Guess the Grade, 1853-D Half Eagle - Assigned grade revealed
BillJones
Posts: 34,847 ✭✭✭✭✭
Sorry about the delay in getting the grade to you. I was busy with last night's presentation at my local club meeting.
Here is the slab that contians the coin:
I would rate this as the best of all of the No Motto $5 Liberty coins that are in my collection because it has no rub. I have one in an MS-63+ holder that is in some ways better with respect to luster, and not as nice with respect to the hint of a rub.
The history of this piece is cool. This is the most common Dahlonega half eagle. It is probably made of California gold. A number of former Dahlonega miners went to California for work and then returned home with their gold. They deposited it at the Dahlonega Mint for coinage. Over half of the gold that was deposited at the "D-Mint" in 1853 was not mined in Georgia.
Comments
That's a very well-made coin
CA gold as GA coinage materiel. Wouldn't have thought of that.
Another neat illustrated anecdote. Thanks
I would guess 63.
MS 63
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
63
Latin American Collection
tough crowd, I'll guess 64++
Interesting story about the gold deposits.
I'd say 63 shot 64.
62
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
To a much lesser extent, the same thing happened at the Charlotte Mint.
I'm going with MS61 just like your 46-O
I like this coin at NGC MS62
I like this coin better at second glance; mostly die prep lines.....I'm gonna venture out with the 64 gang.
Well, just Love coins, period.
MS-63
63.
62
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
63, nice coin, bad plastic, no sticker
63+
MS 63
62
Very nice! I'll go 64.
That baby has a very strong strike! I'll go with an unusual grade of MS62+. I would have gone with MS63 except for the chatter above the eagle in the reverse fields. Nice coin!!!
63
64
64
Noob guess = 64
Very cool history...actually in 1853 I've read that the CA gold deposits at the D Mint were almost 80%!
Also:
"It is interesting to note that the deposit of California gold caused the Dahlonega Mint personnel to modify their normal way of processing the gold. Up until 1850, most of the naturally occurring gold that had been deposited came from the local gold fields and from surrounding states. Most of this Appalachian gold had no more than 5% silver in it. Gold brought back from California had an average of approximately 15% silver. This meant that the California deposits were below the legal fineness (.900), forcing the Dahlonega Mint workmen to part the silver from the gold. On the other hand, the typical course of action with gold that was purer than the legal standard of fineness was to add enough copper to achieve .900 fineness. It would be interesting to try and determine if the use of California gold resulted in an orange gold coloration of the resulting coinage (due to the probability that most of the silver was removed). As previously mentioned, it was standard practice at Dahlonega to leave in the naturally occurring silver if possible (which could run as high as 5% in gold mined locally), which imparted a lighter, green gold hue to the coins. "
I'm in the 62 camp.....
63
Edited. Looking back at the images, my first grade was too conservative.
I'm with the 63 crowd with a possibility of it being a 64 in NGC plastic.
Jonruns nailed it. In fact, upon receipt of the first deposits of CA gold the Superintendent had to send a letter to Philadelphia requesting information on the best way to part the gold from the alloy as that step had not been used in Dahlonega coin making in many years, if ever.
The coloration of most D-Mint gold coins was different in the first half of the 1850s. The lighter yellow-green gold associated with Dahlonega is the direct result of the higher silver content prior to the introduction of CA gold. But, if the color of Bill's coin in the image is accurate, I think it looks more like Georgia Gold that did not go through parting step than CA gold.
Joseph J. Singleton - First Superintendent of the U.S. Branch Mint in Dahlonega Georgia
Findley Ridge Collection
About Findley Ridge
What a beauty! 62
Love the look.63.
63
63
Another nice MS gold piece Bill. I like this one a point or two higher, maybe 64.
eBay ID-bruceshort978
Successful BST:here and ATS, bumanchu, wdrob, hashtag, KeeNoooo, mikej61, Yonico, Meltdown, BAJJERFAN, Excaliber, lordmarcovan, cucamongacoin, robkool, bradyc, tonedcointrader, mumu, Windycity, astrotrain, tizofthe, overdate, rwyarmch, mkman123, Timbuk3,GBurger717, airplanenut, coinkid855 ,illini420, michaeldixon, Weiss, Morpheus, Deepcoin, Collectorcoins, AUandAG, D.Schwager.
62, maybe 63. I like it a lot.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
That looks like a 63 to me....Some interesting history about the Dahlonega/California gold... did not know about that....Cheers, RickO
Beautiful coin, I would guess 63.
Great story about the gold.
grade please
I like it as a 63, if it were in our hosts holder. NGC probably gave her a 64.
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
@oih82w8 said: "NGC probably gave her a 64."
Very hard to believe. If NGC graded this 64, they should be dumped back into the second tier TPGS's w/ANACS and ICG!
Drumroll please...
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
@oih82w8 said: "Drumroll please..."
You must know something the rest of us don't
63+
No...just feel pretty good about this one...no "inside(r)" information.
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
If true, I guess NGC may have a different interpretation of "light & scattered" marks.
Feeling is gone
...it has a hammered strike though...pretty rare as most Dahlonega coins are, even if it is the most common.
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
The Dahlonega Mint made better coins than you might think. I have a few pieces that are quite well made, three or four of them as good or better than their Philadelphia Mint counterparts.
This is a wowser coin, Mr. Jones. For most of us, it could be the best coin in our collection by a country mile.
Let's see one please.
62
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......