1837 Reiver LM-2 bust half dime - then and now

Bikergeek · February 16, 2023 3:34PM

The LM-2 below is currently on GreatCollections. It's a tough die marriage, especially in higher grades, although the John Reich Collectors Society now calls it R4, down from its original R5 in the 1998 Logan-McCloskey book.

Images on the left are from the 1/27/2006 Reiver sale on Heritage. It was then in an NGC XF45 holder and sold for 862.50. Images on the right show the coin in its PCGS XF40 holder.

While I acknowledge that photos of the same coin can look very different depending on the photographer, lighting, etc. (and these certainly do) - I think this coin has changed.

Question to the world: was it changed for the better or to its detriment?

Catbert · February 16, 2023 3:39PM

Hard to make a judgement given how the pics are so very different. I know you acknowledge that, but I hesitate to state the coin is worse off today based upon these picture differences and the unknown look in hand.

Bikergeek · February 16, 2023 4:05PM

@Catbert, I know - it's a conundrum! I had another post a few weeks back where I swore a coin had been dipped out, and someone here ran it thru some photo editing software and showed how the "cleaning" was in fact just a change in the photograph's parameters.

But in the earlier Heritage photos, it looks like Liberty is ready for some football!

RLSnapper · February 16, 2023 4:43PM

IMO NGC over graded a lot of coins in the Reiver Sale. I had a NGC MS61 Large Cent cross to PCGS AU58 and I fully expected that to happen. The coin had wear over the ear. I have noticed that GC photos bring out most of a coins marks. This is a good thing because there are no surprises when you get the coin in hand. As for this coin....I am not an expert but I think the GC picture is probably a more accurate representation of the coin than the HA photos. I don't think the coin visited a doctor.