Yay! I 've finally attributed my 1851-C gold dollar but...

ajman

how does this scratch detract from my rarer of the 3 die varities known for this coin? From what I've been able to gather this is the Variety 3 version with the die crack from the rim to the second S in States, and the 1 to the left of the mm in the date. But does the scratch on the obverse hurt me as far as overall eye appeal? Hoe does PCGS view scratches on coins and am I covered by the grade guarantee should I decide to ever sell this coin or send it in for review? How would that all work? I mean it is in a problem free holder by the best in the business. Please feel free to GTG also if you like. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

ajman

No, the scratch on the obverse is definitely a scratch. The pics aren't great but I was able to id the die break on the reverse from Coin Facts as well as id the 1 to the left of the O in dollar on the reverse.

CoinRaritiesOnline

<< <i>how does this scratch detract from my rarer of the 3 die varieties known for this coin?

But does the scratch on the obverse hurt me as far as overall eye appeal?

Hoe does PCGS view scratches on coins and am I covered by the grade guarantee should I decide to ever sell this coin or send it in for review? How would that all work? I mean it is in a problem free holder by the best in the business. >>



A scratch is a significant detraction which impacts the value, the saleability and the grade, so we can assume this was "netted" by PCGS when they holdered it. What is the grade?

ajman

It is in a PCGS problem free holder graded AU55.

steveben

the variety isn't going to help the value, in this case, because it's not significant enough. as far as i can tell, only major varieties are popular when it comes to collecting southern gold.

the scratch is always going to effect the value.

i don't think that turning it in for the guarantee is going to give you a good result. *IF* they decide to cover it (notice, that is a big if), most likely it will be less than what you could re-sell it for.

i think that your best option is to sell this coin and get a problem free example. i am not saying it's a bad coin, but, I know the scratch bothers you...and for that reason alone, you should part company and use the funds to get an example you are happy to look at.

if you got it from heritage, maybe consider using their free re-list coupon...or if you got it from ebay, put it back on ebay. another option is to trade it at a show.

trust me, i have been in this position and the only way out sometimes is to take a loss and part ways. besides, you may not even lose on it.

mdwoods

Pretty cool coin. The rarity would help determine the value. As we all know the rarer the coin the more forgiving people are of defects. At least the scratch is behind the head. It doesn't detract horribly.

ajman

This is what I would call my tuition coin. I had sold a bunch of coins on ebay and had saved up enough to buy my first C or D mint coin. The seller of this coin had not provided close clear photos and I made an offer on it and he accepted. Imagine my horror when it arrived and I saw that scratch, lol. It was a no returns accepted kind of a deal so I thought I am stuck with it. So I guess I am trying to get opinions from the community to guage your reactions to this coin. I'll probably sell it sometime in the future, but for now it serves as a $1600 reminder to never purchase a coin with terrible photos on ebay even if it is in a problem free holder.

ajman

These are the sellers original pics from the listing.