gave it a 66 though I am not sure how especially with the right wheat stalk lines looking like they blend into eachother whereas the left wheat stalk lines are clearly distint (sp?) and from reading the Numismatic associatioin grading standards in order to qualify for an MS65 "No trace of wear, nearly as perfect as MS-67 except for some small blemish. Has full mint luster but may be unevenly toned or lightly fingermarked. A few minor nicks or marks may be presents. " I think for the marks on the check, the blemish (or is that a form of toning?) above the date and what I already mentioned about the reverse. I feel that this coin is a 63/64
Great luster. Yes, there are s couple ticks on it, but they are generally minor and do not detract from the luster. Maybe not the greatest 66 I have seen, but far from the worst either.
If your score changed more than you think it should have, I found 2 scores I missed previously (114 & 115, I think). Top 10. Columns are rank, name, average, and number of guesses. bahabully 0.271 50 Coinguy56 0.310 31 ldhair 0.355 33 Duke Kavanaugh 0.361 38 Leadfoot 0.422 47 swhuck 0.455 24 BadThad 0.500 50 mark_h 0.542 50 jallengomez 0.576 35 Shoewrecky 0.583 26
It's a REAL nice example of the 30S, but they should have brought it to a 65 for the hits and weakness in the right wheat stalk IMO. Once again, luster rules over hits. I can submit a nearly flawless, hit free coin with good but not blazing luster and I get a 66 from NGC....when it should have been a 67. I really don't like how they skew based purely on luster.
I agree,, it's important in higher grades, but shouldn't be the sole delimiter as is too often the case. I consider strike and lack of hits higher, and would like to see more 'pure' coins with honest skin rated higher. All the luster brooohaha is just inviting too many jewlers and thier polishing techniques into the game.. btw, it isn't that hard to polish up a coin a bit without detection even under the highest magnification...
