PCGS does not seem to like Chop Marks recently...
TLeverage
Posts: 259 ✭✭✭
Over the past few months, I have sent off and received two submissions to our hosts for my own chopmarked Trade Dollar collection, and have noticed some unusual activity. In the first submission I cracked out and resubmitted an 1878-S Trade Dollar w/ DDR from a PCGS Damage - Chop Mark slab, with the addition of a variety attribution to the order. The coin was returned with the correct variety attribution and a grade of AU55, but strangely, no Chop Mark designation. Given that different PCGS Numbers are assigned to chopmarked Trade Dollars from their unmarked counterparts, and no number had as of yet been created for this particular variety with chops, the mistake was somewhat understandable, if disappointing. The coin itself was unchanged, and I did not pursue a correction to the label.
Yesterday, I received a second order and was surprised to find that another coin, an 1876-S, w/o variety attribution, received the same fate - a straight grade, but no Chop Mark designation. This is somewhat more confusing, as the 76-S is a common date with chops and many coins exist with the PCGS Number corresponding to a chopmarked example. Strange indeed. Thoughts?
The second coin in question, for those interested, is an 1876-S Type 1/2, the rarest hub combo for this date to find with chops (but not particularly difficult to find, apart from high grade examples), and features an unusual swastika chopmark on the reverse, the only example of this symbol I have seen in such detail.
I attempted to change a grammatical error in my previous iteration of this post, and the site apparently either deleted it or removed it pending review, so I remade it, apologies to those who commented previously.
Comments
@boyernumismatics did make an AG03 trade dollar at pcgs
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First time I ever see a Chinese swastika chopped into a Trade Dollar.
"Keep your malarkey filter in good operating order" -Walter Breen
Am I the only one to see that disturbing image under the wing, next to the swastika That's one strange chop.
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The "swastika" is a Buddhist symbol, close to but not the same as the German variety. Quite common, if you look for it.
Indeed, the symbol itself is not uncommon, and I have seen it on several other chopped Trade Dollars. However, the majority seem to be of somewhat simple design compared to the example above.
Another Buddhist chop of note is the eight spoked wheel, or Dharmachakra, an example of which appears on this impaired-surface 76-S Type 1/1 Med S.
NGC marks chopmarked T$ as damaged.
I see more issues with the EF-45 graded coin that just the chop marks. It has non chop mark related ding to the left of the eagle's head on the reverse and a deep dig at the end of "AMERICA."
Did not expect the coin to straight grade, in all honesty, and I would have called the details more in line with an EF-40 (and probably lower on the reverse), which makes the result even more surprising.
Taylor,
Yes, it is odd that PCGS did not mark the holders as "Chop Mark." However, I have seen PCGS holders from years past where PCGS either forgot or neglected to attribute obviouslyy chopmarked Trade Dollars as "Chop Mark."
It is true that the swastika chopmark appears on Trade Dollars from time-to-time, but I have never seen one of the same style as yours.
I have a similar 8-spoked wheel chop mark on the exact same spot of an 1877-S Trade Dollar. That one (sorry, no pic) is well worn, has several unusual chops and is a "broken arrows" variety to boot.
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
35 years ago any chopmarked trade dollar would be relegated to the coin scrap bucket, with the exception of a rare date they sold for a little over silver value. Now, with prices and margins so high these are collectible.