NEWP - 1937 Cent GTG - Grade Revealed, Updated in Comments
FlyingAl
Posts: 2,845 ✭✭✭✭✭
I recently got in this amazing 1937 proof cent, although it was a pain to image. The coin is tilted in the slab, which is one of the old NGC ones where the coin is fully encased and the core rises really far above the coin.
This made me have to really adjust my lights past the positions advised by the forum members here to illuminate the surfaces with minimal glare because I don't have the capability to diffuse my lights yet. This also resulted in different light positions obverse and reverse and the color change observed on the core of the holder in the composite image. To all of the forum members who gave me advice on my last thread, sorry I could barely follow any of it. Trust me, I tried, the images were so glared unfortunately because of the deep mirrors on this one.
Anyways, I digress. Here's the coin, guess the grade!
Young Numismatist, Coin Photographer.
Comments
PR65CAM
peacockcoins
PR63 CAM
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
PR63 CAM.
Pr64
Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value. Zero. Voltaire. Ebay coinbowlllc
64(star), Maybe Cam? Very nice cent!
Collector, occasional seller
I will go with PR63... Not sure it will make CAM... could be the lighting. Fair amount of field scratches. Cheers, RickO
I'll say 64 Cam.
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We'll give it a few more hours for last minute guesses before the reveal...
Young Numismatist, Coin Photographer.
63
Alright, I think this will be the last of the guesses we'd get.
Here's the answer: the coin is in a PF65RD slab. I think the majority of the guesses were low due to what appears as hairlines above the E in ONE in the reverse, when in hand this is actually a haze like toning. It closely resembles hairlines in the images and in person until closely examined under a loupe.
I bought this coin for a little under recent 65 prices, which surprised me. I thought it would go for a substantial premium for the reason I bought it and why so many posters liked the coin: I thought it was cameo. In hand, I do think it is cameo. Brief die matching based off of die scratches on the coin traces it to the dies that struck many of the graded CAMs. Out of the 9 guesses, 61% (I counted @ChrisH821's guess as a half guess, and added mine as well), guessed this coin was CAM.
I plan to crack this one and send it in. Even if it comes back as a 65RD again, I think the presence of a true view would benefit me well if I ever decided to sell it, and quite honestly, based off of the PCGS graded 65 coins I have, I think this one stands a very solid shot of going to 66 and of course CAM. It has very few hairlines in hand. A new slab would also make it so much easier to photograph and view, the old holder is pretty scratched.
Young Numismatist, Coin Photographer.
Are you prepared for the possibility of the coin grading lower than 65 by PCGS?
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I am, but I do view it as rather unlikely based on the lack of hairlines. I currently have two graded 65 (PCGS) coins on my desk, not with double the number of hairlines this coin has. Even if it comes back a 64RD, it is certainly a very attractive coin for the grade. Perhaps you remember our discussion on one of the CAC threads about how I judge my coins much more heavily on eye appeal rather than numerical grade, this would be an example of such.
I, and apparently many others view the coin as CAM. This means deep mirrors with exceptional detail, often a rare combination for 1936-42 proofs. As such this coin deserves a premium price and that reason is why I was shocked I got it for such a low price. I would still pay what I paid for this coin even if it was in a 64 holder.
Young Numismatist, Coin Photographer.
This is a coin I would like to see in person. My concern was actually all the "stuff" going on with the obverse, it's tough to tell in pictures what is on the coin vs. what is on the holder.
As you describe it, I would have jumped on it too. Did you find this locally or online?
Collector, occasional seller
@ChrisH821 The only hairline on the obverse shown is the one above and to the right of the Y in LIBERTY. There is one other that isn’t shown, but everything else is the slab. It’s a pretty scratched holder. This was an EBay auction with some ok pictures, I took a gamble but I was pretty confident.
Young Numismatist, Coin Photographer.
Try buffing out the scratches with PlastiX by Meguiar's (from auto supply store). Works like a charm for me, especially on NGC slabs.
Update to this thread - I cracked the coin in preparation to send it to PCGS on Monday. The slab was hiding a few hairlines with all of the scratches as well as a little bit of original haze on the reverse which I actually like the look of. I still think it is a nice 65RD, and I maintain my CAM opinion. I took a few raw pictures today, opting to show the black mirrors at the sacrifice of the frost. You can still see it, but the in hand look of the frost is much closer to the OP images than these. Take the mirrors from these images, and imagine the frost from the OP images, and you've got what the coin looks like in hand.
I think it has, at the very least, a very good shot at CAM. We shall see.
Young Numismatist, Coin Photographer.
I wish you some luck on that one. Also you may be near retirement before you see the grade.
How old of slab was it in before you freed it?
Martin
I sure hope I'm not near retirement
.
It was a circa 2004-2008 slab.
Young Numismatist, Coin Photographer.
I know. I saw you are a YN. And am still hoping you get it before retirement 🙃
Martin