1838-C Classic Head Quarter Eagle: 'Punched Cheek'- Your Thoughts?
Avocet
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This 1838-C is a new addition to my collection, and I am very interested in your thoughts about it. This coin has several marks, and the typical re-punched “C” and die crack above the wing on the reverse are easy to see. It looks like someone “punched” the classic head-on the obverse, and I am aware that several examples are out there with a strike-through evident on the cheek.
Doug Winter has pointed out that this variety tends to be over-valued, perhaps due to the classic head and first-year features.
The Charlotte mint was just starting in 1838, and I suspect that the ‘learning curve’ and rudimentary techniques account for some variability in these pieces.
Despite some of the rough aspects of this coin, I am excited to have it as part of my Southern Gold collection— these are so hard to find.
Please share any thoughts, comments, or pictures of Charlotte gold you have. Thanks for taking a look 
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Comments
IMHO that is a strike through of a "softer" small bit - cotton, or? The TPGs seem to give these a lot of leeway, esp. the earlier Charlotte gold.
Nice coin, liberally graded with soft strike and a bit of honest wear - I was stuck more between 50 and 53.
Well, just Love coins, period.
Nice coin with good color.
I very much like the coin, the cheek punch doesn't really bother me. Like @7Jaguars, It looks like it might have gotten a bit of a color bump, as i'd like it a lot more as a 53. In any event, it's a nicely colored wholesome coin that I would be proud to own.
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Coin has a lot of character and has great color.
She looks a bit gaunt likely due to old age and poor nutrition, common back then. That is a sweet-looking piece of southern gold, I like the obverse mintmarks.
Color, luster, die cracks, striking anomaly ... yeah, everything! And it's a DOG!!
I am with @DeplorableDan that this might seem more suitable in a 53 holder, but then we are just splitting hairs.
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It’s a nice, original coin that looks like our host stretched a little bit grade-wise, but CAC still liked it due to its originality and color. The “strike-thru” anomaly is likely due to some foreign material that became adhered to the die, creating the depression on Liberty’s cheek, and is found among existing examples with some frequency. When I was putting together my Charlotte QE set, I examined several examples of this variety, but opted for one (P-55) without the depression.
The depression on the cheek of the 1838-C quarter eagle has been noted in the variety books and other sources for many years. It is a struck through, and for whatever reason, the workers at the Charlotte Mint allowed to happen on a fair number of pieces. It is a bit like adjustment marks. It's part of the production process. The double cut "C" mint mark is on all 1838-C quarter eagles.
Here are pictures of a piece that has it which I downloaded for my "virtual cabinet of coins."
Here is the piece that is in my collection, which does not have it. I have owned this piece for many years. I had graded over twenty years ago. It is a PCGS AU-55. The Charlotte Mint often made less than perfect coins, but for this issue, the piece is often sharper than its Philadelphia counterparts.
Here is an example of the Philadelphia coin in "MS-61" which is it isn't.
A great looking coin that would be AU50 by my standards (I am no fan of TPG or sticker company grading of gold coins.)
It is a coin I'd love to own if I were still buying coins.
Call it whatever but I like it.
TurtleCat Gold Dollars
very nice example
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Very nice coloration on that coin
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With PCGS grade and CAC approval it’s a keeper
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Throw a coin enough times, and suppose one day it lands on its edge.