Hello everyone, I just wanted your thoughts on this as I am still quite new to the hobby (only two years), so I need all the help from professionals like people on CoinTalk. If you can, please tell me the grade, the value, and if the toning is real or not. Thanks to all that respond!
It is alive! Personally I could have been convinced that this was some kind of album toning. But as an amateur I can't tell the difference. There's so much coin doctoring going on, and people seem to want rainbow colors. But I believe that fad is starting to wane as those coins won't grade.
It is certainly attractive. But I am like the others. My “it-don’t-feel-right-alarm” is sounding. Is this one you are itching to buy from like an Internet dealer?
It looks ok - struck on worn dies. It was struck during the depression, so the mints were under pressure to keep costs down and make things last. They did that by lowering the striking pressure, and using dies beyond their useful lifetime. The toning looks original too. Without having it in hand it is hard to tell if it has been cleaned and retoned, but I would venture MS63+ to MS64. The toning will give you a bit of a premium. $80 to $120 area would be a guess to the right person.
I think there is to much wear on the coin not to have "Some" darker areas around the devises. That toning must take practice. https://www.sciencecompany.com/DIY-Patina-Formulas.aspx
This is one of those coins, that my eyes say "buy it", but my gut says "no". So I listen to my gut. My eyes eventually catch up and see what my gut was feeling. I agree with @ToughCOINS on this one. I think this is a circulated example that was "whizzed" to emulate a Mint State weak strike. Personally I would just skip right on by and let someone else take the "chance". I would be willing to bet that this would come back as XF details altered surfaces.
Thank you for showing me this link. I SWEAR THAT I WILL NEVER BREAK YOUR HEARTS AND TRY TO MAKE COINS AND SELL THEM FOR A PREMIUM, but I will try just to personally add color to my collection.
The coin at first glance definitely has a look of a circulated example that was polished to make it look unc. I would avoid the coin.
The thing is I don't see any scratches and the usual tiny dots that are between the buffalo's legs when there is luster are there, so is it really worked on? Most VG or VF buffaloes have quite a few scratches on them, but this one doesn't have the normal scratches that usually appear on low quality buffaloes.
Also the edge seems pretty new in the first picture. You can kind of see the edge and it doesn't look like a VF edge. I might have a go for it because it has returns, so if it isn't good, I can always return it.
The 34 often has a weak strike/old die. But I believe what the other posters are saying is that the scratches have been taken out.
Why would you do something to your coins that would almost guarantee that they would come back from a TPG in a "details" slab? If you like toning that much, then save up and get a legit one, IMHO.
I would just use "junk" coins like a simple BU silver quarter or a BU wheat or buffalo... something inexpensive.