Opinions please on another Barber dime

Casey

I got my wife a digital camera for Christmas! These are my first pictures so please go easy on me. Only took hours to learn, including publishing to the web.

I am in possession of this Barber. I don't want to reveal the grade being touted until I hear some opinions first. I can't remove it from the holder until I decide it's not going back. I hope the pictures are clear enough. There appears to be a scratch above the "N" on the reverse. Other than that, I think it looks pretty nice. This took sooo long to do, everyone has probably logged off and is sleeping by now!






Please let me know your thoughts on the grade, and whether you think its been cleaned.

Thanks,

Casey

NumisEd

Casey, rrrrrrreeeal hard to grade mint state coins by any image (digital camera or scanner), but here it goes. The coin looks uncirculated in terms of strike and lack of wear. Your camera picked-up some of the luster on the obverse, but the reverse sure looks funny (around area of "ONE DIME"). Different angle or camera setting between the 2 shots? Overall, I would grade this coin as MS-62. It could go higher, but one must grade a coin like this in person. I would further my guess to say that you paid about $120 and bought it as an MS-63.

Placid

AU-58 or MS-63. Maybe a scratch above the N on the reverse.

Casey

I paid $140 and it is being called an MS-65. I should have reshot the reverse. It really looks nothing like the picture - must be a glare off of the plastic. The reverse is perfect except for the scratch. I see no wear at all.

Is this a good candidate for PCGS?

NumisEd

Although I think that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that one man's 63 is another man's 65, that coin is NOT an MS-65. The scratch immediately disqualifies a 65 designation, as do the hits on Liberty's face. What's that chunk missing under her eye?

Also, $140 is not a bad price. If the seller marked $140 and an MS-65 grade on the same holder, then I would love to buy some of his/her slabbed coins. That would be approximately 1/4 of actual retail value (retail is close to $700 and bid is $510). You paid about MS-63 retail. As far as submitting to PCGS, why??? Is it worth the money?

Placid

A heavy scratch may result in a coin not being graded by PCGS.
It will knock the grade down for sure thou if they do let it thru.
Anacs would net grade that coin in a heartbeat for the scratch.

stman

Casey, I don't see it close to 65. But the price might be right. I do see some what appear to be hairlines so check real good to see if it's been cleaned. I would also like to mention you might be better off buying slabbed coins. At least until you are feeling confident with your grading.

But one real problem I see with the coin is it's dated 1897 and that's Dog97's year, so be prepared for him to tear into it.

sinin1

Cleaning? are there any hairlines present that we can not see - but only you can see by tilting the coin around?

I am curious on the scratch - from other board members -> is it large enough to bodybag from PCGS

Also would ANACS go MSdetails NET AU55 ?

awful nice coin but big difference in value from AU55 to MS65

stman

To be honest I would send the coin back just for it being called 65. You are not going to get a real Barber dime that grades 65 for 140.00. JMO

This may be Christmas time but I'm sure you have heard there is No santa claus in Numismatics.

NumisEd

Casey, do you have an ebay item number or link?

Dog97

It's clearly not a 65. With the several big hits on the face & the rev staple scratch I think 62 is more fitting. I dont think the rev scratch will NG it.

prooflike

I think 62-63 That cheek hit and scratch are too much on a small coin to grade any higher.

Casey

Here's the link to the auction.

barber dime

Not sure if I'm keeping it yet. I too don't like to see sellers spouting bogus grades, so I might return it on principle. I knew some problem had to exist to get a "65" that cheap. I'm looking for slabbed coins as well as raw - as long as a return policy is in place.

My issue now in deciding to keep it is not knowing if PCGS would slab it or not. I'm a collector first, but I don't think I want to have money tied up in "problem" coins. Too many gems without problems out there.

Thanks for the comments!

Casey

MrKelso

I wonder if the (Hits we are seeing are on the holder) after looking at the auction pics does anyone see the scratch on the rev?

stman

Casey, glad to see you don't like the idea of them spouting gem when it's not. The add also says "original" I would question that also. But if you like the coin that's all that matters. If not I would have it out in the mail real quick. It might slab but if it don't you will be kicking yourself. There are some decent Barbers out there, maybe not too many on ebay but sometimes you get what you pay for. Just trying to help.

Tonelover

My opinion is that $140 is way too much to pay for an 1897 AU-58 cleaned Barber Dime. Sorry, but nothing that seller states is true and I would encourage you to take advantage of their return policy. Or you could submit the coin for grading and consider it an education.

Elcontador

Based on the noticeable contact mark near the eye, this coin IMO won't grade higher than 3. This is an eye-catching flaw in a grade sensitive area. The scratch noted re the reverse, while in itself would preclude a 5, won't take it down further from a 3 if these are the only problems with the coin.

In the E-Bay image, I noticed what appeared to be a light scratch going along Miss Liberty's jawline, though it doesn't appear in your image. If it is there, it would drop the grade down from a 3.

The color of the reverse in the E-Bay auction looked as I would expect an Unc. Barber Dime to appear. However, the obverse looked like an overexposed photo; ie., dull & dipped out. Then again, it could be the lighting.

These coins are normally well-struck. Make sure that you can clearly see the hair below "LIBERTY" on the coin's obverse. It is difficult to find nice Barber coinage in Unc.

I am guessing that for $140, you can find a decent, slabbed 3, and therefore, would return this raw coin, as I don't think it would slab higher than that. Also, your $140 purchase now would become more like $160 or $170, when paying grading & shipping fees, and while I don't think the coin would no grade, it may come back lower than 3.

This is not a bargain. These coins are plentiful in 3. Personally, if I'm paying $100 plus for a coin, I want it to be slabbed. At least this way, I'm not on the hook if questions of authenticity or altered surfaces
arise.

Dog97

If you're not sure you're keeping it or not then it's not a keeper coin. A keeper coin would make you want to keep it.
The seller has a really poor picture and if I was looking I would pass because it looks circulated in his pict. That's just me though, if a coin doesn't catch my eye by being at least ½ decent I don't even put it on my watch list and I watch a lot of coins that I have no intention of bidding on. I just like to see what they sold for and the interest level of other collectors.
Average mediocre coins are plentiful & cheap.
If you want a slabbed coin just buy one already slabbed and save yourself some $$ & headaches or if you just want a problem free coin buy a slab and crack it. .