Hey, there's a great WQ under that fingerprint! AKA; A Washington only @braddick or I could love...
TomB
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I get it. That is kind of a strange title, but this is kind of a strange coin.
I've owned this 1954-S WQ for years, but don't believe I've shared it on the boards. Part of the reason is that the coin is a little difficult to image and part of the reason is that I more-or-less stopped doing numismatic photography a few years ago. However, I went to the bank last week and shot two coins (thread about those two coins to come later) and decided it was time to give this coin an attempt.
I think quite a few folks would give me input such as "pass" or "hard pass" or even "crack it out, spot dip it and throw it in the case at 150% of Trends to blow it out to some tone freak for 125%". You know how that goes. Anyway, I purchased this coin years ago and actually enjoy it quite a bit. The images are below, but I'll describe it anyway since that can help folks "see" the coin more accurately. It's a 1954-S WQ with original US mint set toning and it has that terrific luster that the 1947-1954 S-mint WQs can be famous for.
The first thing that might hit folks on the obverse, of course, is the ginormous finger or palm print going across Washington's portrait, dominating the obverse field in front of the portrait and contributing to a constellation of tiny untoned spots or stars throughout the obverse. I think it's cool as you-know-what. Straight-on the obverse appears very red, but tilted just a little bit and the red yields to vivid iridescent green throughout the portrait while the rims turn nearly black, yet are still lustrous. For as much color as I am showing on the obverse, there is still more color depth on the coin. I might have been able to "push" the color farther to match the coin in-hand, but didn't want to risk going too far into contrast or saturation. The slab is a little scuffed and that is what we see is a greyish arc coming into the coin around 9:00 and curving into Washington's eye. There is also another scuff quite visible that comes into the coin at 7:00 and traversing Washington's neck to exit near the hair bow. It shows up as a grey arc along with two thin, distinct black lines. These are on the holder, not the coin.
The reverse no doubt has a much more palatable appearance for most folks. The eagle's breast is only lightly toned and the eagle sits within an area that is toned in light gold and this is encircled by tight arcs of toning from approximately 10:00 to 8:00 featuring green-yellow-fuchsia-green-purple. There are more scuffs on the slab over the DO of DOLLAR and the UNIT of UNITED. The overall toning on the reverse is also a little deeper and more intense in-hand and also shifted a little bit more to the red than what I see in these images, but not too far into the red. What looks like light violet in the upper portion of the eagle's wing near UNITED in the image looks more red to me in-hand.
The coin was slabbed by PCGS in a problem-free holder and is in the slab generation used from approximately October, 1998 into February, 2002. In other words, it is in the first blue insert generation holder known on the PCGS slab museum as a generation 4.0 slab. I have intentionally left off the grade in the event that anyone cares to guess the grade assigned by PCGS. The coin has also made a trip to CAC and if you feel like guessing a sticker, as well, which is mighty tricky when you are also guessing the grade, then have at it.
Lastly, if you hate the coin or are just appalled at the print or whatever then it is all good and you can let me know. Thank you!
Comments
Nice!
It's a keeper, not a skipper
Love the luster showing through the toning
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I think you underestimate how many people would like that Quarter.
It is certainly much better than most coins with a fingerprint. Here the print actually blends in quite well with the color and is not at all distracting (at least in my opinion).
Really nice coin, thought it was going to look a lot worse from how you started describing it. MS66 gold CAC
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Grade guess: MS 66 CAC
Lovely original mint set tone as you mentioned. The fingerprint is not too bad IMO.
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Idk Tom, that ones got such exquisite toning that I think I can look past the print. It's not a sharply detailed print where you could identify the suspect with ease, it's more like a latent partial print in the fields. The lines aren't concentrated and the breakup of color on the portrait isn't off putting to me.
The reverse....I dont even know what to say. That's the nicest Washy reverse I've seen, or at least the most appealing to this guy 🙋♂️.
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It's a beauty.
Exquisite
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First words outta my mouth were, that reverse is gorgeous! And I said it out loud. Odd that!
I'm gonna say it is in a 67 holder, CAC, green.
If not, it is a 66 holder, CAC gold.
Kinda a bit of the same thing, yes?
surf
66 green bean, and that fingerprint is a very minimal distraction worth overlooking with that gorgeous color
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Me likey...
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Count me in as a fan of that 1954-S. A number of the WQs in my set have partial prints, but only one is severe enough to be a net negative (IMO). Seems there were many fat-fingered collectors of this series
Edit to add: I like it as a 67 CAC
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very attractive ... 66 green CAC
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I am curious if the coin origin is from a Mint Set.
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Wow! The color on the obverse immediately made me think of hummingbirds. The fingerprint doesn’t hold this one back at all.
I won’t guess the grade. But I will guess that it’s got a bean.
Fingerprints don't bother me unless they are super obvious and hurt the coin. This is the exact opposite. 66 CAC since it's an holder PCGS holder, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was in a 67 CAC holder honestly.
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Beautifully toned example that I believe would grade 67+/68 today.
So I'll take MS66 Gold bean.
Man, what a lovely example!
There are finger-prints that look like someone pushed their thumb down with enough force that the coin is forever etched with the lines and perspiration of the event, and then there are finger handling marks that may cause some disturbance to a delicate toning pattern, but do not stand out as the same type of eyesore.
I like the eye appeal of your coin, quite a bit.
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That's a great coin for exploring color! The reverse is really sweet!
Tom, I like it. As others have said, the reverse is killer.
I hope you don't mind me posting a coin from my collection, but your coin reminds me of a Washington coin (proof though) in my collection with a more obvious obverse print but also, like your coin, a killer reverse. Like most, I don't like to have prints on my coin, but I can make an exception for a unique stunner.
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Thank you for all the kind words.
Given the opinions expressed in the thread, it might be wise for me to resubmit this coin to CAC with my next batch! It is graded PCGS MS65 and has a green CAC sticker.
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The print probably doesn't even look that bad in hand - beautiful quarter.
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Lets call it a beautiful print on a beautiful quarter. Not a detraction but an enhancement or at min neutral
I guess I'll be the lone naysayer, it has beautiful color but that print would be a pass for me.
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An upgrade to a gold CAC sounds like a smart move with a very strong chance.
Best of luck!
I agree with most others - it is an attractive toned example. 65 seems low based on the photos - I wonder if PCGS and later CAC knocked it a point or two because of the fingerprint. Seems unwarranted if based on eye appeal.
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