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Grade Poll #1
Insider2
Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭
What grade range is the coin in this image....? Assume it is not cleaned. Extra points: Why?
Grade Poll #1
This is a private poll: no-one will see what you voted for.
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A nice gold coin... I am a gold bug...so even XF is nice to me.... Cheers, RickO
whats the obverse look like? just wondering
? Sorry, I don't know. Perhaps it is damaged.
im not sure about that just wondering is all
I know a lot of D gold is weakly struck, so I'm gonna guess AU58. Hard to tell with just that picture though, obviously.
I'm also in the 58 camp from what little I can see. the missing details are due to strike and or poorly executed diework..
I had to vote 58-60 even though I was hoping for a 55-64 category. The coin looks weakly struck even though the feathers in the eagle's left wing look fairly strong. It's hard to tell wear without a sense of luster or what the surfaces look like.
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
I vote 60-62. It has a poor strike and is a little baggy, but I don't think it shows wear.
Collector, occasional seller
Picked the AU category. Definitely looks to be a weak strike, but there is wear showing. Probably au53-55.
The shield is soooo weakly struck that it should be interpreted as wear. I was thinking VF........
OINK
Oh, goodness. I'd never dream of trying to grade a coin from a cropped microscope photo. This seems like a great way to make a whopper of a mistake.
Obviously the key learning point here is significant strike weakness, that could incorrectly be interpreted as wear. I know you think there's enough in the photo to make a meaningful grade guess, but I strongly disagree Every time you post one of these, you've also had the advantage of having seen both sides of the coin and the rims in-hand, in ideal lighting conditions. Recognized or not, that STRONGLY biases your opinion, as it most certainly should.
I think everyone gets a pass for "wrong" answers on this one. I think the photo alone leaves a lot of room for logical answers...
For the record, I'm assuming the "issue" being tested is the weak strike, and whether that puts the coin in the AU and lower, or MS-60 and higher region.
Based on the strong lettering, and absence of obvious wear in the fields, (though hard to conclude that definitively), I put it in the MS range (MS-60 to 64).
In hand, and without my little mind second guessing what the topic of the test is (
), I might conclude differently.
Actually Not at all. Some folks have learned to look at the tiniest part of a coin and identify what they are looking at. They don't need to see the entire coin, they don't need to see the other side, and they certainty don't need to see its EDGE! I have found that by learning what some feature of a coin looks like at 15X-20X, I can stand around and watch while "experts" debate something (that should be extremely obvious) for several minutes.
For example:
By your post, you have just demonstrated the fact that the entire coin is not necessary. This coin is VERY WEAKLY STRUCK. It is posted as a quiz to see if folks not as knowledgeable as you would under grade the coin - some did; or think that it was damaged. A minority realized it was a very high grade coin - AU++ to MS.
I don't need to see an entire coin to identify a hairline. I wish to pass OUR ability on to others with these posts. I hope you
continue to respond to any future "MICRO" characteristic quiz because a "little square" is all I'll let anyone see. That's the challenge.
Looks like a nice MS piece soft struck as typical on some of these issues. Only looking at a very small portion of the surface, it looks to minimally contact marked as well
Some of the Dahlonega HE dates have weak strikes. This be one of them, 50-55.....
Best, SH
Less than XF!!
Very funny! I was waiting for someone to inject some humor into this thread. Don't you specialize in foreign coins? It would be helpful to post a weakly struck example. I've been looking for a flatly-struck, Uncirculated foreign coin.
I didn't think chocolate coins could get a grade.
Yes, the grade would be YUM.
Insider2 you are wrong with your speculation about foreign coins.
.. just MY opinion based on what has been presented.
And remember, grading is subjective...
MY thing is Canadian Queen Victoria and Canadian Varieties. Now you know.
Weak strike. Slight wear on the tips of the feathers on the wing. Looks AU.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I stink at grading gold, with that said...
I went with XF-AU
With so much of the shield detail missing I assume it is a weak strike.
I cannot see enough luster to grade it MS. If all the missing high point detail is wear than it would be XF to my eye.
If the missing detail is all strike weakness than I would have to grade it AU.
But with my track record with gold I would not be surprised if it is graded MS63
I learned something today now it's time to find a good cheese danish
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
Wing tips look fully struck. That suggests that the coin has a weak central area. I said MS.
Yes, just as I thought: "MY thing is Canadian Queen Victoria and Canadian Varieties."
FOREIGN coins.
@Insider2 , You can tell an enormous amount about a coin by seeing a small part of it, I absolutely agree with you. However, you can’t grade a coin from a photomicrograph of a small part of it, PERIOD!
In the OP, you asked for a grade, not an explanation of how visible features would affect the grade.
In all seriousness, my grade range for the coin above is from details no-grade to MS67. I would be reluctant to try to narrow it further, as I wouldn’t be able to defend my position.
Looks like an 1855-D (Medium D) based on location of the mint mark and diagonal feature left of the D, from claw to V. They are known to have a weak strike on eagle’s neck and leg feathers. Hard to tell from a photo but I’m guessing 53 or low 55.
I hate gold and therefore can't likely grade it, however, I went with low MS from the condition of the letters contrasted with the very weak strike on the central area. The low MS is from the number of nicks I see and I know those can be artifacts of the strike issue.
JAB#1
: I was unaware that ANY flatly struck MS-67 Dahalonaga gold existed. IMO, the part of the coin shown has too many hits to even reach the "Gem" grade.
JAB#2
: Actually, I DID NOT ASK FOR A GRADE! I asked for a RANGE of grades this coin MIGHT fall into. It seems to me that most members understood that. Therefore, I don't believe your educated guess of "Detail's" to MS-67 was even an option. A problem grade was the last option - some chose that one.
I believe this coin was graded as an AU-58 or MS-62 by one of the two top services. I cannot remember which one as it is an old image from my files.
I consider the folks picking the AU-50 - 55 range from just my image to be in the "ballpark" with a double or triple. The six who picked a range of AU-58 to MS-60 (from just an image) hit the home run. They agreed with the professionals at one of the top two services.
Nice exercise in grading @Insider2 ! Always good to sharpen those skills. Thanks for posting!
Looks AU based on the feathers.
Early American Copper, Bust and Seated.
Thanks, you need to have thick skin to post a new discussion or write a comment around here. Keeps us all on our toes.
From the image, one could make the case that there is wear on the feathers. Problem is, you need to see it in hand, see the obverse, see what the luster looks like to determine whether it is truly wear or not...... So I am thinking that those of us who said 50-55 were home run hitters as well with the info provided.
Best, SH
All participants should consider themselves "home run hitters" if they learned something from everyone's comments. The balls that were hit out of the park are those who graded the coin a minimum of AU-58. That's because the surfaces of this coin show a touch of friction wear. The coin IS NOT a true Mint State coin in the old sense of the word. However, due to the "state" that grading has evolved into, AU coins, especially those that virtually don't exist in their original, as struck condition, are given some wiggle room.
Many, many examples of this occurrence can be verified using $$$$$ coins posted on the Internet.
What! Us Homerun hitters don't get a like from you?
If there was a disagree button still.... I think those that voted in 50-55 were also hitting home runs for the reasons I stated above. Had you 1, provided an image of the obverse, 2 been able to somehow convey what the luster was as observed in hand, then, it would have been much easier to assess the grade. This is a clear case of a weak strike but could be misunderstood to be wear. You need 1 AND 2 to clearly distinguish the grade in these cases.
Best, SH
Your post was overlooked. Besides I expected a home run from you.
@spacehayduke said: "This is a clear case of **a [very] weak strike but could be misunderstood to be wear [or damage].
EXACTLY, thanks for explaining AGAIN the reason for my post!