Seated Liberty Halfs

I was lookin for a Bust Dollar today but came home with this Seated Liberty Half dollar instead.

This is a New Orleans mint mark. What do you think? I've never owned one of these before.

Ruben

 

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Although it appears to have had an old cleaning, it looks like a nice old VF-30 Half Dollar! With the "O" Mintmark almost touching the Olive branch, it may be one of the rarer Varieties. I am sure that some of the Half Dollar Collectors will come along and pass on any information they may have on the coin.


Frank

 

Ruben,
That's actually quite a nice seated half.I have several in Good-Fine-ish condition and yours is nicer than any of them.In better grades,they get to be more expensive than I'm willing to pay since U.S. coins are not really my main interest.

 

I chaecked Breen, and he does list a number of good varieties for the date, including a heavy date, thin numerals, and doubled date (very rare).
However, he does not list a mintmark variety.
But, we all know that Breen is often wrong.

 

I love this coin. I didn't think I would when I brought it, but now living with it for a few days I'm coming to aprecreate it.

I don't think it was ever dipped. The lettering doesn't seem to have the pattern that a dipped coin has and the toning is consistant with a coin that has been traded.

Ruben

 

I would grade it F15-VF20.....not sure what it would be if it was sent off---its soo much of a boarderline IMHO.

Speedy

 

You know what is interesting? This year of coin actually has a larger mintage from New Orleans than Philedephia.



Ruben

 

I agree with huntsman that that coin has an old cleaning. The very "clean" fiels of the reverse especially above the eagle are the most suspicious to me.

Now as far as that being a bad thing? I wouldn't worry too much about it. It is still a great coin (and an "O" mint at that!) . I myself have several "old cleaned" coins and l like them just fine.

 

Looking at the coin, and also reviewing it with a deal who I trust, I strongly doubt that this coin was dipped. The toning is uniform and loooks as it should. When the coin is dipped, you almost always see some spotting near the letters.

Ruben

 

IMO, The coin has been cleaned in the past, and would grade a vf-25-30. It also might get body bagged for having altered surfaces.

 

Many cleaned coins are darker near the legends than in the center, exactly like yours. Looks about net VF-20 to me.

 

I think it is quite funny with the "half dol."

 

Could you imagine the hysteria today if a coin was minted like that

Ruben

 

And so are many non-dipped coins like this one which I'm 100% certain has never been dipped since it is owned by a relative until I got it and SHE souldn't dip a ladle into chicken soup.

 

Ruben,
I don't think people are suggesting your coin was dipped. Someone rubbed the coin abrasively in the past, which is what people are saying here.

 

hey Zae - long time no speak!


Really, what makes you say the coin is abrasively wiped?

Ruben

 

Ruben,
The coin just has the typically look of a coin that was cleaned in the past. I would suggest that a majority of coins that old, that have been circulated have been cleaned. I also suggest that is has been cleaned in the past, as the coin has heavy toning covering it.

To find an uncleaned example in that condition might actually be quite challenging. I should also clarify what I mean by abrasively cleaned. I simply mean that at one point the coin was rubbed or wiped enough that it hairlined the coin.

Unfortunately, people used to clean coins, including dealers. It wasn't until the 20th century that that became frowned upon I believe.

Are you using a flourescent light to take photos? The coin looks like it may have had altered surfaces as well, but if the photo was flourescent, that is more than likely a lighting effect.

 

OK - I give up. Do you see hairlines all moving in the same direction such as an cleaned coin? I don't see it. Can you please show it to me because I can't see it and I want to see what your looking at. Any lines I see seem to move all over in all directions. Hairlines will usually cause a coin to be body bagged.

I am using Flourecents and the coin is greyer, if that is what you mean. The flash flushes the who coin out in the image. How does it look altered in the surface? I'm not sure what you mean.

 

A coin doesn't have to have hairlines to be cleaned---see how your coin has a darker tone around the rim and around the letters and numbers and such---and see how in the open feilds its a ligher color---that is almost a point to that its been cleaned at sometime---the area that has things such as letters to protect it didn't get as much of the cleaning as did the open feilds.

Speedy