Worn Coins - Eye Appeal

Thanks for the info ikandiggit. This one is definately untraceable, but may have been carried by a soldier in one of the forts. If only coins could talk!
Anyway, here's my George lll. This one isn't so bad if you can ignore the "tiny" little scratchs.

Bruce

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

People have mentioned eye appeal as if it is different from grade. This is where US numismatics has diverged from most numismatics. Effectively eye appeal and grade are two sides of the same coin. Eye appeal has always affected grade, in fact it was why grades were invented, to give another person a quick idea of how good the coin looked. If the coin looked bad it would be downgraded from its technical grade. If a coin was graded VF, they other person should know how it would look, if it was VF but dark it may be listed that way, or as F. Modern US numismatics is where "technical" grade, soft strikes, worn die, etc gives rise to mushy looking UNCs that should grade no higher than a VF for an ancient coin.

Personally, I love a nice worn copper, with honest wear from its doing its job in commerce and a nice warm patina, hard green preferably.

 

I am so glad I asked about this. The pictures being posted are just awesome. It seems like there are many more flavors of worn coins than I had imagined, and I like them all for different reasons. I have to say that my favorite "type" would have to be almost dull silver coins with the deep black that brings out the details like the bottom dime posted by Billy Kingsley. With that said, I don't think I've ever seen a coin quite like the bottom one posted by RaceBannon. While it is not very worn comparatively, it is absolutely stunning! (I WANT ONE!)

The very worn copper coins which have been posted by many are also high on my list. I also prefer to be able to see a date if possible, but it's not a deal breaker either way. This goes back to my opinion on how some coins just seem to wear better than others, almost like there is a completely new design waiting to be revealed once a coin has been circulated heavily. Oh how I wish I was wealthy enough to buy some of these wonderful coins.

Ako