$5 Classic Head - Opinions Please (Pics)
Numiven
Posts: 382 ✭✭✭
Hello respected members, I am here to ask for help to make a decision.
I am trying to put together a classic heads type set (part of my gold type set) and I stumbled upon this coin.
I am looking for coins in AU 55-58 for this type. This is my 1st classic head.
Did read about the 1836 piece (2nd most common coin in this type) - good for a type set.
Both PCGS and NGC(!) price guides are way off on this. I heard that grey sheet bid is 1,900 on this (?)
Latest auction records are somewhat in line with the price, a small dealer is asking **$1,800, Paypal gift transaction.
PCGS Price Guide: $3,650
**pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/8174
**NGC Price Guide:$2,900 **
https://ngccoin.com/coin-explorer/classic-head-5-1834-1838-pscid-63/1836-5-ms-ucid-25RY
How good is the coin? Should I wait for a better coin or better price?
I am in no hurry, but if the coin & price is good (for the grade), I would like to make this deal.
Your help appreciated!
Comments
I know what I think of the coin based upon the images, but I don't know how comfortable I am critiquing a coin that you have not purchased and don't have in-hand that apparently is a live listing from a dealer's inventory. I hope that made sense.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Feel Free to critique. Else PM me please...
It appears to be fairly priced for what it is, relative to auction results.
But more importantly - Does the coin have the look you are after?
Do you have a return privilege, so you can study it in hand, just to make sure?
Classic Head P-mint dates are relatively common...no need to rush into any purchase...there are lots of them out there...picking up another NGC AU 58 without CAC for $1900 is going to be no problem....price guides are high for this grade vs actual auction results...good luck
This is the second most common date available. Completing your type set is more of a marathon rather than a sprint.
Looks like a nice original coin, almost new and properly graded.
Going by the pictures, the coin appears to be quite nice for the grade. It appears to be nicer for the grade than the 1838 half eagle in NGC AU-58, CAC that is in my collection.
BUT as others have said, you never know totally about a coin until you have seen it in the flesh.
A nice gold coin... Just assessing from the pictures, I would say 55... though that might be critical compared to in hand viewing. Cheers, RickO
Why would you use paypal gift?
What TomB said
Latin American Collection
Based on the images I feel the grade is appropriate. The strike is average. So now it comes down to a matter of taste. I prefer a more original look but there are collectors that are quite satisfied with this look. Hope that helps.
Joseph J. Singleton - First Superintendent of the U.S. Branch Mint in Dahlonega Georgia
Findley Ridge Collection
About Findley Ridge
Looks nice to me from the pics but pics can be deceiving, so.....
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
if you aren't sure about the look...keep looking.
you're researching price correctly. however, move on to looking at more examples (in hand) before you make a purchase. if you're building a set, this is especially important, as i imagine you want a consistent look.
Looks pretty nice. Best I ever had of this type was an EF40, and I think it was overgraded. Strike looks pretty decent here. I do like these for that "old gold" look, since the earlier US gold types are so prohibitively expensive.
If you are only looking for the type, the 1834, Plain 4 is quite common, and the 1836 is a somewhat distant second. All of the other date and mint mark combinations are challenging.
Check PCGS auction prices, which usually have photos. Two birds with one stone.
Too hard to tell from the picture how the coin really shows itself. Based on the price, you would be paying at the lowest end of the range for coins graded AU58, so my safe guess is that the coin is a low end 58. It is an average strike, and the picture does not bring out any luster.
When found, nice 58s seem to be in the mid 2k range. Real nice ones are closer to the price guide numbers. And they aren't nearly as common as folks think. Heritage has auctioned only five 1836 AU58s over the past FIVE YEARS. AU 55s are a bit more common. 1834s are also more common, but even there Heritage has auctioned only about 10-12 1834 AU58s over the past five years.
I just looked, there are no 1836 AU 58 CHG $5s on CCE right now. There are two 1834 AU58 $5s at $2,500 and $2,600.
There is one 1836 NGC AU58 $5 on Ebay right now for $3,350. And only one 1834 AU58 on Ebay, a PCGS AU58 for $2,600.
So I wouldn't wait for a better price. Not sure if you should wait for a better coin. Like others already pointed out, what of type set do you want to put together, and do you want it to match up?
...what Ronyahski said. I think you will find the quality range of high AU and UNC, for a given grade, is wide, even wider than some earlier types. I would be a quality, not a price shopper.
Here is a PCGS AU-58 that is in an Old Green Label Holder. I think that it is dead on for the grade.
The price is what really matters. The coin migh be a bit over graded in the holder, but if the price is low for the consigned grade, the deal might be okay. About a year ago I bought an 1885 gold dollar in an NGC MS-66 holder. The coin really only an MS-65, but the dealer charged me MS-65 money, so it was an okay buy.
Numiven - I sense some doubt in your viewing of this coin. If your like it, buy it, but "When in doubt - pass". Good luck.