1883 Hawaiian Dollar- The beauty that was not to be
coinkat
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This was also submitted to our Host even though there was absolutely zero chance of a straight grade. Sort of an interesting coin that can best be summarized by "A coin with champagne appearances and a plain wrap beer budget"
For those that follow the 1883 Hawaiian Series, choice uncirculated Dollars and Halves are fairly tough. So many of these issues were cleaned and just did not survive in a desirable state of preservation. This Dollar was mishandled- I have a viable working theory as to how the coin was scratched. I will elaborate on my theory later in the thread, but I thought I should give folks here a chance to think about it and consider sharing their own thoughts first. Make no mistake about it... what happened to the coin is tragic and its desirability and value has been dramatically impaired. And I suspect many here will opine... "Why would you buy this coin and then submit it knowing that it will not straight grade?"
And that is a great question...and I suppose one would need to see the coin in hand first, then check auction records followed by a look at their checkbook.
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Comments
Once you mentioned the scratch, it became hard to ignore. The coin was looking fantastic otherwise.
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My theory involves a lack of patience and a staple angry about it's 2x2 being rip apart back in the 70s or 80s
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
Unless the scratch looks worse in hand, I like the coin. The toning does a decent job of obscuring the scratch to my (admittedly ancient) eyes. Tough type coin. I settled for an XF.
Several years ago there was a very attractive Hawaii dollar being offered around - had a nasty cut on the obverse around 5 o'clock, o/w very attractive. JK hypothesized it was from cutting a cigar.
BTW, even with the scratch, that's an attractive coin.
I like it and given how expensive a straight grade UNC example can be, I would be happy with a coin like this one.
The scratch would be annoying but overall it’s such a nice coin. Sometimes you just have to accept a coin with flaws.
Why?
Micah Langford - https://www.oldglorycoinsandcurrency.com/
The scratch is interesting in how straight it is through the fields and devices, even in the deep recess of the eyebrow.
What's your theory on how it happened??
When there aren’t affordable alternatives
That scratch borders on graffiti.
But, it's a beautiful coin !
Yeah. Straight graded unc Hawaii dollars are scarce and expensive for most collectors.
chopmarkedtradedollars.com
@Crypto
@Lakesammman
How do I think the scratches happened?
Crypto pretty much nailed it. I see these as staple scratches. I suspect this coin, along with others, were housed in 2x2s and crammed into a typical black cardboard box back in the day. The coin was likely damaged over the repeated efforts of taking the coin in and out of the box with a complete disregard of the raised staples on the 2x2s that scratched the surfaces. If it were graffiti, seems there would likely be some type of pattern or intent to create something identifiable. In this instance, we simply do not have that.
So why did I buy this one?
As for the type, the Hawaiian Dollar which is not rare seems to rarely surface in a state of preservation that resonates with me. This example has attractive color as well as cartwheel luster that needs to be seen in hand to be appreciated. So I would rather own this coin without parting with the $$$ to buy a coin I may or may not like more. And by choosing this coin, I can use $$$ for coins that will cost $$$ and are higher on my list of priorities.
I appreciate the comments posted. Hopefully this will serve as a reminder to all collectors to handle coins in 2x2s with the utmost care-
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.