Mike - It seems seated lib love tokens are much more common than barber ones.
Scott - Two musical references at once, I love it.
Pics for this AM, my other newp from the show, PC64. Don't really want 64's in dates that aren't super tough, but the '03 is under-rated IMO. Not as much haze as I'd like, but tons of luster.
Vern l It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Thank you, Mark. I loved the look of that coin from the minute I saw it and I honestly think its a minimum 66. It's easy to say that our own coins are undergraded, but I honestly see no flaws.
I actually agree with you on the grade. There are no ticks or scratches and it sure doesn't lack the striking or luster of a 66 or 66+.
I've had to put my hoarding on hold for a while to get personal stuff straight. I still lurk around here a few times a week. I have also taken another approach to what I buy and pass on which is to quit filling holes with mediocrity and be patient for the Stunners. I still have the coins from you and Scott because I'll never sale them .. When II start collecting again I will have been super ready because I've seen some coins lately that I've been looking for for a year to come back on the market. Hope everyone has been doing well.
Mike- we actually are having to postpone the move to Florida. Our Landlord here sold the house we were living in so we are in the process of moving into a new bigger 2 story with finished basement in a great area. We are gna rent to own it. We still have the house in Florida we just decided it was worth the wait to let some other stuff get worked out 1st.
Interesting results from Gardner sale Part 1 yesterday. I did not buy anything. Addressing the Mint State Barber Halves, the key dates in high grades mostly did well, but some sold for less than the consignor paid, such as the 95-O. I had my eyes on the 04-P in PCGS 66, but didn't pull the trigger, didn't bid in the auction, and it went for a little over $15K with the juice, fairly strong money for that tough date. Would love to know if any of the others on the forum picked up any and what they thought. Two more rounds to go.
Mark: Good and bad news. One of these days you'll make it down here. .....Afterall, you will want to go to the FUN show in January.
Peter: I was wondering which, if any, Halves would tempt you. I can well believe some sold for less than Gene paid bought them for. I realized during my sale in August, 2011, the MS coins that I had been adding into my AU 58 sets actually sold for quite a bit less than I had paid.
Mike Hayes ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
I wondered about the venue and the way the Gardner sale is being dispersed, and what effect that would have on prices and attendance and bidding. New York City is an expensive venue to attend, in person, and Heritage did have coins available for viewing at other sites prior to the sale. The strategy of dividing up the sale is interesting and time will tell if that works best for all concerned. For buyers I think it's OK.
Peter - We'll have to wait and see. All I can say is there were some coins in Gene's sets that were just fantastic. Most if not all were too rich for this old man. LOL.
I spotted this Quarter and although II have one of the exact type and grade, I picked this one up for $150 less than the other one. Couldn't pass it up - that's for sure.
I have a problem with the poor quality of the images - but if our hosts say its a 58, I need to take their word for it { for now that is }.
Mike Hayes ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
DrPete - I think it'll be interesting to see how the entire Gardner sale does. My thoughts on the barber qtrs is that not all MS-67's (or MS-68's) are created equal. Eye appeal is the ultimate key.
Mike - Nice acquisition.
Pics for this PM, a newp into Paesan's Stash, NGC58:
Vern l It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Nice 14-S Scott, I have been searching for close to 18 months for a decent 14-S and the very nicest I have found is a F12. ( Granted, it was a VERY nice 12 ). I remember it being a tough date but I don't remember it being this tough. It's one of the 4 Semi-Keys needed to finish off my set. ( There will be no key dates in this set.... and based on my luck, I don't think I'll have any of the 4 semi keys either. )
Nice pick up, congrats. Thanks Vern for posting.
Mike Hayes ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
Mike, your 98-O has been photographed more than Marilyn Monroe! Nice looking lady.
I really have learned to enjoy soccer and I watched both matches yesterday and will do so today as well. Brazil's victory over Chile assures that I will be there for at least one match on Friday. Still, I can easily point out glaring issues that will keep this sport from ever catching on for real in the US.
1) Penalty kicks should never decide a winner. What is this, a scrimmage? Man up and play till soneone actually wins.
2) The celebrations: Did anyone see the salsa going on after Columbia scored those two goals over Uraguay? Imagine some dude scores a touchdown and the players line up and start doing the Macarena!
3) Jersey swaps: What the heck is up with that? NBA finals, Spurs beat Heat. Lebron and Duncan peel off their shirts and center court and exchange them? What next? "Hey, nice shorts, man."
So as much as I enjoy the matches, its got such a long way to go.
That is one beautiful Dime. It's so much nicer than the crummy images the seller sent you; you took a chance on ( and won ). You really lucked out there. Congrats !
EtAl:
Tonight is the USA Soccer team VS The Royal Belgian Football Team. 4:00 PM ESDT. My family on both sides of the Pond will be glued to their televisions. I am pleased both teams made it this far, I am sorry that I can't be watching the game with either side.
Vern:
thanks again for showing off Scott's new 97-S Quarter. I also wanted to make mention of the split planchlet Dime, it's one of the very few Dimes I have seen like that. Occasionally I'll see a Nickel like that, or a Cent.
Mike Hayes ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
One more soccer note: They have to change the name FIFA to something a little less effeminate. How about International Futbol League of Professionals, or IFLOP?
Jeff- Couple nice pickups. Congratulations on the 80% done. The 96-o looks a little undergraded. What's up with obverse rim above the E? Are you sending it in raw or for crossover?
Congrats on adding two newps - I also would like to upgrade my 13-P Half, but something in the 45-53 range... and a little more crust than yours. The look of your new 96-O would be perfect.
I am also not a fan of cracking out coins for submission. Personally, I'd just send in the 96-O in the NGC holder.
Mike Hayes ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
Thanks for all the kind words on my new acquisitions!
I sent the '96 O to PCGS in the NGC holder. I'm less concerned about an upgrade; I'm more concerned that PCGS may not cross it due to the numerous small rim dings (above the E on the obverse being one of them). I sent in 6 other AU halves from my set in NGC holders to cross at PCGS; I'm slowly trying to migrate my set that direction. PCGS is where the big boys play, and my set is getting into that league (other than my crappy F 12 '97 O).
Speaking of the '97 O 50C, does anyone have an explanation why it's so rare to see one for sale? I understand the pop counts are low, but there are others in the set with similar counts that show up far more often. And why is the '04 S priced so incredibly high when it's pop counts aren't that low and there seem to be decent examples offered for sale frequently (at high prices). Darrell, you must have some insight?
As more and more people start to put together midrange sets of Barber Halves supply and demand is beginning to clarify the true availability of many of the under rated dates....The 97-O in my opinion is hands down the key date to the series in over all grades F and above. The 97-O is the only date I can not find for inventory in grades F and better. Every 97-O in that range I have been able to offer sells very quickly if they are problem Free and especially if they are graded.
As to the 04-S, It has always been recognized as the key date. I do believe it is over rated a bit, but maybe not too much. The reason the pops are so high, especially in mid circulated grades is because it was for a long time one of the few dates in the series worth having professionally graded and still remains the key date in MS which is why AU's are so expensive. I believe in the next few years we will see more of the under rated better dates graded(which has been going on for several years) and it will be very interesting to see how the 04-S stacks up against coins like the 97-O,especially in better circulated grades. There are still some nice better grade sets of Halves out there that have not seen a trip to the grading services. Once the prices pry these out into the market I believe the populations will stabilize.
Congrats on your new acquisitions, I believe your 96-O has a good chance at crossing...but PCGS might want to 45 it due to your concerns. I think it depends a lot on the luster(which is hard to judge from a picture) to overcome your concerns.
The "baggage" that some key dates bring with them when they are offered for sale is extremely high prices ( ie: the 04-S in 58 - mine sold three years ago for $15K + 15% buyers fees. I have the distinct feeling it is now valued at approx. $22.5K ).
There is really no real rhyme nor reason for this. Granted, when I bought my 58 it was a POP ONE in 58. The same could have been said when I bought Peter Shireman's AU 55, at the time, Peter's coin was a POP ONE with no AU 58's available. When the rumors came out what these coins were being sold for ( private sales ) the flood gates opened.
It's been mentioned that the 96-O is actually rarer than the 04-S, yes, that's true, in Gem MS. Not in higher graded AU's. Although I have found that in the last 20 years of actively collecting Barbers, the 97-O is tougher to locate when purchasing. There must be a (ahem) STASH of them somewhere !! Try as I might, I have not seen (but one) an XF of the 97-O for sale in the last three years. I have a nice VF 30 - that should I ever sell, has an immediate home in Pennsylvania. I still am holding out for an XF 40-45. A well known North Carolina collector had a fantastic 97-O in 45 in the set he was selling, he called me last year to ask what I would pay ... I stretched as far as I could go, offering him considerably more than what I actually thought the coin was worth ( I obviously thought I would never would have another chance to acquire another 45 ) ... As they say, I was "All In" and the seller thanked me, then proceeded to call a mutual friend and said "Mike Hayes just offered me $Xxxx ... so, what will you offer me ?" My friend thought I was trying to buy the sellers' coins from under him . Nothing was further from the truth. The seller contacted me - not - I - him.
That stunt almost cost me a friendship but when my friend knew of the circumstances, he ended up buying not just that coin, but a myriad of others as well.
One also needs to remember that the POP's are always segued because of crack outs and re- submissions.
BTW, Jeff, I think your 96-O will get graded by PCGS, I just can not say what the assigned grade will be. It really is a tough call. They might give it a 53 (+) . The rim hits are pretty minor, and the coin actually has AU. 55 details. Calling it AU 50 is way too harsh. Net grading may be the cause of the NGC 50.
( edit: just read Darrel's comments... An XF 45 is way, way too strict. Then again, how often have you and Arnie been slapped around when submitting ? You resubmit numerous times and still get the same grade back. )
Regardless, good luck.
edit: Playing around Photobucket...
Here's my current 97-O in VF 30:
Here's the one that got away: PCGS 45
Mike Hayes ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
I agree the 97-O is probably amongst the toughest in the halves to find in XF or AU. When I liquidated my set, the only coins I still had in XF at the time were the 97-O, 97-S, 01-O and 01-S. I passed on opportunities to upgrade my 97-S to 53 and passed on an 01-S in 50 as I didn't like the coins.. Buying plastic just doesn't quench my thirst for coins. The 1897-O that was in my set was an XF40 (originally bought in a small white ANACS 40 holder from JJT in 2009, which crossed at grade). As the whole world knows by now, my 1896-O failed to cross from NGC-55 twice .. I decided to crack and send raw and it was then graded AU-58 (after once being returned as cleaned). That coin eventually sold privately for $10,750 .. not a bad score considering I paid $2500 for it in the NGC-55 holder.
Good luck as you proceed Jeff - nice set for sure
Edit: As others have said before, I believe firmly you have a much better chance at coins grading at PCGS sending them in raw. Crossing is a low percentage game of frustration. They are ultra conservative, especially swith older holders with no edge view. I think if you are confident in your ability to grade and detect problems, and you are convinced the coin is solid, there is no reason not to crack it out. Of course there are no guarantees and close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades
There's something frustrating about crossing an under graded coin still in the holder and having to submit it again because it didn't cross at the higher grade the first time around. Ok, I'm done. Now I'm glad I bought my 97-o in a PC35 3 years ago. I also agree that there must be a stash somewhere waiting for the right price.
I decided to submit my '96 O in the NGC holder because I definitely do not a downgrade. I've had bad luck with all 3rd party grading companies calling nice looking coins with undisturbed surfaces as "cleaned". I have no doubts that the surfaces on the '96 O are original, but since the OBV/ REV are not tonally aligned I'm concerned it could fall into the trap. Since I'm not in a rush to get an entire PCGS set it will remain in a NGC holder if necessary.
Very interesting theories on the '97 O; it confirms my experience. My PCGS F 12 certainly looks out of place in my set:
I think this coin might upgrade to a F 15 on a good day, but then what's the real point of that?
I think the word original is the most over-used term in all of numismatics. Coins dipped can and do look fully original; especially when done lightly and with Father Time ..
For me anyway, all I look for is evidence showing the coin has been messed with or for indicators proving the coin is NOT original. Even with the absence of any indicators, one can never declare (or rule out) a coin's truly original (or not).. The absence of evidence of tampering does not mean the coin is original. If the coin appears wholesome and original, that's about as good as it gets IMO .. As long as it is eye-appealing and it appears as we expect a coin with such age and composition should look, that is as good as it gets for me.
Unless you got the coin from the mint and were the soul care taker, there is no way to ever be certain a coin is truly original. Many people may be quite surprised at how "original" a coin that has been dipped or cleaned or had some other solutions/compounds/Coin Care, etc. applied to it, can look. Gunk, crust, patina, dirt, crud can all bond or grow to a dipped coin's surface.
And I am as guilty as the next guy at claiming a coin to be "original" .. What it should really read is "the coin appears original or appears to have original surfaces" ... Just saying
Edit: lovely 1897-O Half Jeff .. And also wanted to add .. It is very refreshing to see you are collecting coins, not PCGS plastic .. It can be very tempting to be swayed into thinking if it is not in a PCGS holder, it is not "worthy" or needs to be crossed or replaced
The past 5-6 months, I have been "regressing" towards collecting more raw coins .. back to putting more time / fostering raw collections in albums or folders.
Comments
Is Paesan in Rio at the World Cup this week ?
That is one beautiful 1910 Quarter !!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
Paesan
Pics for this AM, my pics of Scott's newp, PC62:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Really interesting 1892 Quarter Love Token,
those are few and far between !
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
edit: sweet coins everyone-running late T Time or I'd be more detailed
Scott - Two musical references at once, I love it.
Pics for this AM, my other newp from the show, PC64. Don't really want 64's in dates that aren't super tough, but the '03 is under-rated IMO.
Not as much haze as I'd like, but tons of luster.
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Pics for this AM, good looking newp into Paesan's Stash, PC58:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Vern - Scott - Doug I love every 1 of those fine quarters. All are superb. Yall take it easy
Hoard the keys
So what's new with you?
Paesan
I've had to put my hoarding on hold for a while to get personal stuff straight. I still lurk around here a few times a week. I have also taken another approach to what I buy and pass on which is to quit filling holes with mediocrity and be patient for the Stunners. I still have the coins from you and Scott because I'll never sale them
Hoard the keys
I agree, Paesan, that really is a wonderful 1910 Quarter.
Nice surfaces ... Beautiful toning. Hard coin to beat.
Good seeing you hanging on, Mark. You have your hands
full preparing to move. How's it going ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
Mark, Pretty normal to try to jump in and buy anything and everything. Next round you'll see you're habits changing for the better I'll bet.
Paesan
Pics for this AM, nice newp from Scott, NGC-58:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Vern- I like that 10-D. Made me drool a bit lol
Hoard the keys
Vern / Scott: - Nice 10-D.
Mark: Good and bad news. One of these days you'll make it down here.
.....Afterall, you will want to go to the FUN show in January.
Peter: I was wondering which, if any, Halves would tempt you. I can well
believe some sold for less than Gene paid bought them for. I realized during
my sale in August, 2011, the MS coins that I had been adding into my AU 58
sets actually sold for quite a bit less than I had paid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
I wondered about the venue and the way the Gardner sale is being dispersed, and what effect that would have on prices and attendance and bidding. New York City is an expensive venue to attend, in person, and Heritage did have coins available for viewing at other sites prior to the sale. The strategy of dividing up the sale is interesting and time will tell if that works best for all concerned. For buyers I think it's OK.
Peter - We'll have to wait and see. All I can say is there were some coins in Gene's sets that
were just fantastic. Most if not all were too rich for this old man. LOL.
I spotted this Quarter and although II have one of the exact type and grade, I picked this one
up for $150 less than the other one. Couldn't pass it up - that's for sure.
I have a problem with the poor quality of the images - but if our hosts say its a 58, I need to take their word for it { for now that is }.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
Mike - Nice acquisition.
Pics for this PM, a newp into Paesan's Stash, NGC58:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Nice 14-S Scott, I have been searching for close to 18 months for a decent 14-S and the very nicest
I have found is a F12. ( Granted, it was a VERY nice 12 ). I remember it being a tough date
but I don't remember it being this tough. It's one of the 4 Semi-Keys needed to finish off my set.
( There will be no key dates in this set.... and based on my luck, I don't think I'll have any of the 4
semi keys either. )
Nice pick up, congrats. Thanks Vern for posting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
Scott, Again, nice find on that 14-S
Vern, 08-O pix came out great!
Paesan
Paesan - Thanks.
Pics for this AM, newp into the Stash, PC40:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Vern, from your lips, to God's ears.
The 98-O from the Stash - looks every bit an AU 50
- and, on a bad day a Gold CAC XF 45.
Go figure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
Paesan
Pics for this AM, a 98-O from Scott, PC58:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Here's a newer purchase [ a year old or so... ] from Tom Bush .... how could I refuse this sweet thing ?
Heritage's Images
Tom Bush's images
John Baumgart's images:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
Pics for this AM, a barber error from the Stash:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
I really have learned to enjoy soccer and I watched both matches yesterday and will do so today as well. Brazil's victory over Chile assures that I will be there for at least one match on Friday. Still, I can easily point out glaring issues that will keep this sport from ever catching on for real in the US.
1) Penalty kicks should never decide a winner. What is this, a scrimmage? Man up and play till soneone actually wins.
2) The celebrations: Did anyone see the salsa going on after Columbia scored those two goals over Uraguay? Imagine some dude scores a touchdown and the players line up and start doing the Macarena!
3) Jersey swaps: What the heck is up with that? NBA finals, Spurs beat Heat. Lebron and Duncan peel off their shirts and center court and exchange them? What next? "Hey, nice shorts, man."
So as much as I enjoy the matches, its got such a long way to go.
Paesan
Joe - Beautiful addition, congrats. Good to see you on the mega-thread again.
Pics for this AM, raw newp by Scott:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
That is one beautiful Dime. It's so much nicer than the crummy images the seller sent you;
you took a chance on ( and won ). You really lucked out there. Congrats !
EtAl:
Tonight is the USA Soccer team VS The Royal Belgian Football Team. 4:00 PM ESDT.
My family on both sides of the Pond will be glued to their televisions. I am pleased both
teams made it this far, I am sorry that I can't be watching the game with either side.
Vern:
thanks again for showing off Scott's new 97-S Quarter. I also wanted
to make mention of the split planchlet Dime, it's one of the very few Dimes
I have seen like that. Occasionally I'll see a Nickel like that, or a Cent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
"Don't quit your day job."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
First, an 1896 O 50C graded AU 50 by NGC. This was purchased at a recent Heritage Auction; it's now on it's way to PCGS to see if it will cross:
Next is a 1913 50C graded AU 55 by PCGS. I traded one of my spare '14 AU 58's for it:
Little by little my AU Half set is coming to fruition; I'm about 80% there. Unfortunately the last 20% is probably 80% of the cost!
Joe, congrats on a nice pickup for your dime collection.
Jeff, A Barber half set in AU that is 80% complete? That's a great accomplishment. Congrats on your newps.
Mike, I don't have a clue as to how rare or special that dime is. I think it's cool and came pretty reasonably so its s fun conversation piece.
Paesan
Jeff,
Congrats on adding two newps - I also would like to upgrade my 13-P Half,
but something in the 45-53 range... and a little more crust than yours. The
look of your new 96-O would be perfect.
I am also not a fan of cracking out coins for submission. Personally, I'd just
send in the 96-O in the NGC holder.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
Pics for this AM, another raw newp in Scott's collection:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
I sent the '96 O to PCGS in the NGC holder. I'm less concerned about an upgrade; I'm more concerned that PCGS may not cross it due to the numerous small rim dings (above the E on the obverse being one of them). I sent in 6 other AU halves from my set in NGC holders to cross at PCGS; I'm slowly trying to migrate my set that direction. PCGS is where the big boys play, and my set is getting into that league (other than my crappy F 12 '97 O).
Speaking of the '97 O 50C, does anyone have an explanation why it's so rare to see one for sale? I understand the pop counts are low, but there are others in the set with similar counts that show up far more often. And why is the '04 S priced so incredibly high when it's pop counts aren't that low and there seem to be decent examples offered for sale frequently (at high prices). Darrell, you must have some insight?
As more and more people start to put together midrange sets of Barber Halves supply and demand is beginning to clarify the true availability of many of the under rated dates....The 97-O in my opinion is hands down the key date to the series in over all grades F and above. The 97-O is the only date I can not find for inventory in grades F and better. Every 97-O in that range I have been able to offer sells very quickly if they are problem Free and especially if they are graded.
As to the 04-S, It has always been recognized as the key date. I do believe it is over rated a bit, but maybe not too much. The reason the pops are so high, especially in mid circulated grades is because it was for a long time one of the few dates in the series worth having professionally graded and still remains the key date in MS which is why AU's are so expensive. I believe in the next few years we will see more of the under rated better dates graded(which has been going on for several years) and it will be very interesting to see how the 04-S stacks up against coins like the 97-O,especially in better circulated grades. There are still some nice better grade sets of Halves out there that have not seen a trip to the grading services. Once the prices pry these out into the market I believe the populations will stabilize.
Congrats on your new acquisitions, I believe your 96-O has a good chance at crossing...but PCGS might want to 45 it due to your concerns. I think it depends a lot on the luster(which is hard to judge from a picture) to overcome your concerns.
is extremely high prices ( ie: the 04-S in 58 - mine sold three years ago for $15K +
15% buyers fees. I have the distinct feeling it is now valued at approx. $22.5K ).
There is really no real rhyme nor reason for this. Granted, when I bought my 58 it
was a POP ONE in 58. The same could have been said when I bought Peter Shireman's
AU 55, at the time, Peter's coin was a POP ONE with no AU 58's available. When the
rumors came out what these coins were being sold for ( private sales ) the flood gates
opened.
It's been mentioned that the 96-O is actually rarer than the 04-S, yes, that's true, in
Gem MS. Not in higher graded AU's. Although I have found that in the last 20 years of
actively collecting Barbers, the 97-O is tougher to locate when purchasing. There must
be a (ahem) STASH of them somewhere !! Try as I might, I have not seen (but one) an XF
of the 97-O for sale in the last three years. I have a nice VF 30 - that should I ever sell,
has an immediate home in Pennsylvania. I still am holding out for an XF 40-45. A well known
North Carolina collector had a fantastic 97-O in 45 in the set he was selling, he called me last year to
ask what I would pay ... I stretched as far as I could go, offering him considerably more than
what I actually thought the coin was worth ( I obviously thought I would never would have
another chance to acquire another 45 ) ... As they say, I was "All In" and the seller thanked
me, then proceeded to call a mutual friend and said "Mike Hayes just offered me $Xxxx ...
so, what will you offer me ?" My friend thought I was trying to buy the sellers' coins from under him .
Nothing was further from the truth. The seller contacted me - not - I - him.
That stunt almost cost me a friendship but when my friend knew of the circumstances, he ended up
buying not just that coin, but a myriad of others as well.
One also needs to remember that the POP's are always segued because of crack outs and re-
submissions.
BTW, Jeff, I think your 96-O will get graded by PCGS, I just can not say what the assigned grade will be.
It really is a tough call. They might give it a 53 (+) . The rim hits are pretty minor, and the coin actually
has AU. 55 details. Calling it AU 50 is way too harsh. Net grading may be the cause of the NGC 50.
( edit: just read Darrel's comments... An XF 45 is way, way too strict. Then again, how often have you
and Arnie been slapped around when submitting ? You resubmit numerous times and still get the same
grade back. )
Regardless, good luck.
edit: Playing around Photobucket...
Here's my current 97-O in VF 30:
Here's the one that got away: PCGS 45
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
Good luck as you proceed Jeff - nice set for sure
Edit: As others have said before, I believe firmly you have a much better chance at coins grading at PCGS sending them in raw. Crossing is a low percentage game of frustration. They are ultra conservative, especially swith older holders with no edge view. I think if you are confident in your ability to grade and detect problems, and you are convinced the coin is solid, there is no reason not to crack it out. Of course there are no guarantees and close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades
Now I'm glad I bought my 97-o in a PC35 3 years ago. I also agree that there must be a stash somewhere waiting for the right price.
Very interesting theories on the '97 O; it confirms my experience. My PCGS F 12 certainly looks out of place in my set:
I think this coin might upgrade to a F 15 on a good day, but then what's the real point of that?
For me anyway, all I look for is evidence showing the coin has been messed with or for indicators proving the coin is NOT original. Even with the absence of any indicators, one can never declare (or rule out) a coin's truly original (or not).. The absence of evidence of tampering does not mean the coin is original. If the coin appears wholesome and original, that's about as good as it gets IMO .. As long as it is eye-appealing and it appears as we expect a coin with such age and composition should look, that is as good as it gets for me.
Unless you got the coin from the mint and were the soul care taker, there is no way to ever be certain a coin is truly original. Many people may be quite surprised at how "original" a coin that has been dipped or cleaned or had some other solutions/compounds/Coin Care, etc. applied to it, can look. Gunk, crust, patina, dirt, crud can all bond or grow to a dipped coin's surface.
And I am as guilty as the next guy at claiming a coin to be "original" .. What it should really read is "the coin appears original or appears to have original surfaces" ... Just saying
Edit: lovely 1897-O Half Jeff .. And also wanted to add .. It is very refreshing to see you are collecting coins, not PCGS plastic .. It can be very tempting to be swayed into thinking if it is not in a PCGS holder, it is not "worthy" or needs to be crossed or replaced
The past 5-6 months, I have been "regressing" towards collecting more raw coins .. back to putting more time / fostering raw collections in albums or folders.