Please Tell me What You Think of This 1850 Half Dollar
Eddi
Posts: 507 ✭✭✭✭✭
Purchased at Stacks in the late '80's ( as far as I can remember)
Please let me know what you think.
Thank you!
5
Comments
Looks like a real nice AU. What’s the question?
Good morning!
Yes, I should have been more explicit about my question: Even though I am far from experienced, I think the coin is quite probably NOT originally toned. If that is the case, what are the chances that it would grade cleanly?
I see no cleaning hairlines or any other signs of harsh cleaning.
Original? No. She's been boinked a little.
Straight gradeable? Yes, I think so. Probably 50 shot 53 at our host.
She still has an attractive look that many like.
My 2c
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
It’s had an old cleaning but otherwise it’s a very nice AU example. Will it straight grade? I have my doubts and think no.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
Looks over dipped and retoned. Doesnt appear to have any luster.
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My guess is AU53 (shot 55) straight grade.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I would let a trusted experienced dealer look at it under good lighting and get his opinion. Most old coins have been messed with to a lesser or greater degree and this coin appears to be a borderline case and it may or may not straight grade.
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
The first two pictures make it look like a coin that won’t get a straight grade. The surfaces in the fields appear to be stripped. But as others said, it takes a personal examination by an expert to be sure.
To my eye, looks cleaned AU details. No luster.
"Why waste time learning, when ignorance is instantaneous?"- Calvin and Hobbes
An overly dipped AU50-53 WB-4, but it's well-struck and has some nice secondary toning. I'm looking for an 1850 as well but I would pass on that one because of the bright fields. I'd be interested in knowing if it would straight grade.
AU details, burnished.
I think it will straight grade... Likely mid AU - 53 or 55. Cheers, RickO
I agree with Mr. Feld.
The images presented simply do not help the cause for a straight grade. I suspect that those that are handicapping this one to straight grade are betting that it looks better in hand than in the images provided.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
As one who guessed a straight grade, I didn’t assume that the coin looks better in hand. It appears to be (lightly) cleaned, but no more so than countless other coins that have received straight grades. In other words, the degree of cleaning doesn’t look to be significant enough to result in a details-grade.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Mark- I really appreciate your numismatic knowledge as well as what you share in terms of your thoughts. You add to the forum in a way that is really not possible to measure... And I sincerely mean what I just wrote.
The 1850 half, at least from the images, looks as if the fields have been compromised to the point that I am unwilling to accept them in terms of a what I see in a straight grade.
Just for fun, I am going to share an image of a coin that I recently had graded that did not straight grade. I would rather own this non-straight graded coin than the own that is the subject of this thread. And I would argue that this example, without question, is far more deserving of a straight grade than the coin which is the subject of the thread
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Thank you so much for your extremely nice comment. That means a great deal to me.
Based on the images, I would have guessed a straight grade on the coin you posted. Now that I know I would have been incorrect, I’ll take a stab at guessing why… was it due to obverse cleaned/wiped? The apparent lines on the left side of the obverse lead me to that possibility.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
just for the sake of conversation, what do you think is in the fields?
Mark- I think your comment might be a justification for a non-straight grade, but it might just be part of a larger issue. This coin was bought and submitted at the same show-same date. I am trying to offer an explanation for the non-straight grade for the 5 Fr. Let me start by writing that I really am a big fan of the PCGS photography team. The image does not completely capture the lustre. My gut tells me that the graders just did not like the surfaces of this coin. There are die polish lines present and the lines are clearly raised- I looked at the coin with a 16x loupe intentionally to make this distinction. So from my perspective, the appearance of the surfaces on my coin is just what did not resonate with the graders. And while I may not agree, it turns full circle in that grading is an opinion. What straight grades is an opinion. There are no right answers but some opinions are better than others.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
@LanceNewmanOCC
It is not about what is on the fields it is what has been done to them. I posted an MS 1867BB 5 fr coin to provide a contrast. I just don't have access to my 1867 SLD that was graded by our host as an EF45 that would illustrate my point in Spades as to how nice original surfaces appear in contrast to surfaces that have been enhanced.
And this is an important issue to think about... just because a coin may straight grade and get a sticker, does not mean that it is an original coin. Instead, it might be a market acceptable coin. Those are two different concepts that often are misplaced.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
I sort of like it. It's clearly been rubbed, as many have, but I think it has a decent shot at coming back as a straight AU.
Dave
If its as completely devoid of luster as it appears, I think the coin could come back straight graded EF 45+ even though it's obviously been cleaned.
Commems and Early Type
Looks like it was the victim of an old wipe or very light cleaning. I can see it in a straight grade holder, based on what I've seen for graded seated dollars that also have this look. This is a very tough date, so still worthy of keeping. It took me years of looking for a decent one before ending up with an XF-45 example.
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