1934 D Washington Quarter... Opinions please

Lotsatrout

I just bought this 1934 D quarter and it came in the mail today. I just wanted to get some opinions from you pros as to what grade you think this coin is. I know there are a couple of dings on the coin but I think it still looks like an MS coin. What do you think? Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Mike

kieferscoins

MS-63 as long as the luster rotates with the coin when you turn it. Hard to tell by the scan.

Cameron Kiefer

Lotsatrout

ttt

TomB

I'm not nearly as optimistic as Cameron on this piece. The hair line immediately above and behind the ear looks too uniformly flat to be simply a weak strike and this is the area to look at first for wear. I think the coin is AU58 and would be hard-pressed to think MS. AU58.

andy007

I agree with TomB, the hair in the curls and the center of the eagle's breast is flat from wear as well as the top of the wings. A nice AU58 coin though.

Nic

Cleaned. K

TomB

So, what did you buy it as?

Tonelover

Agreed, AU'ish.

Whitewashqtr

Not so sure about the AU.. I think you would find more wrong with the coin. early washingtons, as you know Tom, have a slightly flatter hairline, especially the 34's. The fields, from the scan, look to be fairly clean. I would have to give it an MS grading .. MS62, but no higher.

Whitewashqtr

Sorry. I may have spoken too soon.. Upon further examination of the scan.. the reverse seems to be worn more than an MS coin. The breast feathers are very weak on the left side and on the obverse there seems to be come ticks in the bust and a really bad ding above the eyebrow. I may stand corrected as an AU. I still like it though

oreville

I tend to go with AU as well but the picture is not good enough to rule out a mint state for sure.

Heck, I have seen PCGS MS-68 quarters with stacking rub on the sideburns of GW.

Android

Sheesh I hate trying to grade a coin by scan. I would have to agree with the consensus as AU. A nice AU58.

Andy

jom

Hey, there ain't nothin' wrong with a nice AU58, which I believe this coin to be. As long as you paid AU money for it.....

I love AU58's! You get MS63 quality at a cheaper price...

jom

1956Quarter

Either MS-62 with a slightly weak strike, or a nice AU58. Very hard to tell for sure from the scan. I'd need my magnifier and to have it in hand to know for sure. Its a nice Key either way provided the price was right.

DHeath

Maybe I'm wrong, but from the scan it looks cleaned. The obverse is hairlined in several places. It's a nice enough coin, and enlarged scans always make coins look worse than they are in person, but definitely AU. My best guess is AU55. Too many marks to go AU58. IMHO

WashqrtrsRme

Mike, first of all I'd like to ask you a quaetios. Why did you buy this coin raw? I am an advanced collector of this series, and I know the '34-D quite well. It is one of the very toughest dates in the set in mint state. It's too late now, but if you're looking for any more of the early "D" dates in this series ('32-D, '34-D, '35-D or '36-D) I would suggest you only buy coins which are certified. I recently saw a counterfeit '34-D that a friend of mine happened to buy, the only one I'd ever seen. It was quite obvious that the mint mark had been added. You could see a stain around only the mintmark area which appeared to be from some sort of adhesive. The mintmark on the '34-D had a certain "look" to it, too. It is usually bold, and many times the center of it is almost closed. The mint mark on that coin was thin and just didn't have the right "look" to it. Unless you're an expert at detecting counterfeits, then that is another good reason to but only certified examples of this date.
I have looked at your scanned image of the coin. Pictures don't always "paint" and accurate portrait of the coin itself, however it does appear to me that this coin is either AU or a "slider" unc. I've seen lots of '34-D's in my time, and this one doesn't look right for being an unc. coin. The reverse seems to be either weakly struck in the center of the eagle's breast (which is a diagnostic trait of this particular date) or it is slightly worn. I don't like the luster, either. It appears to have a "hard" shine rather than a soft and frosty look, as it should if it were unc. I hope I'm wrong in my summation of your coin. One way to know for sure is to have it certified...good luck.

Tom Schiera
No. 5 in the PCGS Registry for Washington quarters

dorkkarl

gotta disagree with ya, i call it ms-63 w/ typical rolls friction on the obv and typical luster. this assumes reasonable 'wheels, which is not visible in a digipic. almost certainly dipped though, which doesn't matter one lick these days

K S

Whitewashqtr

Tom,

First off, congrats on your recent pedigree. I am sure you know this, but many others might not. There is a reason this coin has not been certified in the first place. Either the coin is too weak to be certified or its not worthy of an MS grade. These quarters command decent money even in an MS63 holder. So, if you are buying early date raw certified washingtons, then chances are they have been submitted and subsequently cracked out to sell raw at a higher price, because the grade was too low, or it is a problem coin.

I would love to know where he got it from and the cost. If he paid AU money and it is not counterfeit as you touched on, then I think he's got a decent coin.

Tom.. being you know much about the series, what do you see in this 32-S?

1932S Obverse

1932S Reverse

Lotsatrout

Ok... I'll give up the information on this one. First of all I can't really afford the 1930's quarters certified right now so I do my best to try and spot a good looking raw coin from time to time. I saw this one on E-bay and decided to take a risk and buy it. He didn't have the best photos on his auction but from what I could see, it appeared to possibly be a lower end MS coin. I know... I know... you always take a risk of buying raw coins on E-bay but I figured what the heck... I haven't been burned for awhile so why not! Don't get me wrong, I am happy with the coin even if it is an AU coin. It filled a hole in my collection with a pretty nice looking quarter. Here is the auction that I bought it at. I welcome any and all comments that you have. It has been nice reading everything posted so far. It helps me to learn more about this hobby, both negative and positive.

Let me know what you guys think about the price. It may have been a little overpriced but heck.... It wasn't $450! Thanks again!

Mike

WashqrtrsRme

To Whitewashqrtr, Thank you for your compliment regarding my pedigree set. It was a lot of fun putting it together. Are you in the registry, adn is so, who are you? I fully agree with what you said, and it's what I was thinking: that particular 1934-D was either A: not slabbed, for one reason or another, or B: it was slabbed a lower grade, came back, then the owner cracked it out, hoping to sell it raw at a higher price at a higher stated grade. After looking at the image Mike enclosed from EBay, the coin does not look Unc. at all to me. I think I'm right, as I've seen lots and lots of'34-Ds. It could be the image, but it looks like it has several hairlines/broken luster...has the look on an AU coin to me, which if it is, then Mike unfortunately spent way too much money for this one. After years of playing this game, experience has taught me that if you look for a real bargain, chances are you'll come up short of what you're looking for...you get what you pay for, a bargain coin. We've all had it happen, and I'm certainly no exception, but fortunately I've learned as time has passed. As for the images you included of the 1932-S, I can see the obverse image, but was unable to see the rev. image (don't know why).What I was able to summize from the obverse image was that I believe the coin is, first and most importantly, original and most likely probably never been cleaned/messed with, as far as I can tell. The 1932-S typically comes rather dull and unattractive. Not sure if I could be a good person for grading it, but it looks unc. to me. I don't see any wear on the hair over the top of the ear or along the temple...the first two places wear usually occurs on the obverse of this coin. Is it yours? I've only seen 3 blast white 32-S quarters in over 20 years of collecting this series, and I own one of them, my MS64 in my set. If it had 2 less marks on Washington's forehead then it would be a lock 65, but that's why it's a 64. Even so, it's really pretty. The 32-S is almost virtually impossible to find blast white. If you see one that is and it's for sale, there will probably be a significant premium to go along with it. I wouldn't take less than $3,000. for mine (but it's not for sale) if I were trying to sell it. Ask your self that question: how many blast-white unc. '32-S quarters have you ever seen? They are very, very few and far between.

To Mike, I have this to say; if you like the coin and are happy with the price you paid, then there's no problem, I guess, if it's unc. If, however, this coin is AU as I believe it probably is, the you paid way too much money for it. One way to find out for sure, as I mentioned earlier, is to have it certified, if you are so inclined. How long have you been collecting Washington quarters? As I also mentioned earlier, you have to be really careful when buying the early mintmarked dates, particularily before 1937. Some counterfeits may exist as well as some dealers trying to pass along a "bargain" to some collectors with raw coins that are probably "slider" uncs. at best. My best wishes to you in your collecting interests, but as I said, beware of buying the raw mint-marked dates before 1937. If you're looking to put together a nice set on a lower budget, then I'd suggest collecting lower graded certified coins. Even owning an nice MS60 set could be challenging for a few dates. I own a 1934-D in MS66. Id' be glad to send you an image of it if you'd like to see one that is unc...just e-mail me, and I'll send it to you. Hopefully this will help you to see what I was talking about regarding unbroken mint luster for this particular date...'34-Ds can be tricky in determining their grades. Happy hunting! Mike, my e-address is: schietd@hpd.abbott.com. I'd be glad to try and answer any questions you might have regarding the Washington quarter series. I always enjoy "talking quarters".

Tom Schiera

WashqrtrsRme

Mike, please forgive my statement in my previous reply regarding what I said about you paying way too much for your '34-D. After again reading your last note, you said you did NOT pay $450. for the coin. I misread it the first time as you saying you DID spend $450. for it....my appologies. Hope you're happy with your coin. Either way, the '34-D is still a great coin, even in AU!

Tom Schiera

oreville

Based on the auction pictures of the 1934-D I am now convinced it is an AU.

The coin has a value of about $50.

quarterjack

IMHO, you have a decent SLIDER!

Dave

mnmcoin

Looks like an MS68 to me...ACG 68 that is. Sorry for the bad humor...AU no more no less.

morris <><

itsnotjustme

Looks like you did fine. The coins appears to be a strong AU, and you paid a little above AU50 money.