1861 O Seated Liberty - Seeking Feedback

Thank you all for the feedback.

@Dsfreeworld thank you for teaching me something new. I never realized that the black spots are due to carbon spotting. I do agree with you and think that the coin was dipped. I'll know better once the coin is in hand. However, I am not sure the surfaces are dull. Based on the images, I see ample evidence of luster. I guess I have a bit of an upper hand because I am able to see very high resolution images of this coin and can zoom quite extensively to get a better look at the details.

As for grade, I had it in the AU55 range, assuming of course it straight grades.

I'll know better when the coin is in hand.

In terms of pricing, I believe I paid a details money for it (do correct me if I'm wrong) so if it grades straight, it would be icing on the cake.

no worries mate

Like the motto says, education is the key...

post the in-hand pics when you've got it

nice pickup

Hello everyone. Once again, thank you for your feedback. The coin finally arrived today and I must say it has exceeded my expectations in every way. Looks like I was accurate in my original assessment, the surfaces are anything but dull. The coin is gently toned, very lustrous (as is evident in my pics below) and quite pleasant to look at. The details are crisp; there isn't much visible evidence of circulation. The fields are clean and without hairlines or distracting dinks. If this coin was dipped it wasn't done foolishly as to damage the coin. The carbon spots are there but not as bothersome as in my original images. I would conservatively grade this coin at AU55 or higher.

The black spots have nothing to do with carbon. Silver coins do not get spots from carbon. Carbon spot is a term that is used to describe black spots but it is misleading. The spots on your coin were caused by sulfur. A more accurate term would be sulfur spots.

It looks like a WB-101, WB-8 variety from the die cracks and date and mm placement. It is a Louisiana issue and has a rarity of R2.. I would grade it AU53.

Thank you all very much for the feedback and informative pieces of information.

@bandsdean - I agree the obverse of the coin is a bit weakly struck, especially in the date region and below.

@Slider23 - OK. Are they caused by exposure to sulfur? I thought sulfur causes toning, not spotting. Any way to remove them. Would acetone do anything?

@BH - The thought that this coin was a forgery never even crossed my mind. I have yet to come across a true silver Chinese knockoff, let alone one brimming with luster and strong details. I'll get it sent in to PCGS/NGC one of these days but I have no doubt about the authenticity of this coin.

@Heymikep - thank you for that. I checked a few of Heritage's listings with that die description and there are definitely similarities. I can't really tell the difference between the varieties but you may be correct.

@two_tonev35 - You're right about the wipe marks; I saw them immediately when I was looking over the images. I often expose my coins to a strong direct light when I take pictures and that usually brings out a lot of detail you can't see with the naked eye. I looked over that field in detail and no wipe marks can be seen with the naked eye under any lighting or at any angle.

As for grading, most of you said AU53-55. I don't know if I agree with that. I have looked at a lot of AUs on Heritage and none look like this one. Most look like they've been wiped with brillo when you really start to enlarge images. Even the cleaner ones have a lot of flaws in the fields, and flat spots are readily seen, especially on the knee/thigh, hand holding the cap, breast, and bottom section of the rock liberty is sitting on, not to mention questionable luster. I linked a few below. I may be wrong or perhaps biased (or both) but I honestly think this should grade MS.


https://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-hal...ption-071515
https://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-hal...ption-071515
https://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-hal...ption-071515
https://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-hal...ption-071515
https://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-hal...ption-071515

The most I would do to this coin is soak it in 100% acetone from the hardware store. I would NOT dip this coin in a coin cleaning solution.




A coin which clearly has wear should not grade MS. This coin would grade AU-53 due to the wear present.

What you are seeing are examples that have market-acceptable cleanings. This is very common for the Seated and Capped Bust series. Yours just happens to have more original surfaces than the coins you see on Heritage.

@Slider - I looked at the spots in greater detail and it doesn't look like organic material. They look more like tarnish.

As for grade, I guess we'll see what the TPGs think. AU53-55 is still not too shabby considering the price. I will re-post once I get it graded - might be a bit though.

Thank you fine gentlemen for all the input.