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1831 half dollar. Your thoughts on the grade?

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  • TomBTomB Posts: 21,365 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It looks as though it has been tooled.

    Thomas Bush Numismatics & Numismatic Photography

    In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson

    image
  • lkeigwinlkeigwin Posts: 16,892 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 22, 2017 2:28PM

    VF30/35 details.
    Lance.

  • Insider2Insider2 Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭

    VF-20/25 with multiple problems.

  • opportunityopportunity Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭✭

    VF details but with a lot of problems. Maybe 50 bucks on the bay.

    Early American Copper, Bust and Seated.

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    VF30.... maybe 25... Well traveled coin... Cheers, RickO

  • JRoccoJRocco Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @TomB said:
    It looks as though it has been tooled.

    I see what you mean Tom. The hair details are off compared to the wear pattern.

    Some coins are just plain "Interesting"
  • Does tooled mean using a blade or sharp object to re carve the details of the coin.

  • Insider2Insider2 Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 23, 2017 12:00PM

    @Watchbelieve said:
    Does tooled mean using a blade or sharp object to re carve the details of the coin.

    Actually, that word can have several meanings depending on who you talk to and how long they have been around.

    Tooled, as applied to coins, means to take an instrument of some kind and move metal. That broad definition covers everything even "burnishing." As used today, there are two narrower uses. If I "tool" a coin's field to smooth it out and sharpen the place where the relief meets the legend, that is one principal use for ancient collectors as this amount of "tooling" is rarely encountered on any U.S. coins except for Colonials and early Large cents. The ancient guys have "coined" a weasel word ("smoothed") to describe this commonly encountered type of alteration damage.

    Another use for "tooled" in authentication describes the alteration where the relief design of a coin is "improved" by adding detail that was no longer present due to many factors.

    "Tooled" is less correctly used when (what appears to be on your coin) a repair is concealed. Unless graver lines are into the field, it is not "tooled."

    Hope this helps.

  • Insider2Insider2 Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @JRocco said:

    @TomB said:
    It looks as though it has been tooled.

    I see what you mean Tom. The hair details are off compared to the wear pattern.

    The hair this coin is fine. :)

    PS I should have written I think the hair on your coin is fine. :wink: Lots of folks I've encountered on other threads around here don't appreciate a strong opinion.

  • LindeDadLindeDad Posts: 18,766 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @JRocco said:

    @TomB said:
    It looks as though it has been tooled.

    I see what you mean Tom. The hair details are off compared to the wear pattern.

    Wings have been highlighted on the reverse to, appears to me.

  • Insider2Insider2 Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LindeDad said:

    @JRocco said:

    @TomB said:
    It looks as though it has been tooled.

    I see what you mean Tom. The hair details are off compared to the wear pattern.

    Wings have been highlighted on the reverse to, appears to me.

    AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! IMVHO, It is just the lighting. :)

    Let's play a game. Pretend the coin is NOT TOOLED in any way. I see three much more obvious problems plus two others (one I'll bet you all will miss). Tell the OP what I see.

  • Insider2Insider2 Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LindeDad How long should I expect to wait until you define your idea of tooling for the OP and the rest of us?

    I'll thank you in advance as I'm sure you'll wish to expand our education here. :smiley:

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 34,098 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 23, 2017 1:12PM

    VF-20/'25 sharpness, but cleaned and smoothed. The left obverse field looks especially suspect. It almost looks like what I get when I used the "free hand painting" option on my picture processing software.

    The good news I don't think that it is a Chinese import.

    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 ... ?
  • Insider2Insider2 Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Bill got CLEANED. That is one.

    Bill got this also - perhaps the major problem: "The left obverse field looks especially suspect."

    While I would not call this area "tooled" in the strictest sense, this area of the coin looks 100% altered as it appears to be repaired. The clue besides the unevenness, and color, **is the stippled surface." For the life of me I cannot figure out why folks make a decent repair to a coin and then stipple it all up as this so that Bill's well-trained eye goes right to the unoriginality - even through the cleaning!

    @LindeDad should be adding his thoughts to this thread really soon. :)

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