Coooooool Coin Picture
TomB
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I wanted to share an image of a very cool coin that I own that reminds me very much, in certain ways, of a coin Adrian posted an image of recently. His coin is a 1911 matte proof Lincoln and it had very smooth color and was quite attractive. Here is an image of a 1912 Lincoln slabbed by PCGS with outstanding color and eye appeal. There are a couple of reasons why I bought the piece and will share them after I let folks guess at the grade.
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Cool Coin Tom!
I can't really grade the piece from the scan, but that is one nice coin!
Thanks for the image.
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I was going to go with PR64, but the prettiest 64 I've ever seen.
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Really I'm hoping to find one that looks like that in 64 BN as I might be able to afford it even if I had to go more than %30 over sheet
I am also curious as to some of the grades.
I looked at the image and, to myself of course, said "Damn, it is quite detailed and the rims are sharp (as in keen or finely honed). I wonder is it a Proof." Then I looked at the RedBook (for expediency) to see if there were any particulars for a 1912 Proof. Well, it only indicated "Satin Proof" and I thought, well I sure can't determine that as poiple as this image is. Then I wondered if it may have such a smooth even toning because of the proof finish. So, I decided that I would guess it was a Proof, and to me the details are outstanding and I was thinking along the lines of a 67, but, I also note that a great many early proofs seem to fall in and around 64 to 66, but, I can't see enough to limit it to a 65. There you have it. I would have been 2 points off, but you have my rationale.
Outstanding specimen TomB. I can appreciate its uniqueness, but I probably wouldn't have gone after it FOR ITS COLOR. Now, for a sharp 1912 Proof Lincoln, well, that's another story.
I asked the question because I am often interested/curious about opinions rendered based upon images. I understand, in fact, firmly believe that no one can grade accurately that way.
That said, in many cases, while I could see board members giving grades on the high side for coins that display no noticeable imperfections (though the imperfections could obviously be masked by the quality of the pictures), I often see low grades assigned, rather than high ones. I wonder if some people are just naturally conservative of if there is another explanation.
For the record, without going into detail, I admit to being biased in favor of the coin which is the subject of this thread.
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Also, the pop-report for that year has the highest high-grade count in PR64 so I kind of went with the odds. But if I hadn't read the report, i would have gone PR65RB, even though I would have been wrong with the attribution.
While I didn't have a chance to guess before TomB posted the answer, I'd have said PR64BN. I'd have said this for a few reasons.
In the middle of Lincoln's beard it looks like there are a few marks.
There also appears to be several little flyspecks (especially in front of Lincoln's face).
And last, but not least, I've seen very few of matte proofs with colors in PCGS slabs. Most of the ones that I have seen have been in NGC slabs. I would have guessed that this might be because PCGS is a little scared to give a high grade with color like this, while NGC was more willing.
When you rotate the coin under a light, you can see how smooth and lusterous the surface is and how the colors flash.
It is a truly impressive cent!
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As an older subscriber to the forum I've learned to Respect the ultra potential of this medium to Show and Tell... This is a moderen miracle in that we are privileged to view, Coins, the like of which you have and knowing you as a respected and knowledgable professional. I THANK you for making it possible for us to see this possibly one-of-a-kind,... Where else would we get this opportunity? I think it's a Great Moment ! As an aside , Why don't they have a catagory "Purple Brown" like goose3 mentioned?
Ken
Loki, The PCGS Population Report actually shows 18 PR65BN and 5 PR66BN for that date. Besides, even if the pops were much lower, please feel free to give opinions based on how the coins appear, rather than what the population reports indicate the odds of a particular grade might be.
Greg , thanks for explaining your thinking in assigning the grade that you did.
Dave G - agreed!
Goose and Ken - you two have raised an interesting point about the color designations. Many times, copper coins labeled RB or BN are actually blends of entirely different colors, altogether. My guess is that the grading services feel that they need to keep the number of possible color designations to a minimum and therefore utilize the three currentlyin use. This is a great example of a coin designated "BN" that isn't "BN" and which is far more attractive than a truly "BN" one would be.