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 Replies: 16 / Views: 3,497 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5863 Posts |
All right, I just picked this baby up for just over $200:   As always, well-lit macro photography reveals a lot of flaws not visible to the naked eye. It's obviously pretty worn, with nicks and scratches all over the place, and I can now see that it has pretty obviously been cleaned at some point. Despite that, though, I'm hoping it would still be considered a decent value for the price. I'm assuming, of course, that it is a genuine example. I'm thinking the details are somewhere around VG8-F12, which would put it somewhere in the $288-324 range (according to numismedia.com). I have no idea what effect the cleaning and damage has on the value, but hopefully, I didn't make out too badly here. As an aside, I realize I am not exactly on the same page as most collectors here when it comes to cleaned coins. Obviously, all things being equal, I would prefer a coin that has never been cleaned. When it comes to buying expensive coins on a budget, however, I would rather pay $200 for a cleaned coin than $325 for an uncleaned coin in the same condition. Which is to say that I have trouble accepting that a simple cleaning (and I'm not talking about taking a Brillo pad to it) totally wipes out the value of a coin. And this is especially true when we are talking about putting together a type set and not collecting for investment purposes. If I ever start going after high grade coins for investment purposes, you can be sure I'll only accept non-cleaned coins that have been professionally graded and slabbed. I'm not there yet, though... |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2936 Posts |
The only person you have to please is yourself. If you like the coin - then good on ya! They ALL hold history and mystery... They aren't just a flat piece of various metals - they are windows into our past. Paleoguy
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Rest in Peace
United States
7075 Posts |
It's lovely.
I don't think I see any signs of cleaning...but I don't really know what to look for. So, like you, I won't spend too much on coins. That will probably change when I learn more.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5863 Posts |
Quote:
I don't think I see any signs of cleaning... Well, I could be wrong, but the fact that the area inside the "8" of the date is much darker seems a dead giveaway to me. Also, note the dark areas around the stars. Maybe it's just normal wear, but to me it looks like somebody tried to clean it and wasn't able to reach all the areas evenly. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5854 Posts |
Attractive coin! I also don't see signs of cleaning. I would go with VG-8 as well.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1064 Posts |
I can go with the VG-8 consensus; a nice coin. I've been shopping for one of these recently, I think your price was pretty good.
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Moderator
 United States
16679 Posts |
VG8+ and a very nice original coin IMO.
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5863 Posts |
VG8 works for me. Thanks, guys!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
797 Posts |
Awesome coin...I am looking for that same type of coin...very envious :)
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1424 Posts |
This in one of those coins I would grade WLGIMD (would look great in my Dansco)  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1304 Posts |
I will agree with VG-8 also.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3229 Posts |
I strongly agree with WLGIMD grade!  |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
Well, I could be wrong, but the fact that the area inside the "8" of the date is much darker seems a dead giveaway to me. Also, note the dark areas around the stars. Maybe it's just normal wear, but to me it looks like somebody tried to clean it and wasn't able to reach all the areas evenly.
I believe you're seeing it clearly, but it's been a long_time since any cleaning happened. Maybe a tad high at $200. Not for long, though; expect values to catch up for Seated dollars. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5863 Posts |
Thanks for the feedback, everybody! I feel like I made out pretty well. There is one little twist to this story, however... I got this off an ebay seller who primarily sells musical instruments, and he had two listed that were ending within minutes of each other. The one ending first was the one I ended up buying, and the second one was from 1842 and was in MUCH nicer condition (maybe as nice as AU50). With less than an hour left in the auctions, the first coin was sitting at around $187 and the second coin was at around $230. I really wanted the second one, but I figured the final price would be well above my budget and I didn't want to take a chance on losing both. I decided I'd be willing to go as high as $250 for the first one and, if I didn't get it, maybe I could bid as high as $350 for the second one. Well, as it turned out, I did get the first one for just over $200. I then physically walked away from my computer for 10 minutes to prevent myself from even thinking about bidding on the second one, knowing full well that my wife would KILL me if I bought both. She wasn't even happy with me buying one of them, to be honest. When I finally came back to check, I fully expected the second coin to have sold for $500 or more. Instead, it went for $266. Who knows what the winning bidder's true high bid was, but I suspect that I could have sniped it for under $300. So, yeah, I'm happy to have gotten the coin I did for $200. But, man... |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
870 Posts |
barry - had something similar happen the other day - I feel ya, Brother. =)
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Replies: 16 / Views: 3,497 |
Posted 09/19/2011 4:07 pm
