Guess The Grade - 1859 IHC

Nice, I was concerned with the weak area around the lettering and rim, but comparing to a couple that Rick Snow has for sale, it seemed to match up with the MS63 he has on his website. High end AU to MS coins can be really hard to judge based on static photos. A good reason to be wary of paying top dollar - without a return privillage, for any coin you don't have in hand. Especially true for online auctions and websites. A slider is a slider, but can be made to look like a solid Unc. coin through lighting and photoshop!

A very nice looking first year example of IHC, thanks for the posting and grading lesson.

@westcoin

Agreed. In this case I purchased from someone I'm familiar with and have had very good transactions in the past. He is primarily a professional photographer of rare coins and does consignment for people in the Seattle area. He does do a very good job of making a coin look nice, but so far I haven't come across one that he's given a false impression of quality. And of course he accepts returns so not too worried.

I'll post here again once I have a good look with my BelOMO loupe.

A really nice choice AU! This one looked MS for sure. Looking forward to hearing what you think of the coin once you have it in hand.

I'll admit, I thought MS

This is exactly the kind of coin that is bought cracked open, reshot under great lighting and sold on ebay as an MS raw coins then they get bid up to crazy prices there. Everyone thinks they'll score an MS64 for MS62 money, which the seller purchased as a wholesale AU coin. Heck I've fallen victim a few times to that. Now I only buy TPG coins in slider grades or better MS grades, unless I know the seller or have a VERY good idea of what I'm doing.

My understanding of a 'slider' coin is one that actually grades a high AU and retains all its luster, but is priced as MS coin.

^ exactly, "commercial unc's" always got me. A slider coin is one that may pass for uncirculated due to it's looks alone. in the Morgan Peace world it usually meant one that wasn't worth much either way AU $20, MS60 $25 was an advertising slogan for many magazine dealer ads in the 1980's. Rolls of slider dollars in common dates were offered for a few bucks less than unc rolls.

I like slider coins for collectors, a nice set of AU slider coins usually looks better in eye appeal than a low grade mint state set does. A slider generally has all the appearance of an uncirculated coin - save for a few tiny rub marks or contact areas. Crack out artists play the odds with TPG slider coins and sometimes win big, hence the TPG rules, always buy the coin and not the holder!