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United States: proof copper-nickel 3-cent piece, Liberty head type, 1888
lordmarcovan
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United States: proof copper-nickel 3-cent piece, Liberty head type, 1888
Obverse: Liberty head left, wearing coronet.
Reverse: Roman numeral III within olive wreath.
Philadelphia mint; 4,582 proofs struck. PCGS PR65 CAM, cert. #26166713. Ex-Pinnacle Rarities, Inc, 11/12/2015.
I already had a nice enough PCGS PR64 nickel 3-cent piece in my collection, but in the process of selling some other things, I found I had enough money to purchase this one as an upgrade, so I could then sell the previous coin and recoup some of the money. Pinnacle Rarities' inventory and service had impressed me more than a decade before when they sent me a very nice proof Seated half on approval. But I ended up not buying that coin- it was lovely but was (and still would be) in a league I really had no business playing in on my budget. So I was happy to finally consummate a (smaller) deal with Pinnacle all this time later.
I loved the look of this coin not only for its Cameo contrast but the pastel toning as well. There is a tiny hairline to the left of the word "OF" at twelve o'clock on the obverse, but this must have been exaggerated a bit by the lighting in the photos. In hand, it is much more subtle and I couldn't really even see it until I had the coin under a 7x loupe. The existing photographs were made through the plastic slab. Perhaps one day I will submit this for reimaging and reholdering through the PCGS TrueView service.
Miscellaneous links:
Larger image
PCGS cert verification page
PCGS Coinfacts page
PCGS priceguide trends
Numismedia priceguide trends (no CAM/DCAM prices)
Wikipedia links:
Three-cent piece (United States coin)
When posted here, this coin was part of my "Eclectic Box of 20" collection.
Obverse: Liberty head left, wearing coronet.
Reverse: Roman numeral III within olive wreath.
Philadelphia mint; 4,582 proofs struck. PCGS PR65 CAM, cert. #26166713. Ex-Pinnacle Rarities, Inc, 11/12/2015.
I already had a nice enough PCGS PR64 nickel 3-cent piece in my collection, but in the process of selling some other things, I found I had enough money to purchase this one as an upgrade, so I could then sell the previous coin and recoup some of the money. Pinnacle Rarities' inventory and service had impressed me more than a decade before when they sent me a very nice proof Seated half on approval. But I ended up not buying that coin- it was lovely but was (and still would be) in a league I really had no business playing in on my budget. So I was happy to finally consummate a (smaller) deal with Pinnacle all this time later.
I loved the look of this coin not only for its Cameo contrast but the pastel toning as well. There is a tiny hairline to the left of the word "OF" at twelve o'clock on the obverse, but this must have been exaggerated a bit by the lighting in the photos. In hand, it is much more subtle and I couldn't really even see it until I had the coin under a 7x loupe. The existing photographs were made through the plastic slab. Perhaps one day I will submit this for reimaging and reholdering through the PCGS TrueView service.
Miscellaneous links:
Larger image
PCGS cert verification page
PCGS Coinfacts page
PCGS priceguide trends
Numismedia priceguide trends (no CAM/DCAM prices)
Wikipedia links:
Three-cent piece (United States coin)
When posted here, this coin was part of my "Eclectic Box of 20" collection.
1
Comments
Nice coin
The votes (excluding my own "neutral/results only" vote) were tallied as follows:
PR62 CAM: 3 votes (4.29%)
PR63: 3 votes (4.29%)
PR63 CAM: 17 votes (24.29%)- the majority answer
PR63 DCAM: 4 votes (5.71%)
PR64: 6 votes (8.57%)
PR64 CAM: 14 votes (20.00%)
PR64 DCAM: 3 votes (4.29%)
PR65 CAM: 8 votes (11.43%)- the "correct" answer
PR65 DCAM: 3 votes (4.29%)
PR66 CAM: 5 votes (7.14%)
PR66 DCAM: 1 vote (1.43%)
PR67 CAM: 2 votes (2.86%)
BHNC #203
Extremely nice looking coin!
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What is that to the obverse left of the OF?
If that's a scratch it's the kiss of death. I'm afraid.
What is that to the obverse left of the OF?
If that's a scratch it's the kiss of death. I'm afraid.
FWIW, the coin is in PCGS plastic, and was photographed through that plastic, as you might have noticed. So here's hoping that most of that is just on the plastic.
Perhaps that accounts a little for some of the cloudy/hazy appearance as well. Still, I thought the coin attractive.
I'll post the PCGS grade in a little while.
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
I'll probably post the slab pix in the wee hours, after midnight Eastern, when it slows down at work.
I do think this might be one I'll want to submit for Trueview and reholdering later, now that I've accumulated a few PCGS pieces without Trueview images.
(Come to think of it, that happens to be the case with all of the US coins in my Box of 20.)
Menomonee Falls Wisconsin USA
http://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistr...dset.aspx?s=68269&ac=1">Musky 1861 Mint Set
The coin is coming from Pinnacle Rarities. This will be the first time I've been a customer of theirs, though they did send me a $3K-ish coin on approval about twelve years ago. (I was flattered by the trust implied in that, though in the end I decided I had no business shopping in that price tier and used the money to start my little antique mall operation instead.)
As to the mark to the left of "OF" on the obverse, one can only hope that it is on the plastic, else it would be difficult to imagine PCGS giving this coin the 65 grade with such a mark present. I'll let you know. (To be embarrassingly candid, I overlooked it, as unbelievable as that seems in retrospect, because I must have been dazzled by the toning and cameo contrast on the coin.)
However, as we know, pictures just do not do a coin justice... Congratulations, Cheers, RickO
What is that to the obverse left of the OF?
If that's a scratch it's the kiss of death. I'm afraid.
FWIW, the coin is in PCGS plastic, and was photographed through that plastic, as you might have noticed. So here's hoping that most of that is just on the plastic.
Perhaps that accounts a little for some of the cloudy/hazy appearance as well. Still, I thought the coin attractive.
I'll post the PCGS grade in a little while.
Glad to see it wasn't a scratch just a toning break that they grade around.
K
Glad to see it wasn't a scratch just a toning break that they grade around.
I honestly don't know what it is, but whatever it is, it apparently didn't concern the PCGS graders as much as it did us who only have the photos to go by.
I'll be sure to put a loupe to it when the coin is in hand.
ElKevvo- thanks. Those subtle pastel colors were a big selling point for me.
And thanks, everybody else, for the extra sets of eyes.
Which is a perfectly nice coin. I'd have been content with it, but figured since I temporarily had enough to buy the new one, I could do that and then sell this one to recoup some of what I spent on the upgrade.
I'm surprised that 1888 3cn is still so original. Hard to believe no moron got their hands on it over the years and dipped it out in hopes of a PR66 grade. Most proof 3c nickels these days all have that same "sanitized" look with a uniform, untoned appearance that fails to excite. This coin is completely unlike what you normally see...maybe part of a set that toned in an album over the decades. It's got some good crust and "attitude." And that peripheral cloudiness is not a distraction to me. Normally, I don't like PF64-66 3c nickels because they are so common and unexciting. But, I would buy any 64 or better coin with this kind of look.
I went with 64 CAM.
Nice coin
Rob, I went 64 CAM myself.
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LordM, what did I win?
You won the Nekkid Lady Spoon.
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In hand, that mark at 12:00 to the left of "OF" is present, and on the coin rather than the plastic, but it's a totally subtle micro-hairline that I had to squint at through a 7x loupe to even see. The lighting in the photos must have exaggerated it and it doesn't bother me at all.
I can now see the difference the Cameo designation makes when comparing this to the PR64 1880 I just sold and shipped off. While the mirrors on these coins naturally aren't as deep as you'd see on a modern proof, this one definitely has the contrast and is worthy of the CAM. I'm happy with it and believe it was worth chipping in a little more money for to get the upgrade.
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Deleted the GTG poll but reposted those statistics in my second post.
I think it looks even better now with the darker "shadowbox" background in the new pictures. (Thanks to Smeagle1795 for helping with that, as I lack the software and skills.)
Since I'm here, I might as well send 'er back up into the sunlight again, briefly.
Bump.
I'm with roadrunner's assessment on the blast-white proofs. It's too bad they got ruined by someone, and I don't give a hoot what they grade. I'm slowly but surely ridding my collection of them as I acquire coins that look like Lord Marcovan's. I even bought some of the McClure proofs that have ugly toning over pristine, original mirrors- and I love them.
Sorry, I am not a fan of hazy, more accurately called "cloudy," Proofs. Yes, it can be part of an original surface Proof, but it doesn't have to be. You don't have put up with haze if you don't like it. Coins can be found without it. If you are going to pay high prices for high grades, why buy something you don't like? On a modern Proof, haze is a preservation and sales killer.
I like it.