I don't have a proof Liberty Nickel and the price range of this one fits my budget. I'm not a heavy collector of penny's, nickels or dimes to begin with. There are only 1,795 proofs minted in this year so they are not common in the market. This coin has been cleaned on both sides and has rim damage at 12 o'clock. But the details are strong and it has only possible light wear. I'm not looking to upgrade it nor wait for a better piece. Since the money factor is right for something I don't spend a lot of time collecting, is the price reasonable for it's condition? The pictures are not flattering
If it where me i would wait, Or buy yourself a nice morgan with that kind of money, but thats just me, I dont ever buy cleaned coins.
that thing looks harshly cleaned and definitely would pass on that kind of price. I would save up some more cash and get one that is certified.
Some advice I heard once was "don't buy a problem coin to make up for not being able to afford a nice example"... Either pass on it altogether as something you can't afford, or wait until you can afford the problem free coin. The theory being that problem free coins apprieciate faster and higher, as well as being more enjoyable to own for eye appeal. A problem coin will NEVER not be a problem coin. So selling is hard, apprieciation will be wildly unpredictable, and you won't enjoy your time with the coin if you always see the problems. I think this coin is the perfect illustration to this advice. My opinion... yours may vary. Good luck Dave
Would I buy it? Sure. Others may disagree but I think its a fine $20 coin. PR Libs are relatively inexpensive and you could get a MUCH nicer one for not much more than you considered paying for this (graysheet lists $200ask for a PR63). Using my imagination to try and get beyond the cleaning and damage, I doubt this would have pulled a 60. Definitely Pass!
I wouldn't buy a raw one to start with, so no. I would spend a little more money and get a nice, uncleaned certified piece.
Such a shame. Why on earth would someone clean a proof? The coin never circulated. Was it toned/tarnished? That's probably the reason, and the downfall of this piece.....
I agree, why in the world would someone clean a Proof? Maybe it was stored improperly...but still, the coin never circulated. If it was just to remove a few spots, then it shouldn't have been cleaned. Or I may rephrase this, never clean a proof period.
I guess I knew all along it wasn't a keeper. Something told me deep down I was just kidding myself and to get second opinions. Back in the envelop it goes and over to the post office on Monday! Thanks for everyone's responses. I'll just put the money to better use at the ANA show here in Chicago come August.
Yes, I have been to the CSNS show several times before. I'm afraid if I spend too much there, I'll be under financed for the ANA show. Rather than be tempted I might pass it up this year. Option two would be to take very limited funds to prevent spending. Thank goodness they don't take credit cards to easily there.
This may be a dumb question, but how do you know for certain it's a proof? Looks like a scrubbed and polished circulating piece to me. I don't collect proofs so maybe theres some diagnostic thing that differentiates the two. Guy
coleguy; There are diagnostic tests you can use to differentiate between the two. The easiest in this case is to measure the reflectivity. The pictures I have posted were the worst possible of the coins surface. In hand it does look better. The reflectivity is still proof like, even with the cleaning the coin has received. A business strike or polished coin cannot achieve the surface characteristics of a proof. Proof being the way the coin was actually made, totally unique and separate from business strikes.
Would I buy? Not this coin, but I am not a Big Barber Guy, so my opinion does not really matter! Steve
