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1804 Draped Bust half cent, "Spiked Chin" variety (w/grading poll)
lordmarcovan
Posts: 45,379 ✭✭✭✭✭
My seventh purchase for the new 19th century VF-XF Basic Type Set.
Larger obverse picture
Larger reverse picture
PCGS/Photograde standards
Index of similar grading poll threads like this
Larger obverse picture
Larger reverse picture
PCGS/Photograde standards
Index of similar grading poll threads like this
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
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There does appear to be a fingerprint to the right of the portrait, but even if that's on the coin rather than the plastic, I suppose I can live with it. That's probably the only negative attribute that I could find. I loved the CircCam look of the coin- it's a hard look to find on copper without having associated problems.
I also liked that it was the Spiked Chin variety. I've never had one before. So not only was it an interesting and (slightly) less common variety, it had the hard-to-find look I like, and the TPG plastic was just icing on the cake and a hedge against possible issues. I thought the price was fair, obviously, or I wouldn't have pulled the trigger on it.
The seller was very accomodating by emailing me the full sized pix, so we've got the larger obverse and reverse images for this poll.
I'll post the TPG grade once the poll exceeds 20 votes.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
Edited to add: Google "1804 spiked chin" and you will see that virtually all have the "fingerprint" characteristic, which is probably die rust.
<< <i>It's a VF20 to me. The "fingerprint" is actually on the surface of the coin, and it is a normal die marker for the spiked chin variety! >>
Cool! Thanks. Didn't know that. Learn somethin' new every day, 'round these parts.
(It's nice when it happens to be good news, too.)
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
As a world coin collector, I picked up most of my grading standards from the section in the front of the Krause Standard catalogs.
With the exception of some specialized areas, there are no type-by-type grading standards published for world coins, so the Krause standards have generally served me well for grading just about anything on the fly, and have mostly made me a better grader of US coins.
Basically, Krause says 50% of the original detail for a Fine, 75% of the original detail for VF, and 95% of the original detail for XF. They go into slightly more detail than that, but even with only those three basic parameters in mind, one can cover a lot of ground and become a decent grader of middle-grade circulated material. It's tougher for coins that have mostly lettering or very simple design elements like a monogram or something, but in those cases one grades by the most prominent design motif, usually.
Of course this breaks down a bit in more specialized areas where published standards do exist. It tends to make me a bit conservative on earlier US issues, say pre-1830s or so. But maybe that isn't a bad thing.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
Sharpness grade is Fine-VF, but the surfaces are dark. For commercial purposes it would be called VF.
look, and do not see many noticeable defects.
(No peekie at the linkie until you've voted in the poll above!)
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
<< <i>You are on a roll LordMarcovan. Keep them coming. >>
Thank you.
Alas, after purchase #8 (that last Seated dollar) I've rolled through my disposable funds, so they won't be coming at quite such a jackrabbit pace in the near future.
But now that I've got some of the tougher types knocked out, I can play happily with the cheap (-er) stuff for a little while, as I am more accustomed to doing.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
BTW, I like that coin!
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
In an EAC context, I take it the "net" merely means the net of the two separately-graded sides?
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
<< <i>I'm used to hearing "net" grades referred to in a problem coin context.
In an EAC context, I take it the "net" merely means the net of the two separately-graded sides? >>
Details grade - deduction for marks/bumps/planchet flaws/recoloring/tooling/etc. issues = net grade
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
The surfaces even look better than the picture, at least to my naked eye, in this light. Smooth and uniform.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
<< <i>This coin arrived today, and looks great.
The surfaces even look better than the picture, at least to my naked eye, in this light. Smooth and uniform. >>
The surfaces may be smooth and uniform, but the color is not hue that early copper collector "crave." Excluding the dark areas, the light brown on this Spiked Chin half cent is the color they like.
This is a Cohen 5. This die combination was in the coin press when the obverse die got its injury which created the Spiked Chin. A screw or whatever it was that got between the dies and scared Ms. Liberty's chin also cracked the reverse die. This combination was one listed as Cohen 3 before the dies were injured, but it was later determined that Cohen 3 was just an early die state of Cohen 5.
This piece was one of the last left-overs from my days as a half cent die variety collector. It's unusual status in the die progression of half cents prompted me to keep it.
<< <i>The surfaces may be smooth and uniform, but the color is not hue that early copper collector "crave." Excluding the dark areas, the light brown on this Spiked Chin half cent is the color they like. >>
Be that as it may, this one has the color (i.e., contrast) that I like.
There's nothing wrong with lighter, even brown. I do like the look of the coin most recently posted, except for that red spot on the reverse (which may just be an artifact from a camera flash reflecting off the plastic?)
But I'm not an EAC-er and likely never will be. (Though I have the utmost respect for their knowledge.)
I've got my own goals for this set.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
<< <i>except for that red spot on the reverse (which may just be an artifact from a camera flash reflecting off the plastic?) >>
That is from the camera. I'll have to do it over some day. It does not matter how many stickers I put over that spot, it shows up now and then.
U.S. Type Set