Hello Collectors, Let me start off by saying that if this kind of post is considered spam or just annoying, I will gladly take it off. I got interested in this coin pretty recently after seeing a post about it on Whats It Worth. All classic commemeratives are in some way nice looking, but this one caught my eye. It is a 1926-S Oregon Trail half dollar, selling for $149 on Ebay. I wanted to get advice from you guys on whether this is a good deal, the approximate grade, and if the rainbow toning is artificial, (probably not, but you never know). So do you think I should get this? I know that it is ultimately my decision, because we each have our own taste in coins, but based on quality and price, is this coin worth buying? Thanks guys!
Wow....buy that sucker.....i would if i'd have seen it and had the cash...thats one of my favorite times in us history, well...minus WW2, but thats world history.haha
My concern is that the toning could be "smoked" toning used to mask an old cleaning. Also, it certainly isn't a mint-state coin, so don't pay mint-state prices...
I'll have to defer that question to someone with more expertise, but any time i see that orange/blue/grey hue on a coin, it makes me leery.
2011 red book lists 26s @ $135 in au50 and $170 in ms60... I guess if you really want it it's worth the redbook price. Is it graded btw?
The toning is AT as it seems to come out of nowhere and that's a good indication that it's poured onto the coin. You can get a better one off ebay, just take your time and keep looking. One of the keys to being happy about buying a coin off of ebay is to be patient. good luck
Thank you for all of the replys! I think ill pass for now, as $149 is a little too much for me to just toss around, but Ill keep looking. I just wish that this coin was authentically toned. It is my favorite design other than the Panama Pacific commemorative
Actually I think the toning is legidimate... notice the spotty tone along the inside edge. Looks real to me... Pretty deep dish, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was cleaned. Nice coin, and regardless of NT/AT if the price is right it would make for a nice coin...
I think the toning is natural and is (slightly) similar to the album-toned Pan-Pac shown below. Although I was referring to an old copy of the CDN Greysheet, the price is certainly within the ballpark. For the 26-S, there is not much of a spread in price between AU & MS63. I've been watching for nicely toned Oregon Trail commems for the last few years, and most of what you see is blast white MS specimens for $175-$350. Chris
