1840's set of crusty matched PCGS seated dollars

Southcounty · October 27, 2009 5:01PM

I have been working on a mid grade matching set of seated dollars for the 1840's in PCGS holders for many years and my set is now complete. It has also taken me a long time to photograph the collection with pictures that show the true color and detail of this set. Anyone who has tried to find a nice original problem free seated dollar can tell you how hard that task can be and after working on this set for several years I have come to appreciate original seated dollars for the rare classic coins that they are. I hope you enjoy this collection and feel free to guess the grades on these seated ladies. I have worked hard to locate PQ examples for each date but the originality and the matched look were the primary concern. I have a couple of dates that I am still looking for upgrades on but it may take many more years to find just the right coin. Thanks for looking!

I have had a couple of requests to post the grades so here you go. Feel free to comment on the grades if you think they are either high or low from what PCGS had to say.

1840 PCGS XF45 OGH

1841 PCGS XF45

1842 PCGS XF45

1843 PCGS XF45

1844 PCGS XF45

1845 PCGS VF30 OGH

1846 PCGS XF45

1846-O PCGS VF30

1847 PCGS VF35

PCGS VF35

1849 PCGS XF40

melvin289 · October 27, 2009 5:34PM

Thanks for looking!

Thanks for showing. I'm impressed, nice set.

Ron

LeeG · October 27, 2009 6:39PM

Nice stuff!

thisnamztaken · October 27, 2009 6:53PM

Beautiful set!

greghansen · October 27, 2009 7:00PM

Wow. I haven't seen anything like that in a long time. That is pretty cool. Thanks for sharing and congratulations.

twister2 · October 27, 2009 7:08PM

I'll pass on guessing the grades but I would like to say that I think you nailed the "matched look".

Very nice looking group of coins there.

wam98 · October 27, 2009 7:12PM

Outstanding group of Seated dollars. A collection to be proud of....

Preussen · October 27, 2009 8:05PM

Wow; very nice!! -Preussen

coinlieutenant · October 27, 2009 8:35PM

That was nice eye candy for hump day.

Barberman55 · October 27, 2009 8:38PM

Working on a set of circ Seated dollars myself, I really enjoyed looking at your 40's set. They all have that crusty, original look, which I love. The coins are well matched too. Coins look to be in the hi VF, XF grades.

CommemDude · October 27, 2009 8:42PM

Amazing to see all those original pieces together. The temptation to clean those big coins must have been too great to resist for previous owners,,,,,finding them like this is nearly impossible.

kryptonitecomics · October 27, 2009 8:45PM

While I don't believe most of the surfaces are completely original.....meaning at some point possibly long ago they were cleaned and have had plenty of time to grow a nice thick skin on them......now days this is about as original as any collector can hope to acquire. Very pleasing group you have put together there and certainly a group that any collector would appreciate owning.

As far as guessing the grades...I greade them beautiful

Patches · October 27, 2009 8:49PM

Fantastic!

etexmike · October 27, 2009 8:54PM

Nice looking group of dollars you have assembled there.

I like 'em.

Mike

crypto79 · October 27, 2009 9:30PM

marked for later review

dsessom · October 27, 2009 9:43PM

Very cool! Congrats on completing your set. Not often you see a set like that! Thank you for sharing!

pocketpiececommems · October 27, 2009 9:57PM

Very nice gray

ricko · October 27, 2009 10:10PM

That is a truly beautiful collection of seated dollars. Well done and thank you for sharing... Cheers, RickO

speety · October 27, 2009 10:10PM

The 1840 in that grade (well any grade...) is a lot tougher than people realize. Nice set!

RYK · October 27, 2009 10:24PM

Cool group of coins. Are you planning to continue forward in years?

I love the idea of collecting "subsets", BTW, so please do not feel that you must continue to build forward.

lope208 · October 27, 2009 10:36PM

Great coins and love the look!

That's the look I hope to achieve someday on my '54 set.
Haven't purchased any pieces yet because they are difficult to find
with a nice look! This must have taken much time and patience by you.

Congrats!

ziggy29 · October 27, 2009 10:39PM

Very, very nice. It must have taken Herculean patience to wait until the "right" pieces came along to match the look. These are exactly the kind of coins that are still very much in demand and for which there appears to be no price softness.

Mowgli · October 27, 2009 10:41PM

<< I'll pass on guessing the grades but I would like to say that I think you nailed the "matched look".

Very nice looking group of coins there. >>

DoubleEagle59 · October 27, 2009 10:48PM

very impressive!!

STONE · October 27, 2009 10:51PM

Cheers mate on a great lookin set you have there

That was really fantastic to look at and I wish you the best of luck in future acquisitions

CaptHenway · October 27, 2009 10:53PM

Nice set!

messydesk · October 27, 2009 11:01PM

Very nice! Lots of character on those coins.

PTVETTER · October 27, 2009 11:13PM

now that's eye candy

seanq · October 27, 2009 11:13PM

That is some real eye candy, congrats on your achievement and thanks for sharing.

Sean Reynolds

Billet7 · October 27, 2009 11:23PM

WAY COOL. I used to not really care for seated dollars...that just changed!

RTS · October 27, 2009 11:31PM

Wonderful.

MikeInFL · October 28, 2009 12:24AM

That's quite a nice group of coins. Thanks for sharing them.

ziggy29 · October 28, 2009 12:28AM

<< WAY COOL. I used to not really care for seated dollars...that just changed! >>

I love seated dollars. But the nice ones just seem rarer than hen's teeth because the vast majority have been worked over and messed with. I don't know that I have the patience to deal with trying to put a set like this together, not to mention the pocketbook. Many of the more common dates are affordable in VF/XF -- for "average" coins that are usually dipped or cleaned. Coins like this? Not so much.

One of my greatest "one that got away" regrets was about four years ago when I could have bought a very nice 1846 seated dollar in PCGS AU-58 -- with as close to "original skin" as you can get in Seated Dollars -- for something like $1050. Money was tight at the time so I let it go, but how I wish I had that chance over again...

TomB · October 28, 2009 12:52AM

Holy Smokes!!! What a spectacular effort! This is easily one of the most wonderful groupings of coins I have seen in a long time.

STONE · October 28, 2009 12:54AM

The '43 and '46 are twins

MacCrimmon · October 28, 2009 1:05AM

Now this is a worthwhile thread!!!

tbarreca · October 28, 2009 1:07AM

Yup, absolutely gorgeous set, and an implicit tribute to patience and persistence.

As far as grades, well, most have demurred from responding, but what the hey, fools rush in...

First, the comment that all the surfaces are not original is certainly correct. This is most evident is the 1845, but it's true of another one or two as well. The 41 and the 43 appear to me to have at least AU-50 details, but whether or not they would be awarded that grade depends largely on the grader's perception of luster. I'd guess they are at least EF-45 with a shot at AU-50. The 46-P also looks like a solid EF-40, while the 47 is at least close.

The rest are left as a homework assignment.

determined · October 28, 2009 1:08AM

Wow! That made my day.

I love to see interesting circulated coins. Although mint pieces and proofs are beautiful. Sometimes they seem sterile when compared to coins that were actually used by people in their everyday lives. In this case, starting nearly 170 years ago.

I appreciate the work and patience it took to put them together. Thank you much for posting them.

CoinJunkie · October 28, 2009 1:14AM

messydesk · October 28, 2009 1:42AM

<< As far as grades, well, most have demurred from responding, ... >>

I'd assert that most had most have not seen a need to assign or guess grades. I enjoyed looking at this set for what it is -- a crusty, original(ish), well matched set of modestly circulated coins that was a bitch to put together, despite the coins not being anything an auction company would ever call Important™. As much as we obsess over numbers on plastic at times, it's nice to not be distracted by them when looking at a set like this.

lava · October 28, 2009 1:54AM

<< 

<< I'll pass on guessing the grades but I would like to say that I think you nailed the "matched look".

Very nice looking group of coins there. >>

>>

me3

ziggy29 · October 28, 2009 1:55AM

<< I'd assert that most had most have not seen a need to assign or guess grades. I enjoyed looking at this set for what it is -- a crusty, original(ish), well matched set of modestly circulated coins that was a bitch to put together, despite the coins not being anything an auction company would ever call Important™. As much as we obsess over numbers on plastic at times, it's nice to not be distracted by them when looking at a set like this. >>

Agreed. For me, looking at a well-matched set of coins I like with strong eye appeal is what it's all about; the grades are, at most, a secondary concern to me.

Southcounty · October 28, 2009 2:37AM

<< Cool group of coins. Are you planning to continue forward in years?

I love the idea of collecting "subsets", BTW, so please do not feel that you must continue to build forward. >>

I don't think I will collect all of the 1850s or the 1870s although I have some examples from each decade. However, I did just recently complete the 1860s but the coins are not as evenly matched as regards to tone and grade. I suppose I will post the 1860s set as well for comparison. The set also includes all four of the New Orleans seated dollars as well.

Each one of these dollars was a major find and purchase and each one has a different story. From my personal cross overs, to old collections, to auctions, every single purchase was a joy and carried a special place in my collecting heart.

Thank you all for the nice comments, I figured this board would appreciate the time and effort I put into this set. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed working on it. As always it is a work in progress and I may swap in different coins from time to time. I may even down grade on some coins if I feel they match the set better as far as eye appeal and originality. As for the originality, again I am always looking for even better examples but these ones were the best I could find to date and PCGS was kind enough to slab em all.

Good luck in the hunt!
Scott

tbarreca · October 28, 2009 4:28AM

I agree that the aesthetics of the set is the main pleasure, but to me, discussing the grades and understanding the reasons for possible differences is also part of the fun.

partagas · October 28, 2009 4:35AM

An absolute beautifully put together set!

determined · October 28, 2009 4:37AM

<< I did just recently complete the 1860s but the coins are not as evenly matched as regards to tone and grade. I suppose I will post the 1860s set as well for comparison. >>

Yes, please do! I don't think anyone will hold it against you if they're not as evenly matched.

coinkat · October 28, 2009 8:50AM

Terrific coins

kaz · October 28, 2009 9:33AM

I confess that I am also working on a set of 1840's dollars in circulated grades. As previously stated, it is incredibly hard to find a decent 1840 in vf-xf that hasn't been butchered. I've been looking for one for 2 years now. The other one I "need" is the 1848 (no surprise there!). your set is just what I would aspire to! That is quite an accomplishment.

DDR · October 28, 2009 10:00AM

Beautiful set, well done. Thanks for posting.

crazyhounddog · October 28, 2009 10:11AM

Congats on a job well done!! And thanks for sharing those beautiful coins

Southcounty · October 29, 2009 10:02AM

I edited the original post to include the grades that PCGS gave the coins. Feel free to agree or disagree on the grades.

1840's set of crusty matched PCGS seated dollars

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