Hi All, I've come into some old American coins. Unfortunately, these have seen various cleans, environmental damages and dents over the years so not in great condition! What are we thinking in terms of value? I always like to hear the forum's opinions on values and conditions... Thanks!
I don't have very much expertise on the silver coins, but I can help you with the large cent. It's a S-239, with a rarity of 3. That means there are an estimated 301 to 400 surviving examples. I would grade it at an EAC VG-10 sharpness, but it gets netted down to a G-6 av because of an old cleaning. It's a nice coin! I will check CQR for the value of your piece when I get home.
Fascinating... Thank you for sharing your expertise. I was gutted to see quite how damaging the cleaning was but as you say, a nice coin! Can you tell me more about the rarity scale? I can't tell if 3 is very rare, or a middle-of-the-road figure. thank you.
Nice! Thank you... I am going to keep picking your brains on this one... how could you tell this was an S-239? cheers.
In addition to what @Coins4Eli said: Your 1802 large cent in an uncleaned state would have a retail value of about $150. Since it's been cleaned and is not very eye-appealing, knock 50% off the value. So, a $75 coin but if you were to sell it to a dealer, he might offer you $25 to $40. The 1838 quarter is die marriage B-1, which is Rarity one, very common and was the only die marriage that year. This was the last year the Capped Bust quarter was minted in numbers of 366,000. It grades about F-12 but looks like it's had an old cleaning and has retoned somewhat. It also has a moderate rim ding on the obverse at K-3. Those two issues might cause it be deemed a Details coin if sent in for grading but also it might straight grade. You wouldn't know unless you submitted it. In F-12 straight grade its wholesale value (Greysheet) is $110 and Retail is $143. If it got a details grade, knock about 25% to 40% off those numbers. The 1853 Liberty Seated quarter is of the Arrows & Rays variety, a very popular design. It's a common coin and the grade of your coin is about VF-25. Retail is about $110 and wholesale is about $70. Again, looks like it's been cleaned so you should discount those values. IMHO, I don't think any of these coins have sufficient value to merit being sent to a TPG for grading and encapsulation but people do that for sentimental and preservation reasons not just economic reasons. All early 19th century coins are neat, IMO, and these are no different. Hang onto them if they have sentimental value but you won't get any kind of windfall if you decide to sell them.
Ok, here is a scan from CQR, in G-6 average (which is what I graded yours as) it is valued at roughly $90.00. As to your question on how I determined that it was a S-239, I usually attribute varieties by the process of elimination. For example, say an 1802 cent has a stemless reverse, by the process of elimination you can determine that it is an S-231 or an S-241, not any of the other 18 varieties with stems. Then it just comes down to the fine details, e.g., positioning of letters or denticles. Hope that helps.
