Grade Posted GTG: 1839-O $2.5 Classic Head Quarter Eagle

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Kliao
Kliao Posts: 5,802 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited December 20, 2025 7:15PM in U.S. Coin Forum

Bought this raw and sent it in. What do you think it grades?
Two sets of images of the same coin.

Collector
Over 100 Positive BST transactions buying and selling with 57 members and counting!
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  • coinbuf
    coinbuf Posts: 12,577 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 19, 2025 2:00PM
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    XF45 details is my grade, guessing PCGS said AU53

    My Lincoln Registry
    My Collection of Old Holders

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  • PerryHall
    PerryHall Posts: 47,760 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    XF45

    Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
    "Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
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  • World67
    World67 Posts: 13,098 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    55

  • TomB
    TomB Posts: 23,192 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Nice coin. I have the same die marriage; it is a 1-N. I'll go with PCGS EF45.

    Thomas Bush Numismatics & Numismatic Photography

    In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson

    image
  • MrBluster
    MrBluster Posts: 380 ✭✭✭
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    AU 50

  • Davidk7
    Davidk7 Posts: 675 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    45

    Collector of Capped Bust Halves, SLQ's, Commems, and random cool stuff! @davidv_numismatics on Instagram

  • Dave99B
    Dave99B Posts: 8,947 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Torn between 45 and 50. Guess I'll go 50. Beautiful example.

    Dave

    Always looking for original, better date VF20-VF35 Barber quarters and halves, and a quality beer.
  • Smudge
    Smudge Posts: 10,001 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    50

  • WACoinGuy
    WACoinGuy Posts: 1,225 ✭✭✭✭
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    I have the 1-N too, in XF-45 and yours has much less wear than mine. I'm going to go with 55.

  • The_Dinosaur_Man
    The_Dinosaur_Man Posts: 1,594 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    A conservative 45 straight grade

    Custom album maker and numismatic photographer.
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  • dhikewhitney
    dhikewhitney Posts: 532 ✭✭✭✭
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    before looking at comments I thought AU55

  • golden
    golden Posts: 10,538 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    50 here.

  • earlyAurum
    earlyAurum Posts: 796 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    50

  • pcgscacgold
    pcgscacgold Posts: 3,831 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    AU50 details.

    Completed All CAC approved Classic Head $5 set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/mysetregistry/album/344241
    CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572

  • fastfreddie
    fastfreddie Posts: 2,967 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    50/55
    so 50.

    It is not that life is short, but that you are dead for so very long.
  • Higashiyama
    Higashiyama Posts: 2,324 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    For those who think it is a details coin, what are your reasons? The abrasions on the chin and nearby field? To me it looks like a nice coin at 45.

    Higashiyama
  • logger7
    logger7 Posts: 9,870 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    XF/AU tough coin.

  • zer0man
    zer0man Posts: 84 ✭✭✭
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    1. nice find.
  • Boosibri
    Boosibri Posts: 12,718 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    45

    Latin American Collection

  • jwitten
    jwitten Posts: 5,423 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    53

  • thebeav
    thebeav Posts: 4,118 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    50

    My Ebay Coin Store
  • BillJones
    BillJones Posts: 35,938 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Today, 55. Years ago, 50.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • Morgan13
    Morgan13 Posts: 2,697 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I think is a very eye appealing xf 45. Would likely get a sticker at that grade.

    Student of numismatics and collector of Morgan dollars
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  • pcgscacgold
    pcgscacgold Posts: 3,831 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I was one that had it as details. To me, in the photos, it appears to have been cleaned/wiped. Also, the black spots on obverse and reverse stand out to me. In the top image the spot appears to glow. You have the coin in hand and that is much easier to form an opinion on cleanings vs circulation.

    Completed All CAC approved Classic Head $5 set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/mysetregistry/album/344241
    CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572

  • Copperindian
    Copperindian Posts: 3,379 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    AU53

    “The thrill of the hunt never gets old”

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  • breakdown
    breakdown Posts: 2,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Interesting how the two different images show why I can't grade from images. The top image looks AU55 to me and the bottom yellowish image more like 45-50. I will say 53 although the carbon smear in the left obverse field is something I would want to see in hand.

    "Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.

  • Batman23
    Batman23 Posts: 5,494 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    53

  • CaptHenway
    CaptHenway Posts: 34,175 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    In 1980 I would probably have graqed it as an EF-45/45. Today it is probably an AU-50.

    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.
  • tradedollarnut
    tradedollarnut Posts: 20,761 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Nice looking coin. I’m at net 40 or bodybag depending on what’s going on here - which I cannot ascertain from a 2D image

    Early Dollar Set
  • pcgscacgold
    pcgscacgold Posts: 3,831 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    CACG is very tough on Classic Head gold. I had 3 PCGS coins fail to cross even allowing a two grade reduction.

    Completed All CAC approved Classic Head $5 set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/mysetregistry/album/344241
    CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572

  • TomB
    TomB Posts: 23,192 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    From your images I don't see the coin as being cleaned. Yes, I can see light hairlines or scuffs on the coin, but this is nearly 200-year old circulated gold and that stuff is a magnet for inadvertent, light, wispy lines.

    Thomas Bush Numismatics & Numismatic Photography

    In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson

    image
  • Kliao
    Kliao Posts: 5,802 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @pcgscacgold said:
    CACG is very tough on Classic Head gold. I had 3 PCGS coins fail to cross even allowing a two grade reduction.

    I agree. I was thinking I had a 50/50 shot with them so I wasn't too bummed when it came back details.

    @TomB said:
    From your images I don't see the coin as being cleaned. Yes, I can see light hairlines or scuffs on the coin, but this is nearly 200-year old circulated gold and that stuff is a magnet for inadvertent, light, wispy lines.

    That is something that I'm still learning, how to differentiate cleaning vs circulation marks on old gold.

    Collector
    Over 100 Positive BST transactions buying and selling with 57 members and counting!
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  • TomB
    TomB Posts: 23,192 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    If you are willing to provide us with the PCGS cert number then we might be able to look at a larger TrueView image to see more details regarding the surfaces.

    Regardless, in general gold coinage is relatively soft and doesn't tone quickly, so any incidental slide, graze, scuff or whatever is more likely to leave visible, light hairlines than silver coinage that sees the same handling. This means that any light, incidental damage to the surface is more likely to stay bright or to glint longer than similar impairments on silver coinage.

    For me, I like to look at the fabric of the coin and see if the hairlines go over and through areas that clearly have dirt and schmutz on them. If so, then those hairlines were likely not from a cleaning attempt as that underlying stuff would have been worked on to get removed. If the hairlines are under dirt and debris then they are less prone to reflecting significant light and you can see dirt embedded within them, which also is an indication they were incidental.

    Prior cleaning, either spot cleaning or global cleaning, will often result in nearly all surface dirt (both light patina dirt and embedded gunk) being removed and the hairlines being bright and quite noticeable. It's not a perfect method, especially when typing out for someone else, but is something to keep in mind when you view coins in-hand.

    Thomas Bush Numismatics & Numismatic Photography

    In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson

    image
  • skier07
    skier07 Posts: 4,836 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Interesting. The obverse looks like it may have damage but I don’t see exactly where the reverse damage is. It appears that sending tweener (might straight grade; might not) coins to CACG is probably a waste of money. It would be comical if JA stickered your coin in the PCGS holder but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

  • World67
    World67 Posts: 13,098 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @tradedollarnut said:

    @tradedollarnut said:
    Nice looking coin. I’m at net 40 or bodybag depending on what’s going on here

    I’m changing my name to goldgradernut

    I'm changing my name to Morgan Whong.

  • BillJones
    BillJones Posts: 35,938 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    The picture of the whole slab is a game changer on this piece. That photo shows many hairlines which implies cleaning.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • logger7
    logger7 Posts: 9,870 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I hope the op can get it back into the PCGS holder and with the TV imaging they can verify the original grade.

  • TomB
    TomB Posts: 23,192 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @logger7 said:
    I hope the op can get it back into the PCGS holder and with the TV imaging they can verify the original grade.

    It is in a PCGS holder. It started off raw then went to CACG then to PCGS.

    Thomas Bush Numismatics & Numismatic Photography

    In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson

    image
  • Kliao
    Kliao Posts: 5,802 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @TomB said:
    If you are willing to provide us with the PCGS cert number then we might be able to look at a larger TrueView image to see more details regarding the surfaces.

    Regardless, in general gold coinage is relatively soft and doesn't tone quickly, so any incidental slide, graze, scuff or whatever is more likely to leave visible, light hairlines than silver coinage that sees the same handling. This means that any light, incidental damage to the surface is more likely to stay bright or to glint longer than similar impairments on silver coinage.

    For me, I like to look at the fabric of the coin and see if the hairlines go over and through areas that clearly have dirt and schmutz on them. If so, then those hairlines were likely not from a cleaning attempt as that underlying stuff would have been worked on to get removed. If the hairlines are under dirt and debris then they are less prone to reflecting significant light and you can see dirt embedded within them, which also is an indication they were incidental.

    Prior cleaning, either spot cleaning or global cleaning, will often result in nearly all surface dirt (both light patina dirt and embedded gunk) being removed and the hairlines being bright and quite noticeable. It's not a perfect method, especially when typing out for someone else, but is something to keep in mind when you view coins in-hand.

    Very helpful. Thank you.

    @skier07 said:
    Interesting. The obverse looks like it may have damage but I don’t see exactly where the reverse damage is. It appears that sending tweener (might straight grade; might not) coins to CACG is probably a waste of money. It would be comical if JA stickered your coin in the PCGS holder but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

    If you look at my reverse photo, there is there is a light scuff in the field below 'S' in states that goes down to in front of the eagle's beak.

    @tradedollarnut said:

    @tradedollarnut said:
    Nice looking coin. I’m at net 40 or bodybag depending on what’s going on here

    I’m changing my name to goldgradernut

    Then you have to trade me that set of proof trade dollars ;)

    Collector
    Over 100 Positive BST transactions buying and selling with 57 members and counting!
    instagram.com/klnumismatics

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