Because I respect you guys opinion. Does this dollar look scrubbed to you. The toning could be masking cleaned surfaces. The owner has it listed as AU+. Last year Heritage auctioned 10 AU55s ranging from: 1 for $529 PCSG Details 2 for $940 PCSG 3 for $1175 PCSG 1 for $1410 PCSG 1 for $1645 PCSG 1 for $1880 PCSG Gray Sheet - AU50 $850 Ebay all the way from $399 to $2400 Here is the like to the ad: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281594158449?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Not a bad looking coin, maybe dipped but it doesn't look harshly cleaned to me. The color seems a little off as well. Beyond that, I'd call it AU-50 and the price seems a bit steep for a raw coin with questions.
Stay away from that one. The obverse surfaces look very unnatural - especially the right side in between her arm and the stars. It looks like it may have been whizzed (or harshly cleaned at least). The coloring is also highly questionable - the coin has almost certainly been dipped, and is retoning in a funky pattern. That is a very strong price for an EF-45 coin with problems.
Since you're familiar with Heritage, a little investigating would have found your coin here.http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll...d/a/1209-7842.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515
Very interesting! I was so focused on the ugly obverse that I never even made it to the reverse. The reverse is very dark - do you think that it was intentionally toned darkly, or do you think this is AT that has turned?
That looks like the same coin. The owner fails to say that. Yes, physics-fan3.14 it looks to be AT. There is several coming up on auction at Heritage on the 20th of this month that has potential. I may have to wait for. Thanks, Russ
In my opinion it was intentionally toned, probably to hide a cleaning. The lighter spots above of the eagles left wing raise a flag don't they?
Patience is a good thing when considering seated dollars. Look at as many as you can before you buy. A great majority of these have been 'worked on" over the years which is why you see a huge range in prices for any given date/grade. Original, unmolested examples carry a premium. For example, this one sold for about double what you might expect to pay for a FV. Now, $800 might be a bit much, but I can see why someone thought it might be worth it.http://www.davidlawrence.com/invent...AC-VF35/snm/Seated-Dollars/gnm/Silver-Dollars
Right now I am trying to complete my type set that I started long ago. This is the last coin and that hasn't been easy. I can't afford a MS seated dollar but if I can find a good XF or AU I might be able to swing it. I don't mind paying the market price but I don't want to get skinned alive. Also I would like to be able to add it to my set. That is kind of hard to do when something has be TPGed.
Bear in mind that some type sets (NGC for instance) require TWO Seated Liberty dollars: without Motto and with Motto.
Hold off on this one,looks like she had a "beauty treatment" at one time and a tanning bed session too.Price is too high too....
Thanks guys, I think I will wait for the Heritage auction. There is two XF45s and both look better than this one. One is ANACS and the other is PCGS graded. http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll...59.s?ic2=mytracked-lotspage-lotlinks-12202013 http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll...75.s?ic2=mytracked-lotspage-lotlinks-12202013 I favor the 1st because the 2nd on may have a spot on one of the stars. But the surfaces look better on the 2nd one.
First, both of those are NGC. That's perfectly fine, but neither of the ones you linked is what you said. Second, I'm not a fan of either of those. The 1846 is really, really dark. It may be perfectly original, and in hand it may be eye appealing - but those pictures show a coin that is too dark for my tastes. The 1840 has been dipped/cleaned at some point, and has retoned to the point of being "market acceptable" - which is a loosely applied term which means "don't buy this thing, if you are a collector of taste." Unfortunately, I don't see any Seated dollars in EF on Heritage right now that I would recommend buying. I will, however, show you several from the archives that have the look you want: http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll.../131534-27519.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515 http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll.../131526-29480.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515 http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll...c/a/1219-4816.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515 http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll.../131513-29512.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515 If you can find one that looks like one of these, you'll be doing well. You want a nice, even, dove grey color in the fields, with slightly lighter high points, and a slightly darker color right around the devices and in the crevices. Circulated coin connoisseurs call this the "tri-color" look, or "gem circulated cameo." It is the most appealing look for a VF-EF coin, and should be your target. Especially if you are collecting for type, don't settle for a sub-par, cleaned, problem coin, or a coin with visual impairments. Be patient, and seek out the absolute best coin you can find/afford. Good luck!
Your point is well taken. I just want one that hasn't been monkeyed with. All of your examples look great. I find that all of them including the two I posted have there own character. I haven't figured out how to tell if a coin has been dipped and re-toned just by looking at a picture. Russ
Just for GP's here's my two SL Dollars: One of these days I'll get around to taking better pictures of them. I think these pics were taken with my old point-and-shoot camera.
It's all good. Understanding original vs. monkeyed with surfaces is not easy. The ones I linked above have really good eye appeal, and are all original enough to satisfy me (you can never be 100% sure something has never been messed with - you can only be sure that it doesn't look like it has, or has recovered enough to look like it) Unfortunately, a lot of what you see, even in TPG slabs, have been messed with. If it is too white (or even pale), it's probably been dipped. Especially once you get below AU, a white coin is just not right (even an AU coin should have some skin). Many consider this to be acceptable - I don't. Compare the good ones I linked above with these linked below. Each of these has a problem, and you should avoid ones like these: This one is spotty and unattractive. It was definitely dipped, but the obverse has retoned (irregularly). Notice how pale the reverse is. Many would have no problem buying this coin, but it is not pretty: http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll...e/a/1223-7900.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515 Ugh, this one is just an eyesore. It is blast white like the day it was made.... but it shouldn't be. This one was dipped recently. If you see one like this, run away: http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll...e/a/1223-7903.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515 This one was also dipped. See the orange "toning" on this one? That's not really toning. The dip was improperly rinsed - it is dip residue that has begun to turn. UGLY: http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll...3-7905.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515 Woof, what a dog. This one has been dipped (note the pale centers), but is retoning in a way that some find attractive (with the blues around the edges). That's fine if you like the look, but I don't. Additionally, there is a huge gash at the top. Also, its been overgraded by at least 10 points - this should be in a VF holder at the most: http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll...e/a/1221-7893.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515 Cleaned! Albeit, a long time ago, and it has started to retone. If treated properly (by which I mean, 20 years in an envelope or album), this one may have potential to regain its semi-original surface: http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll...e/a/1219-8038.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515 There is no way an EF coin 150 years old should be this pale, unless she saw a ghost: http://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-doll...s/a/1219-4835.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515 I do hope you are beginning to see what I'm talking about here.
I certainly appreciate your time to find these examples and to respond. I now know what to avoid. Fortunately I have all the time in the world to find us the right coin for my type set. Russ
