Ok, I spent my whole budget(ish) on one coin that many here wouldn’t buy at all but …

I showed the coin to my friend Dieter who’s a dealer and he spoke too fast for me to catch the German but he translated it and I could retain that at least.

 

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I like it!

 

That's a great way to pick up a nice coin at problem coin prices. I have a draped bust quarter with graffiti but you really have to hunt to find it, like here.

 

simply said I love and and would have bought it in a heartbeat if the price was right (and it seems it was for you ) Great addition!!!

 

Hey @Insider is it graffiti or not...

 

It's is a Dahlonega gold coin, hard not to like it!

 

I tried to collect a set of all the mints once and Dahlonega was my stopper.

But I'm fascinated by rarity, so I have learned to appreciate the snob discount. Most of my collection is far worse than your 53-D in appearance.

Ya did good.

 

Beautiful coin, but may I ask where you acquired it from (ie. online auction, private seller, reputable online source like APMEX or Kitco etcetera)

The reason I ask is because I recently picked up a few coins (albeit raw, but in ungraded holders) that I sent to PCGS because they were just in gorgeous shape. They had my coins since September 1st and anxiously I awaited the grades to return.

On my birthday this month I received notification that my grades and images were ready only to be very dismayed at the realization that I had been sold counterfeits. Counterfeits made of 90% gold and 10% copper, that weighed exactly within mint tolerance and were the appropriate size, thickness and had the proper reeding on the rims. Also they were amongst the commonest of years 1851, 1883 and 1909. The first two were mint state gold dollars Type I & Type III and the last was a $2 & 1/2 dollar Indian Head (or so I thought and how this could have been an error I do not know, foolishly I didn't take images of the coins that I didnt delete except the 1883 Type III, but the last one was a weird one because PCGS corrected my order form and sent me back a 1909 $5 Indian Head!! I'm 32 years old and feel like I have alzheimers or was gaslighted).

Anyways my supplier is a reputable coin dealer, the most honest man I know. He is very well educated and professional about his work. He knows how to check for a counterfeit. Still they came back, all three, deemed as such for having been struck with false dies.

With the existence and prevalence of counterfeit slabs on the rise, I would suggest that unless you purchased it from a VERY reputable source, to send it in for reholdering. I for one will never purchase without shipping immediately to a third party grading service and I'm glad I did so on my first experience with pre '33 gold because God knows how long I would have carried them around thinking I had something good before I found out otherwise. Might not have ever learned the truth otherwise.

 

AFAIK, Graffiti usually indicates the "the-hand-of-man" marked the coin with letters, numbers, or a symbol of some sort. I cannot be 100% sure where it is on the OP's coin but NGC saw it. Scratches on a coin are not considered graffiti, although in some cases they may look like a purposeful mark.

 

Forget the graffiti, check the variety. Your Reverse mint mark location matches the 1854-D. None of the five Heritage Sales for 1853-D have this mint mark location.

Since they're both called Large D, someone has to have information on varieties.

This is the location on the Five 1853-Ds at Heritage.


It's possible it is either a rare variety or a brand new MULE, previously unknown.

This is the 1854-D Large D Reverse:

 

New Variety?

 

Well, there are coins with details I wouldn't touch with a 50 foot pole. And then, there are coins with details that I would definitely consider. The two categories of the latter are rare/expensive coins whose problems are minor. l place the OP's coin in the category of extremely minor problems and a rarish coin. Greysheet calls this a $1500 coin in VF straight graded. The so-called graffiti is, to me, indistinguishable from random scratches.

Another consideration regarding details coins is if the coin will be difficult to resell. Another 1853-D in VF-20 sold on 10/20 in a HA auction for $1740. Making some assumptions: If the OP got his coin for 70% off that, his cost would be $522. Current melt is about $426. So the OP got a pretty nice 1853-D for about $100 over melt. I think when he goes to sell it down the road, he'll be happy with his financial results and he'll have the pleasure of owning a coin he might not otherwise have the opportunity to own.

I would not mind having this coin, at this price, despite my general aversion to details grade coins.

And this is what I mean when I answer questions here regarding buying details coins when I say "It depends."

BTW, if you have details coins you want to sell at auction, now is the time. I have never before seen the quantity of details coins before offered at HA, GC, DLRC, et.al. as in the last few months.

Congratulations to the OP.

 

I like this. Plus I don't have any Dahlonega gold.

 

Both Red Book's and Greysheet's only listing for the 1853-D and 1854-D is called "Large D". Why do they do that if there is only one size of D?

Someone with the reference book and more knowledge than me on this series, and that is basically everyone, please help us out here.

 

It looks like Doug Winters wrote the book on Dahlonega Gold, but does anybody have a copy?

 

https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1853-d-5-large/8255

It's 35-AA (formerly 29-U) - A known Variety 17 Sales listed

 

from https://raregoldcoins.com/sold-inventory-3/sold-500-1853-d-medium-d-pcgs-au50-cac

"
Medium D mintmark (designated as such by PCGS). Variety 29-W. Rare.

Virtually all 1853-D half eagles are found with a Large D mintmark. The Medium D is found on just on variety and it is likely that well under 5% of all 1853-D are from this die pair. PCGS has graded none finer than AU53 and only seven in all grades as of April 2013."


And @Marshall I am not saying OP is a W rather than a U, just putting in a blurb regarding a known variety, I am not familiar with this issue

 

I saw one Description on Heritage indicating 5 die marriages, so I'm missing one.

35-X Large D left
35-Y Large D center
35-Z Medium D center
35-AA Large D high and right (OPs)

 

I'd expect that coin to go for at least 70% of problem-free price, not 70% off it. I'd call that an excellent buy!