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1861 gold dollar with 180 degree rotated die

stevebensteveben Posts: 4,595 ✭✭✭✭✭
i bought this gold dollar raw a while back and paid au50 money for it:

image

when i first bought it, i didn't notice it had medal orientation instead of coin orientation. i submitted it to pcgs at the las vegas show in december and it graded au58. that's when i first noticed the orientation error.

the coin was mounted crooked in the holder (btw, why are so many coming back crooked? not rotated, but crooked in the prongs) and so I thought why not re-submit it and get it certified as a mint error...so i did that.

for some inexplicable reason, pcgs re-graded the coin as ms61 and sent it back to me express...but did not label it as a mint error even though i paid for that service. so, now i am wondering...should i pursue this issue or just be happy with the upgrade and leave it as is because the error can be readily seen?

another question i have is: since only 1 out of 20 of the coins that year have this error...how much of a premium (if any) is that worth?

finally, do you think the coin has been dipped? it has a rose-colored look in hand, but plenty of swirling mint luster.

any comments are welcome. thanks!

Comments

  • RYKRYK Posts: 35,758 ✭✭✭✭✭
    There is no premium for the medal orientation, and I would not consider it to be an error. It sounds like you have done very well with it overall. I would leave well enough alone. Coingrats!

    Edit: From the look of the photo, it appears original.

    "There are no called strikes in coin collecting."--Henry David Thoreau RYK
  • keyman64keyman64 Posts: 15,452 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Leave it as is. Congrats!
    "If it's not fun, it's not worth it." - KeyMan64
    Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners. :smile:
  • renomedphysrenomedphys Posts: 3,477 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Edit: From the look of the photo, it appears original. >>


    Now that's a Fair Witness statement if I ever heard one. image
  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,406 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Dave Bowers' mentions this variety, if you want to call it that, in his "Official Red Book" for gold dollars. He says that about 1 on 20, 1861 gold dollars were struck on misaligned dies.

    I bought this one a couple of years ago. The date attracts me because of the Civil War connection.

    imageimage

    image

    I spotted another 1861 gold dollar at the last FUN show with wonderful clash marks on the reverse. You could see an lot of Ms. Liberty and even the backwards "LIBERTY" on her headband on the reverse. I would have bought the piece, but the dealer wanted MS-64+ money for coin that graded MS-63 because it had a green bean.
    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?


  • << <i>Leave it as is. Congrats! >>

    image
  • stevebensteveben Posts: 4,595 ✭✭✭✭✭
    just fyi...here's why i thought it could be certified as a mint error...and why there might be a premium:

    image

    this 61 sold for $1265.

    anyway...i am more interested in whether or not it may have been dipped. when i place it next to other gold dollars in my collection, it has more of a pink-gold look compared to their orange-gold look. but, it's far more lustrous than any other type 3 in my collection. i guess it's hard to tell without seeing it in hand.

    thanks for your replies!
  • stevebensteveben Posts: 4,595 ✭✭✭✭✭
    bill jones...i like your coin. i notice that the bust line on yours also has the same clash mark as mine. on my reverse TY can be seen from LIBERTY just above the O in DOLLAR. because the dies were misaligned, these coins have unique clash marks that would otherwise be "hidden" by devices on the reverse.
  • That's nothing - I've got a wheat cent with a 360 degree rotated die!!!
    I'll consider all offers over $100! image
  • stevebensteveben Posts: 4,595 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>That's nothing - I've got a wheat cent with a 360 degree rotated die!!!
    I'll consider all offers over $100! image >>



    is it a 1943? i hear those are very rare! ;-)

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