Trade dollar experts help is needed: GTG 1877pl?

Ppp

This is the most beautiful trade dollar I ever bought and I could use some help.

I believe this 1877 Trade Dollar is real because it passed the following diagnostics:
Non-magnetic
Weighs 27.22 grams
Passed sigma for 90% silver

I am far from a trade dollar expert. I have two questions and I would appreciate comments:

1-I think it would grade minimum ms63. Do you agree, and if you disagree what grade would you assign?

2-I also think it is a pl (the pictures doesn’t do it justice). Do you agree or disagree?

abbyme24

It looks polished to me, not prooflike.

Edit: to expand a bit more:

Prooflike tends to have cameo (contrast) between the devices and fields, as the flat areas of the dies are a different texture than the engraved areas. When the entire coin is shiny like yours, it's typically because it was polished.

You can also see some "halos" around the devices where the polisher wasn't able to do its job.

And while this is never a definitive reason, prooflike trades are exceedingly rare. It's unlikely for you to just come across one randomly. PCGS has graded 17,044 business strike trade dollars. Of them, a whopping 4 earned the PL designation.

Here is an actual PL Trade Dollar for reference:

Ppp

Abbyme24: thank you and I understand however, I don’t see any polishing lines that I usually see on polished coins. That is why I am confused.

abbyme24

@Ppp said:
Abbyme24: thank you and I understand however, I don’t see any polishing lines that I usually see on polished coins. That is why I am confused.

You can polish a coin without leaving visible lines easily. You may be confusing that with whizzing which purposely leaves lines to mimic mint luster.

MFeld

The coin looks polished to me, as well.

Smudge

Me too.

Ppp

Thank you for your comments and education.

Another reason why I thought it could be pl is because the reflection is in the fields but not in the devices. My last picture shows the pen does not appear on the top of the eagle. I didn’t know it was possible to Polish a coin like that.

This is another example of why I like this forum because you can always learn something. 🙂

lermish

Polished.

Here is a good example of a PL T$: https://imgur.com/sR2YvRJ

Here's another: https://imgur.com/a/7qcYVP0

Smudge

Raw for a reason.

Typekat

I am no expert on trade dollars, but someone who knows them by die varieties could probably look at your photos (or some that are slightly better) and give you some good direction.

The 3 diagnostics you cited are necessary to establish it’s a silver planchet of proper weight, but
are not by themselves conclusive of authenticity.

kaz

I believe it's polished as well. Years back, I recall a seller on eBay who used a pneumatic device that sprayed tiny plastic pellets from a nozzle to polish Trade Dollars and other coins to convincingly create PL surfaces.

TennesseeDave

As already stated, most likely polished. But for a 77-P it has an exceptional strike. Usually, they come with extremely weak stars and head details on the obverse. I was able to enlarge your images, and in my opinion, the coin has altered surfaces.

Ppp

Thank you for all the comments and insights.

Normally key dates and a coin like this, I only buy graded. In this case I ended up getting this coin from an old timer who had it for years and decided it was time to let it go. Most of his collection is raw, and I took a chance even thou I was a bit skeptical.

Sometimes you win and sometimes you………
🙂

Crypto

I don’t think it is polished just dipped burned which has hazed the the semi-PL into glossy luster. Most likely gen 92 at host or worse alt surfaces

Cougar1978

Certainly cleaned / dipped. When I see raw coins like that I wonder why their not in a TPG holder. Pass, let somebody else gamble.

braddick

It is a counterfeit.
I've owned one like it.
Look at the hands for a 'tell'.