How important are original surfaces to you?
ccex
Posts: 1,188 ✭✭✭
When I came home from work tonight, I found three Barber coins in my mailbox, which I won on eBay. All were raw, and all seemed to match the sellers pictures. There was a nice original AU-55 Barber quarter which made it all worthwhile, but the two Barber halves were cleaned. One of them was almost "market acceptable to me" but the other one (a 1902-O) just screamed artificial. My Barber half set had an original G-4 1902-O, and the new coin had F-15 details and no problems other than obvious, shiny cleaning. I had to think a while which coin belonged in my set. The new one was cheap ($18) and helped my goal to upgrade my set to full LIBERTY, but hindered my goal to keep this set full of original, not-messed-with circulated Barber Halves. I ended up putting the shiny Fine coin in the hole to upgrade the original G-4, but I'm not sure I made the right decision.
What would you have done? When you can't find or afford anything other than a hole-filler do you opt for an original coin beneath your standards or a cleaned one which has the detail you want?
What would you have done? When you can't find or afford anything other than a hole-filler do you opt for an original coin beneath your standards or a cleaned one which has the detail you want?
"Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity" - Hanlon's Razor
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-Amanda
I'm a YN working on a type set!
My Buffalo Nickel Website Home of the Quirky Buffaloes Collection!
Proud member of the CUFYNA
A messed with coin is always that - messed with and out of place. Now, depending on how harsh the cleaning is,
you might be able to take the new F15 and carry it in your pocket for a year or two, being sure to handle it every
day, and wear that puppy down naturally to a pleasing F12 and be good to go.
Ken
Problem coins that I own include holed and repaired, scratched, cleaned, acid treated, lightly dipped, artificially toned, the list goes on.
I have low grades, and higher grades, me likes them all.......
If that doesn't work my rule of thumb is not to buy (ever) a bad==even rare-- coin--especially just to finish a set"---Sets are aways worth less so who cares?
To answer your question" original surfaces---actually older surfaces ( who knows most times)---are the extreemly important." If you'd like a bright silver key--buy a reproduction for $9.95!
<< <i>I'll buy 'em any way I can find them. If a problem coin fits my budget and collecting goals, I'll buy it.
Problem coins that I own include holed and repaired, scratched, cleaned, acid treated, lightly dipped, artificially toned, the list goes on. >>
I have all those sorts of problem coins and more in my collection. For now they're okay, but I'm not buying those sorts of coins anymore. I will buy a dipped (but not overdipped) coin in EF or above. No shiny Fines for me, thank you. And in silver I'll put up with an old, light cleaning that's retoned attractively. That's all.
I'd have returned the cleaned F-15 or planned to sell it at the next convenient opportunity. It also might make a reasonable gift, if you know someone who might like such a piece.
Now, how about this choice--two problem coins. Which is worse, a dipped-shiney dime in G-04 or a crusty-original F-12 that's slightly bent?
<< <i>How important are original surfaces to you? >>
It is currently number one for me when assessing a coin. Of course one can not be absolutely sure a coin is fully original. A lot can happen with a coin over 100+ years. But any coin for my collection must measure strong on the originality continuum.
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
its very unfair to give god-like powers to only three people to grade a coin!....what they say ...goes!(....wrong or right.)
my example is like many of yours,
1916 Lincoln cent, full red mint state coin...cartwheel luster out the wazoo!!
sent to pcgs comes back "questionable color or toning "
sent same coin to anacs...graded 64 red
took it to a show had the guys look at it at pcgs's booth all said it was nice (and could up grade) *side note*....i got it hoping for 66 red.
re-sub-mitted it in the anacs slab...came back "questionable color or toning " again!
just because the coin is so old........ that the thinking is that the color couldn't be that bright....give me a break!
i have many "toned" brown coins...in their slabs designated as red...(even have a bright red coin that they call red brown!)
really sometimes i think its all about the money!
original surface is as "original" as our earths environment will allow....somethings gotta give there too.
Hard to come by however, since many have been dipped to death.
"Bongo hurtles along the rain soaked highway of life on underinflated bald retread tires."
~Wayne
HE>I
I don't care for circulated coins that have been cleaned or dipped at all. I avoid those whenever possible. In your case, I'd pass on the bright 1902-O Barber half. Many collectors find such coins to be unattractive and downgrade them accordingly.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
To answer the question, original surfaces are significant, but not having them doesn't disqualify a coin from purchase. If you're looking for an "original-looking" eye-appealing CC quarter from 1870 to 1873 with nice surfaces, you might have a long wait. So, I do purchase and have in my collection coins that do not have original surfaces, including holed and repaired, scratched, digs, cleaned, lightly dipped, and artificially toned. I would rather have a problem coin of a rare date in my collection than no coin of the same rare date.
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
That's an easy one! You take crusty-original F-12 that's slightly bent, wrap it in a piece of leather & lightly smash it with a hammer to unbend it and it's good as new.
roadrunner
<< <i>How important are original surfaces to you? >>
extremely, but not to the point that i'm paranoid about it, like so many folks seem to be. the facts of life include coins that are not original, & basically not available w/ 100% original surfaces.
K S
https://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/collectors-showcase/world-coins/one-coin-per-year-1600-2017/2422