Best Of

@PeakRarities said:
This is just one of those nonsense articles to generate clicks, nothing remotely insightful here.

Why is this a nonsense article? I found this information about the 1794 Flowing Hair quite interesting:

1794 Flowing Hair Dollar
Still in Circulation: No

Approximate Value: $10 million

Demand for the more common 1795 Silver Dollar keeps prices high, but the first silver dollar struck by the U.S. mint one year earlier is one of the rarest and most valuable of all U.S. coins, period. This “national treasure” sold for more than $10 million in 2013.

@MFeld said:
Below are some of the messages I received from the seller among my many interactions with him. I hope they will show what it can be like from the point of view of someone on the other side of threads like this one - a seller who wasn’t out to take advantage of clueless bidders.

“Our grandfather died and we’re now cleaning out his stuff/my decreased uncle’s house (they lived together). Everything’s a bit crazy right now, just know there isnt anyone trying to screw anyone over here”

“I meant nothing by offering the coin on sale, especially disclosing my lack of knowledge in the description. The reaction was quite surprising to be honest.”

“And you guys are super proud of yourselves in that forum. My grandfather died, now this. You guys arent the good guys you think you are,”

“Just took the sale down, really hoping i don’t have to incur the possible “cancellation fee”. For the record, of all the people that reached out- you were the only one who wasnt accusatory in a brutal way. Sounds like a lot of them didnt actually read my reviews to see what kind of salesman i am. Either way - you were by far the most approachable.”

“It cost me $63 to cancel that. Let your goonsquad know it cost me instead of making that money on something i listed with honesty.”

“They should not feel pride for the way this went down. Shame on you guys.”

Thank you for sharing that exchange. It does concern me when someone offers something for sale stating their lack of knowledge. Do they really want to go through the hassle of returning someone's money when the item is found not to be what it is believed to be?

I like the Walker… my sympathy for the rest of the story. Hopefully you will consider posting images of the other coins.

The color in the second image looks good

In my humble opinion, yes, a gently dipped coin IS completely acceptable. Why? Because I LOVE blast white Walkers, Mercury dimes, and Barber coins, and those coins, almost without exception, have been dipped at some point! There is just nearly no way to have a 100+ year old silver coin (or silver ANYTHING) without any kind of patina or toning.

Here are a few examples from my own personal collection, that I know, without doubt have been gently dipped to "reset" the patina;

As I already mentioned, I personally LOVE a blast white coin, and a vast majority of these "blazers" would not be possible without being lightly dipped at some point. So, dip away my friends, but dip with care and don't over-do it and harm the Mint luster.

Best regards,

Dwayne F. Sessom

That oversized slab actually hurts the value of that coin since most collectors would want to send it back to PCGS to get it in a normal sized slab for greater ease of storage. I assume that whoever submitted this coin thought that it would straight grade and become the centerpiece of his collection.

Most collectors who buy these coins for their personal collections are buying proofs, not the uncirculated versions. Proofs typically outsell uncs by around 3 to 1, and have done so consistently since the beginning. Uncs look drab compared to proofs, and it's likely most are purchased by completists and speculators. With today's minuscule mintages, it doesn't make sense to have two different versions of the same coin, especially since collectors have clearly expressed with their wallets which versions they prefer.

@DisneyFan said:
Well, this has been a fun survey with 27% (11) of the respondent saying to sell them both!

...

I had intended to sell the whiter coin at FUN; however, in this survey, 35% (14) preferred the white coin. So I'm keeping it.

Thanks again to all for participating.

I am very late to the game, but Barber coins have been my point of interest in numismatics for decades. Of course, those who know me know that I specialize specifically in V nickels - which are in the Barber family.

At any rate, the white coin is the superior of the two pictured, in my opinion and I base that mainly upon strike quality.
Bring your attention to the oak leaf of the left side, on the reverse. The details are strong on the white coin, where the details of the toned coin are a bit mushy and lacking. It's a very subtle difference, but indicative of a superior strike (which is a primary quality that I personally look for).

It is extremely difficult to truly judge the Mint luster from photos, but to my eye, the white coin also seems to possess superior Mint luster over the toned example. So, for these reasons, in my opinion, while both coins are lovely, the white coin is the better of the two.

Best regards,

Dwayne F. Sessom