I'm on the fence about buying this (monster variety) Seated Quarter
An acquaintance has shown me this coin in person, and I'm on the fence about buying it. I've had a couple of them pass through my hands before, but only in low grade or damaged. What do you all think about it? Would the reverse spots bother you?
Early American Copper, Bust and Seated.
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Depends on how it looks in hand. This is a tough coin, I don't think it would bother me knowing the scarcity.
Collector of Capped Bust Halves, SLQ's, Commems, and random cool stuff! @davidv_numismatics on Instagram
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If you have enough doubt to ask for opinions here, pass.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
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As Mark said, if you asked about the spots, then they will bother you and probably later if to be sold.
Jim
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Not a bit. It was circulated back in the day, so I'd expect it to have some "blemishes".
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If you’re asking it’s probably not for you.
I don’t particularly care for the coin. There’s something going on with the obverse rim at 9:00 and the right obverse field looks funky with the lighter color and I don’t like the spots on the reverse.
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I like the overall wholesomeness of that coin. I wouldn't pass. The overall appeal is positive to me and as the member above stated, it isn't meant to be blemish free.
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Assuming it straight graded, I like that circulated look and the reverse blemishes would not bother me. Since you have seen it in hand and cared enough to ask here, I suspect the blemishes bother you more.
Sean Reynolds
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Nice looking and very scarce coin with a good circam look. The spots are there but it may be a long time before you see another. Depends on how much you want it.
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I'd pass. The reverse would bother me, plus it has a bit of a 'wiped' look to it.
Dave
Always looking for original, better date VF20-VF35 Barber quarters and halves, and a quality beer.0 -
Consider doing some homework. Research to look at the surviving population by grade. Also check afew auction records that may have images so you can develop an appreciation of what exists and the probability of finding a better example. The final question really should be is this coin as good as it gets for me?
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@seanq said:
Assuming it straight graded, >This ^
.......Those type of spots don't bother me. Green, that's another story.
I've always felt that there is no such thing as a bad coin, only a bad price. So, there's that.....0 -
I agree with @skier07 about the obv rim and rev spots. They would be distracting to me, and I'd probably want to search for a better example, if this was in my collection.
Given that, I'd still want it in my collection!
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We aren't talking about Morgan Dollars here. If the price is reasonable, grab it ... I certainly would.
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That’s only true to a point. Eventually a coin is cheap enough that you can sell it and make money, and that’s good, but if you don’t like a coin, getting it for less wont make it a better coin, just one that’s easier to get rid of.
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For a coin of that age, grade and look I don't think the reverse spots would bother me> @airplanenut said:
That’s only true to a point. Eventually a coin is cheap enough that you can sell it and make money, and that’s good, but if you don’t like a coin, getting it for less wont make it a better coin, just one that’s easier to get rid of.
Well said.
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When in doubt...don't.
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It would depend on what the others in the set looked like, assuming you are into varieties of seated quarters and have more of them. Sometimes the variety is more important than the look, especially if they all are circulated and a similar grade.
Mr_Spud
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I like that variety. I personally would buy it if I were collecting the series by variety. Perfection is overrated.
Professional Numismatist, Retired. 55 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and ANA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner of the PNG's 2026 Robert Friedberg Award for "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," Available now from Whitman or Amazon.3 -
I say buy it if the price is right. The obverse really leaps out at you and the obverse looks nice and raised despite the spots, which seem minor. The tone of the metal age is very pleasing and the coin has real value.
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@Silverstacker said:
I say buy it if the price is right. The obverse really leaps out at you and the reverse looks nice and raised despite the spots, which seem minor. The tone of the metal age is very pleasing and the coin has real value.correction
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The 1840-O drapery Large O is certainly a very rare variety,
but even cooler in my view are the doubled reverse dentils.6 -
It depends upon what you are paying relative to what it’s worth in Very Fine condition. This is out of my area, but if you really want it, and it’s rare, the spots wouldn’t bother me that much for VF-20 money.
More than 30 years ago, I paid over $1,000 for the rarest variety of the 1805 half cent. There were 18 known at the time. It was a terrible, ground salvage coin, but the diagnostics for the variety were sharp and clear. When I broke up the collection, I made $100 on it.
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I can't think for you but your choice is fairly simple. Does this coin improve the quality of your collection or are you settling for a piece you will from the start think you need to upgrade? Answer that and you can tell us the right answer. James
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do you like it? it IS a rare variety and not too many choices are out there. It is a wholesome attractive coin. If the price is right and I wanted it ... I would buy it.
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Those spots wouldn’t bother me on a special-to-my-collection coin like that. If they bother you, pass, and be ready to pay up and be off the fence whenever a better one comes along.
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I’m picky about spots but not nearly that picky.
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I don't know how scarce the variety is in absolute terms or how much you value completion. How often do these come up? Couple of times a year tells me you can afford to wait. Once every several years...I would buy it.
For my variety set, there are several varieties with only a handful of known examples and many with under two dozen. My MO has been to buy them to fill the spot regardless of condition and then, if possible, look to upgrade down the road. In my case, the only other option would be to not do the variety set.
chopmarkedtradedollars.com
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Sometimes when we pass on a coin we regret it later..... We say oh I had an opportunity to purchase this coin and I didn't, I wish now that I had. I hear this a lot...
The court jester does not play, but gently pulls the strings…
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OP: this appears to be a very rare variety. I’m a FE & IHC variety collector; for me, when a rarity like this becomes available, I go for it. It may not be “perfect”, but you may never get a chance again.
You may already know, but the downside for dedicated variety collectors is there may not be a buyer out there that appreciates them like you do when you go to sell it. For me, that risk is worth taking.“The thrill of the hunt never gets old”
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@yosclimber said:
The 1840-O drapery Large O is certainly a very rare variety,
but even cooler in my view are the doubled reverse dentils.YES!
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If priced right you should be all over it. This is one of the few coins, at least for my taste, where the variety supercedes the eye appeal. The fact that it is not listed in the Guide Book is a plus. It should be, and probably some day will be, because of the importance of the variety. For now this holds the price down, somewhat.
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@airplanenut said:
That’s only true to a point. Eventually a coin is cheap enough that you can sell it and make money, and that’s good, but if you don’t like a coin, getting it for less wont make it a better coin, just one that’s easier to get rid of.
If CRO sells spotted coins for a steep premium (they sold a SLH recently with black spotting), they can't be all that bad.
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@Barberian said:
@airplanenut said:
That’s only true to a point. Eventually a coin is cheap enough that you can sell it and make money, and that’s good, but if you don’t like a coin, getting it for less wont make it a better coin, just one that’s easier to get rid of.
If CRO sells spotted coins for a steep premium (they sold a SLH recently with black spotting), they can't be all that bad.
It depends on the coin and the people involved. My comment was generic and in response to "I've always felt that there is no such thing as a bad coin, only a bad price." I would bet a lot of money that even if offered cheap enough, CRO would pass on many coins if they had to list them on their website, even if they could list the coin at a similarly steep discount. As it happens, last time I saw John, we also had a nice chat (and disagreement) about the effect of spots on eye appeal.
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It only matters if it bothers YOU - and it probably does since you are asking the question here. You won’t unsee any flaws.
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@RichieURich said:
I fully agree with Coinosaurus. Although several have been discovered since Briggs's book was published, it is still a rare variety, rarer than the 1854-O Huge O for example.Its a VF and charming as such. Buy it for the right price and if you find a better one trade it in. Coinosaurus and Rich provided good advice. Sometimes classic seated stuff just doesn't come perfect esp rare varieties.
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Mine was just a throw-away, anecdotal observation on a coin I passed on for black spotting. In general, their coins are very choice and usually lack black spotting.
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Thumbs down by far. It’s a tad too dark for me. Dislike really dark areas reverse.
Investor0 -
I have two conflicting opinions of the coin. I dislike the look of the coin; it's a borderline details/straight grade coin. But a rare variety that might not come along again for quite some time. As others have said, if you're determined to collect all major liberty seated quarter varieties and the price is right, go for it.
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Go ahead and buy it. You will kick yourself later if you don’t.
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