Posted 07/04/2020 11:26 am
The toning makes this one hard.
The obverse has two fairly significant contact marks. There is a semi-circular scratch from the cheek through the first cotton blossom. There is a fairly deep gouge from the edge of another coin near the fifth and sixth right stars. A bit of minor chatter hides in the fields west of the chin. The rims are free from heavy contact marks. The hair above the ear is flattened, but that appears to be strike weakness, since the cotton blossoms and large bear claw show uninterrupted luster and better strike details. I see the obverse as MS-64+. IMHO, the gouge at the fifth and sixth right stars holds it back from MS-65.
The reverse is much better. Other than a few minor contact marks on the eagle's breast, right wing (our visual left), and the field west of the right wing, the reverse is spectacular. The strike shows the same central softness and peripheral strength as the obverse strike. The reverse makes MS-66.
Before adjustment, the net technical grade should be MS-65/MS-65+. The issue boils down to the toning. I played with the color and lighting on the photos. To me, the toning looks original, but splotchy. I don't know what NGC would say about the toning, but I suspect that PCGS would ding the coin a bit because of the splotchy toning. (The milk spots on the obverse are another concern.) With a quarter point "benefit of the doubt" knock, I think the final grade would be MS-65.
The obverse has two fairly significant contact marks. There is a semi-circular scratch from the cheek through the first cotton blossom. There is a fairly deep gouge from the edge of another coin near the fifth and sixth right stars. A bit of minor chatter hides in the fields west of the chin. The rims are free from heavy contact marks. The hair above the ear is flattened, but that appears to be strike weakness, since the cotton blossoms and large bear claw show uninterrupted luster and better strike details. I see the obverse as MS-64+. IMHO, the gouge at the fifth and sixth right stars holds it back from MS-65.
The reverse is much better. Other than a few minor contact marks on the eagle's breast, right wing (our visual left), and the field west of the right wing, the reverse is spectacular. The strike shows the same central softness and peripheral strength as the obverse strike. The reverse makes MS-66.
Before adjustment, the net technical grade should be MS-65/MS-65+. The issue boils down to the toning. I played with the color and lighting on the photos. To me, the toning looks original, but splotchy. I don't know what NGC would say about the toning, but I suspect that PCGS would ding the coin a bit because of the splotchy toning. (The milk spots on the obverse are another concern.) With a quarter point "benefit of the doubt" knock, I think the final grade would be MS-65.
