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 Replies: 21 / Views: 1,604 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5431 Posts |
I posted this coin on CCF a couple years ago because I believed it was a scarce 1853-O No Arrows Half Dime, despite having a very weak date. Here's the original thread from 2023: https://goccf.com/t/449497#3877969 After many of your comments, I was convinced it was the 1853-O Half Dime, which is often seen with a weak date making attribution difficult. Well, I finally got around to sending it to PCGS for attribution and grading. Feel free to guess the results, and I'll report it tomorrow.   |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
34628 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1528 Posts |
I still feel it's correct for an1853 O no arrows.
What those guys put on the slab, though?
It's anyone's guess.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
631 Posts |
G4 scratched. Unfortunate about the scratches. I think I have one of those too, but it is also in need of authentication. Mine's maybe AG3. I'll have to post it one of these days.
Edited by adam126402
09/29/2025 7:56 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
63514 Posts |
Good details, scratched. Still a nice coin.  Errers and Varietys.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5431 Posts |
Here's the PCGS result:  I expected it would get a details grade from the scratch, but I was surprised that they called it VG details. They apparently felt that the weakness in the date was not from wear. But I was really annoyed that they called it an 1858-O instead of an 1853-O. I learned of the grade and date attribution while the coin was still at PCGS, and I asked them to review it to make certain of the date before sending it back to me. They had their graders look at it again, and they assured me it was an 1858-O before they shipped it back to me. When I received the coin back in the holder, I still didn't believe their date attribution. It makes a big difference, since an 1858-O Half Dime in that condition isn't even worth half the grading fee. So I called and sent them an email with this comparison of date positions of PCGS-graded coins (my coin is on top) and asked them to reconsider.  To their credit, they agree to have me return the coin to them at no cost so they could reassess. I'll show their final decision tomorrow. |
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Moderator
 United States
171009 Posts |
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To their credit, they agree to have me return the coin to them at no cost so they could reassess. I'll show their final decision tomorrow. Good to know. 
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1528 Posts |
I'm still at 1853. I think we're seeing a TPG go with the numerically probability of it being a '58. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5431 Posts |
I would think that PCGS would need to positively identify a date before they could put it on a label, not just use a statistical likelihood, or an educated guess. But maybe that's not how it works. . .
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11168 Posts |
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I would think that PCGS would need to positively identify a date before they could put it on a label My thought is that this is a business where graders' time is money. Can't expect 2 hours of research when grading a coin that generates less than $100 in grading fees. This coin can't be dated from the date. Folks are guessing here based on known date position, which isn't exact because you would have to be familiar with all the die varieties for coins of multiple possible dates. Not saying that this is fair, but if you assume that they will thoroughly research every coin that comes in the door, they would have been out of business decades ago.
IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.com |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5431 Posts |
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This coin can't be dated from the date. I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you on that. The entire date doesn't need to be visible to determine the date, and the date position is part of the date. Based on what we can see of the date and the position of the upper numbers in relation to Liberty's base, the date can only be 1853. I would hope that a TPG would have enough expertise to determine that. In any case, making my point about the date position seemed to work, and they re-holdered the coin as an 1853-O.  But unfortunately, now they labeled it as an 1853-O Arrows Half Dime, despite there being no trace of arrows at the date. This is just as annoying, since the No Arrows variety is the only scarce one. Arrows at the date are usually strong and prominent, even when the date is weak. So I contacted them again, but they refused to take the coin back for reevaluation because they had already given me one complimentary reconsideration. They said that I could resubmit the coin for their usual grading fee.
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Moderator
United States
171009 Posts |
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In any case, making my point about the date position seemed to work, and they re-holdered the coin as an 1853-O. Excellent! Quote:But unfortunately, now they labeled it as an 1853-O Arrows Half Dime, despite there being no trace of arrows at the date... Bummer. 
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Pillar of the Community
United States
631 Posts |
That is a big bummer, sorry to hear that Zurie.
I thought the same thing about mine, that the arrows would survive much better than the date and yours sure doesn't look like there were ever arrows there.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1528 Posts |
There were no arrows when they called it a '58,
but now there's arrows when they call it a '53?
That's a "get off my lawn" decision, imo.
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
17817 Posts |
i had it at VG details scratched
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Moderator
United States
171009 Posts |
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That's a "get off my lawn" decision, imo. 
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Replies: 21 / Views: 1,604 |
Posted 09/29/2025 6:00 pm
