Thoughts on this 1799 Draped Bust Dollar?
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Considering purchasing this coin as my type set example, and would love to hear thoughts from the experts here on the merits of this particular piece as this is a series that I have never owned before and do not have experience evaluating, so I'm sure there are some blind spots in my assessment.
The coin is PCGS certified and the photograph is a cropped TrueView. In hand, it has a dark steel cameo appearance that is not as dramatic in color as the TV. I'm holding back sharing the grade as I'd prefer discussion on the coin itself and not PCGS' ability, but feel free to guess their assessment and I'll share it later in the thread. 
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I like the look and would happily own this in my type set. The cheek mark is a bit distracting yet is IS 1799 ...
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Charming old type, not 100% original but old and appealing surfaces
Looks VF20 to these eyes but wouldn’t protest a 25 grade
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It looks like it may have been burnished. Not a bad type coin as long as the price is right. 1799 is not a scarce date.
Thanks for the feedback. Are you using the word burnished equivalently to polished? What specifically in the photograph leads you there? I'm working on training my eye on this series and in general and the thought process would be helpful.
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I think it's a beauty for its age.
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Burnishing is done with a cloth rubbed over the surface of the coin in order to lighten up the high points and accentuate the design elements. When done, some easily accessible areas of the fields will also be lightened. The coin you show seems to have these qualities.
No cleaning agent other than the cloth is used when burnishing.
That is a coin I would be proud to own.... I like both the condition and the date. I will not critique the details, nor assess a grade. I enjoy old coins, and this one has character. Cheers, RickO
I was taught that when there is a halo of dark crap around the stars and the lettering etc and that crap is not on the Miss Liberty or in the fields someone had to take a cloth and rub the high points leaving the crud around and between the devices. Your coin looks pretty but it is deceptive since only those who understand what happened to the coin can see what lies beneath
Looks like cabinet drawer wear polishing off the patina. I'll go VF30
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Id be more than happy to have it as my example
VF20, I like it a lot
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I'm not a huge fan of the coin. It's got nice details which I like and has retoned, but the dark around the devices and the light bust make me think it's been cleaned in the past. Granted, that's the case for many such coins, and while it's not a be all end all the way it would be for later issues, I think you can find one with more attractive color where, even if cleaned, it's not as obvious. So it's not a terrible example (many are much worse), but if you can be patient, I am sure there's a better one out there.
I like it. How many 220+ year old coins haven't been cleaned,wiped or "messed with"? Would love to have the coin in my collection.
Jim
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Like the details, like the patina, like the die cracks. As others have mentioned for a 220 year old coin I’m not going to knock it for having been rubbed along the way.
The ding on the cheek would drive me nuts, for the most common date of the series. I would keep looking unless is at or below GSB
Can you please point out the die cracks?
There appears to be a die crack on the reverse through the word AMERICA.
I don't care for the hits to the face and neck. Ouch!
Agreed put pretty minor
It looks like the most noticeable digs on the coin are on the obverse and really kind of right in the prime focal area. As others have said, most 18th century coins don't have 100% original surfaces but I think you could find one with 'closer to original' surfaces. That said, it does appear to have some blue and gold toning that might be really pretty in hand. Honest assessment...I think you could do worse...but, I also think you could do better with a little patience.
Nice coin
It all depends upon the asking price and your budget. If I were buying these coins at the lower end of the VF sharpness level, I would look for a piece with more originality.
And the grade is? Drum roll.................
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VF20 Nice coin!
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Same here. I'd be proud to own that coin.
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Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
The 1799 is the type coin of the Heraldic Eagle Bust $s. Coin per image appears to have been cleaned and retoned at some point. Agree with Jeremy above.
Per Revier, who wrote the book on the series, something like 80% of these coins have had 'help.' It took me 8 years to find an original coin of the series in AU, and the only reason I did is because I know someone.
If you don't see fine parallel hairlines indicating a cleaning (they don't typically show up on an image), that's a plus for the coin.
Per Bill Jones's comment, a lot depends on what you want to spend, what's the asking price, how picky and in a hurry are you to purchase a this kind of type coin?
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It’s in a VF20 holder, so great guess @asheland @Crypto and @1630Boston
I actually bought it before I made the post, but didn’t want anyone to hold back critical feedback about the coin (not that that’s usually a problem around here!) as I was truly looking for education and not validation.
Thanks to all for your input!
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Cool. At VF20 I like it a lot. She has a hit on her cheek. So what. Cindy Crawford has an ugly spot on her lip. Most people were somehow able to overlook that.
You can always keep looking, you can always find better, you can always spend more. For me deciding if it’s a keeper comes down to the combination of those factors meaning in my experience how many other coins with the positive characteristics of this coin have I run across at this price. How much more am I willing to spend to gain a meaningful improvement?
I like the coin and the ding in the cheek of this 220 year old coin would not be a continual annoyance to me but that’s just me.
I like more even gun metal toning but these often come rough in the lower grades. Background looks great, probably graded around as others said.
I am in the market for... a not dissimilar coin right now and I am basically looking for that coin in 35-40 that isn't priced stupid. Nice one.
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Nice VF20!
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Thanks again all for the feedback and commentary. I just received the coin via USPS and took a few slab shots. The tinges of color in the TrueView are visible in tilted light although my photos did not capture the subtle hues. I'm quite pleased with it in hand and am happily welcoming it into my type set (the third to last coin I need!). Cheers.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
You always find an easy way to put things in perspective. I like it!
The slab shots look much better than the TV, the oversaturated pastel look doesn't suit the coin.
I agree that the slab shots look better than the TV. Nice looking coin. The cheek ding doesn't bother me on this age and grade of coin. Cheers! If anything, I often wonder how coins this large (and old) can retain so much detail and still be considered only VF.