Help with grading 1853 and 1855 gold dollars

Andrewlee10 · December 6, 2012 11:23PM

Need a bit of help grading these -- I dont know a lot about grading gold coins:

AU Details?

High AU or MS? Luster looks strong, but the cheek appears a bit darker - rub?

Thanks!

BillJones · December 7, 2012 12:12AM

The picture of the 1855 gold dollar has a odd cast to it that makes it harder to see the coin. The coin appears to be genuine and the basic grade appears to be AU. Whether or not it damaged to the point where it would not grade is hard to say from the photo. I know from my own experience that photos can make scratches look a lot bigger than they are. PCGS graded this 1854 gold dollar as an AU-55, and it has some marks.

I am not sure that the 1853 gold dollar is genuine. That date has been greatly plagued by counterfiets, and I'm concerned about the weakness in the center of the obverse, the oddly formed stars and inconsistent rims. Here is a genuine 1853 gold dollar graded MS-64 by PCGS. This coin is very high end for the grade. Compare it to your piece. This is just my take, but you might want to get this one certified or examined by an expert in person.

AUandAG · December 7, 2012 12:46AM

AU details on the first might be right on. Hope the old cleaning is not too bad in hand.

Counterfeit on the '53, rim and lack of dentils. I'm usually wrong on these guesses so
don't fret over it!

Good pics by the way!

bob

commoncents05 · December 7, 2012 1:06AM

I agree with the others, I don't think the second one is authentic.

-Paul

COALPORTER · December 7, 2012 1:44AM

The '53 looks odd with very low detail AND
a big part of the face is missing in front of
her eye! ?

ambro51 · December 7, 2012 4:34AM

Take a look at my 53 and read the headband, then look at the OP piece.......

Andrewlee10 · December 7, 2012 6:21AM

Thanks everyone -- agree that the 1853 looks off compared to the other pics (not to mention the denticles) and softness in the hair. I'll take this one to a local dealer to see what he thinks as well.

PerryHall · December 7, 2012 7:14AM

<< <i>Thanks everyone -- agree that the 1853 looks off compared to the other pics (not to mention the denticles) and softness in the hair. I'll take this one to a local dealer to see what he thinks as well. >>

In addition to the weakness in the hair and irregular denticles, Liberty's cheek looks rough but not like the normally seen contact scuffing that is seen on gold.

ambro51 · December 7, 2012 8:16AM

And ive said it before the girl looks dead. My girl looks alive.

Andrewlee10 · December 12, 2012 11:18PM

On the 1853, is this what the edge should look like? Seems strange to me:

Also, the weight on my scale was 1.7g.. and I believe the T1 gold coins should be 1.62g. So, perhaps that's just the precision of my scale. Does this tell me that it's likely made of gold even if it is fake? I would assume that counterfeit pieces are usually made of materials that are lighter than gold?

Thanks

TwoSides2aCoin · December 12, 2012 11:53PM

It's off to PCGS for the help I need with grading gold dollars.

Andrewlee10 · December 13, 2012 12:00AM

Is there a policy against asking questions on the US Coin forum to enhance my knowledge of US coins? If so, i'll be glad to follow that policy.

Thanks.

TwoSides2aCoin · December 13, 2012 12:07AM

<< <i>Is there a policy against asking questions on the US Coin forum to enhance my knowledge of US coins? If so, i'll be glad to follow that policy.

Thanks. >>

Hi maprince. The thread is fine. I just got beat so many times thinking I knew gold that I had to send the stuff in. Yours is a good question and the photos are nice. I personally need the help for "grades". That was the reason for my post. Am hoping the 2 coins currently in house do well.

Thanks for sharing.

Andrewlee10 · December 13, 2012 12:12AM

In actuality, I'm focusing my collecting efforts on a US typeset, without gold at this point. So, i have very limited knowledge there.

Unfortunately, I had a friend pass away last month, and I'm selling these coins for his parents. I dont have enough gold coins to send into PCGS, and I cant ethically sell the 1853 with the questions about authenticity. So, before just passing it back to his parents as "counterfeit", i'm trying to do what I can to let them know what they have. I dont like posting newbie questions like this, but I'm just looking to help them out since they would be clueless on it.

I can certainly understand though that with the size of these coins, and the difficulty of grading them, it might be hard for anyone to really go out on a limb and give me a real answer. Perhaps i need to drive this one to my local dealer and see if he's interested in purchasing it, with the caveat that i'm uncertain on authenticity.

Help with grading 1853 and 1855 gold dollars

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