Hey, What grade is this large cent. I see it as a nice MS63 RB, but I don’t know if it would be details from the weird splotches on the front and back, and also from the major scratches on the edges. Many times, I have seen Morgan dollars with big hits and scratches on the dge but with straight grades in TPG plastic. This isn’t my coin, but I love the look of it, so I would like to buy it. Thanks for any help!
This coin will come back UNC details smoothed or cleaned. That's not a natural mint red color. Someone smoothed the surfaces or worked them over, probably to remove those spots, the remnants of which remain. The marks are also deep and significant enough to qualify as damage on such a high grade (details) coin.
I see pitting and hairlines from the surfaces being smoothed/whizzed. Do you? See that brown color around the stars, tight in the devices? That was the original color of the coin before someone stripped it of all originality.
This is a proper coin to get an “altered surfaces” designation. I don’t know how PCGS defines “altered surfaces” as of late. And if you did have a coin as nice as you describe, please do not hold it the way you are holding it.
Ok thanks for all your help! I’ll be looking out for what you said about the smoothed surfaces @C-B-D.
Here is a most red large cent, from the same era, that did get a grade. The grade is PCGS MS-65, R&B CAC. One of the things to note is that the surfaces on this coin "play with the light." On your coin the color is "flat." That is an indicator that the surfaces have lost their mint surfaces and therefore their mint luster.
Btw, I sent the seller a message asking if it was cleaned or whizzed. He replied this morning that it was not and it was a nice original coin...
I agree with @C-B-D. The coin has issues. That being said, it's still rather impressive in terms of detail. I wouldn't buy it, personally, but I can still admire it for its better attributes.
