| Author |
 Replies: 21 / Views: 1,374 |
Page 2 of 2
|
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3848 Posts |
The 1794s are comparable, but at this level, strike weakness is certainly a large factor if detail is your main desire. Some others go for crispness of grade and sacrifice for a little flatness on the portrait and the rim. Stack's is selling another 1794 example this year as well! Best of both worlds, strike and preservation!   Suffering from bust half fever. Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
36844 Posts |
NS, I think your coin is correctly graded, Stacks coin is over graded. I don't think yours would bump up to AU grade.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3327 Posts |
Quote:
...polishing of the dies would make the surface of the die lower and the surface of the coin higher. Not sure how die polishing could create the opening at the mouth we see in this coin. Portions of the devices closest to the field on the die could be subject to over-polishing, as seen on many examples in the Morgan dollar series. I'm not familiar with the various dies and die states of these early dollars, but if polishing was a practice at that time I think it could explain the open mouth. For reference, here is a photo of a Morgan dollar in a later die state where the nostril, lips and corner of the mouth were opened after polishing.  "Nummi rari mira sunt, si sumptus ferre potes." - Christophorus filius Scotiae
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
 United States
11898 Posts |
Still not understanding the mechanics you are describing. For the mouth to open wider, the metal in the die that causes the depression in the coin at the open mouth would need to become larger. Alternatively, the void that allows the impression of the lips would need to become smaller. Not sure how polishing could expand metal and decrease voids of space in the die. Seems like die polishing would have the opposite effect.
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 |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
892 Posts |
I agree with IGE. NS, imagine that from the surface of the die to the deepest part of the devices is 1.5mm. The crease between the lips and trailing down is at a depth of .2mm to create the 3d effect. Polishing the die increases the fields and trims down the devices with the shallowest parts of the devices disappearing first and becoming part of the fields. You'll see this on what I call broken nose bridges on CBH or on single leaf varieties where the polishing increases the fields and trimmed or deleted the devices.
Seems like that is what is happening on the referenced coin, unless I'm missing something.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
11898 Posts |
@adam & @bump, I think I understand.  Thanks for putting up with my slow thinking.  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 |
|
Bedrock of the Community
 United States
18696 Posts |
NS I like your example better than than the Stacks. based on the photos it appears the stacks coin is exhibiting more of the lustrous surfaces than yours, but reverse is hands down way better in the way of strike. the reverse imo is AU
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
11898 Posts |
Thanks for all of your kind comments and thank you to @jacrispies for sharing images of the incredible Boyd example of the first dollar. What an incredible state of preservation. What do the mavens at SB estimate this superb example to realize as it crosses the auction threshold? $6 million? As I throw out that number I am hearing the music from The Fall Guy as Lee Majors is jumping over a wide ravine. Younger folks here probably won't get that reference. 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 |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
11898 Posts |
I was mucking around online and ran into the sale price for the James Stack 1794 dollar which is the subject of this comparison thread. I was shocked by the hammer price that realized over $1 million dollars in December of 2025. The Troy Wiseman coin sold for $528,000 so this was a huge leap in the prior realized price for an XF45 coin. Also happy that many of you thought that my coin was better than the Stack coin.  Does this mean that my 1794 dollar is my first million dollar coin?   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.comEdited by numismatic student
06/14/2026 2:00 pm
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
36844 Posts |
It would not surprise me. Congrats!
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3663 Posts |
Remember all these years that I have been pushing for adoption of an EF-48 grade. Your coin would be a poster child for EF-48. The first of the big three TPGs to open that grade wins the race for regrades. Maybe it's worth having a discussion with one of the TPGs about making that leap. You have exactly the coin and price range to warrant them taking a call (or welcoming an in-person visit) on it.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
757 Posts |
I like yours more? I like the sharper detail and the less sketchy mouth. Million dollars or not, I would rather have your coin.
My 1795 PCGS EF(40) will have to do for now :).
|
|
Moderator
 United States
189340 Posts |
Quote:Does this mean that my 1794 dollar is my first million dollar coin?  |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
11898 Posts |
Thank you for all your kind comments. @fortcollins, although that sounds like a wonderful project, I am drowning in so much work that I hardly have time to stop by and shoot the breeze with my friends here in CCF. Look forward to the day when I can spend time on my favorite endeavor - hanging out and chilling with my coin friends. Sometimes I sit and wonder what my life would be like if I had never picked up a Red Book. Probably empty and bitter compared to the richness of being part of the coin collecting community. 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 |
|
Moderator
United States
189340 Posts |
Quote:Sometimes I sit and wonder what my life would be like if I had never picked up a Red Book. Probably empty and bitter compared to the richness of being part of the coin collecting community.  |
|
Page 2 of 2
|
Replies: 21 / Views: 1,374 |
Page 2 of 2
|
First Page
Posted 08/20/2025 2:12 pm
