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 Replies: 27 / Views: 3,655 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6385 Posts |
Hello Charles, and welcome. The finest-known 1890-CC double eagle is a single specimen graded MS-64 by PCGS, which is probably the most reputable professional, third-party grading ( TPG) service. There are only a handful of coins graded MS-63 (one notch lower) and major auction house Heritage Auction Galleries has only sold one of those in the last 10 years, in 2005. The price then was over $30,000. A similar coin would almost certainly sell for more in 2008. Your coin really needs to be in a top-quality, TPG grading service holder. The only companies I would recommend for this coin would be PCGS, NGC, or ANACS. As the last two posters mentioned, based on the photos (which are not definitive) your coin will likely grade lower than MS-64. Even if it is "just" an AU (about uncirculated, or not quite Mint State) coin it is valuable and should be graded. The sealed TPG holder will guarantee authenticity for a potential buyer and will provide a professional grade opinion. It will also protect the coin from accidental damage. God forbid you should drop this coin when you are examining it! Falling onto a hard floor could result in a nasty edge dent that would instantly lower the value by maybe $1000, or even more. If you decide to have it graded our forum members can advise you on how to proceed. Good luck! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2669 Posts |
Just for reference, TPG means Third Party Grader. They are companies which specialize in authenticating and grading coins - but there are only a few (the three mentioned already) that are the most well known and most respected. If you do decide to get it graded, we'd love to see how she fares! |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
ANACS doesn't require you to have a membership to submit coins for authentication/grading and NGC and PCGS does. PCGS will get you the most money if you are wanting to sell because of their reputation but in my opinion any of the 3 mentioned would be a fine choice to send it to and all 3 are respected in the numismatic community where the biggest thing they would worry about with a coin of this magnitude would be authenticity and these 3 companies have a guarantee that the coin inside their slab is authentic which will make the buyer a little more lax with their money when they are buying
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New Member
 United States
9 Posts |
Well, these are shots on a short tripod with an older digital. My new digital should be better, but I can't find the manual focus in the users guide. (Yes, I am one of those people who read manuals.) These are better, but not fantastic. Image:  1890CC_20DBLEGL_Eagle.jpg85.96 KB Image: 1890CC_20DBLEGL_Head.jpg88.1 KB It is not so obvious in the picture, but all the little dimples along the edge (stop laughing) of the coin on both sides are quite clear with no nicks or scratches. The slashes on the edge of the coin are all clear with no nicks or marks. The little delicate beams coming out over the eagles head are clear, no scratches that I can see using my 3x glasses. I think I will be sending this off to be professionally graded. That should help the estate get the best value if we all decide selling is the way to go. Part of me wants to keep this, no matter the value. We'll see what the Sib's say. Thank you all for your help. Its always good to find a group that is so helpful, and respectful of newbies!  I will keep you up-to-date and I will keep checking in to make sure I read all the comments. Charles Edited by chrlsrchrdsn
10/28/2008 11:29 pm
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
Send it to ANACS or NCS first, it looks like there might be light damage on the face, but that could just be the lighting.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1130 Posts |
The obverse has some deep bag marks, while the reverse looks clean. Unfortunately, the marks are at the most noticeable area (cheek) and would limit the coin to MS61 at best. If your mom purchased the coin during the peak coin craze of the 80s, she probably paid a good amount for it too.
I would send it off to ANACS, along with other coins you think may have value. What else did you find ?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
I agree, I don't think it would ever grade over a 61 and will probably be in the AU grades. It definately isn't what was written on the holder because there is way to many hits in the focal points to even be considered anything over a MS-60-MS-61 but if that isn't a weak strike (not sure about these things on this type of coin) then I think it was lightly circulated which would warrant a AU grade instead of a MS grade. If the coin were mine I would expect a AU-50 grade from a reputable TPG but if it came back higher graded then that would be fine also because sometimes weak strike can be thought of as wear unless you know the type of coin good and know if they are known to have a weak strike or not and take that into consideration when grading the coin |
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New Member
United States
9 Posts |
Thanks for the comments on the image. It definitely will moderate expectations. In some ways it is good that Mom did not to discover this on her own. If her notes are right then she paid more than it was worth today, and that was in 1984 Dollars. It is a lesson I learned a while ago, don't invest/collect items you don't understand well.
I did find out my color scanner does a great job making pictures, though the images are huge. I set it up to 1600 dpi and the image is detailed. I think I see some of the things 1sikevo mentioned. Some artifacts from the plastic are there, but there do seem to be other real scratches. I might be able to make a nice clear 90K version for upload.
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New Member
United States
9 Posts |
Well, I sent the coins off to ANACS as suggested and here is what they have to say:
Item--- Date Mint Denom Variety ................Grade
4151589 1890 CC $20 ...............................55
4151590 1904 ---- $20 OBVERSE TOOLED 60 DETAILS
Thanks for all your comments, insights, and suggestions. It has made a hard time easier.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6385 Posts |
Hello Charles,
Well, the ANACS opinion is proably accurate.
The good news is that you have a genuine, highly collectible coin from the historic Carson City mint which contains almost a full ounce of gold. The "60 details" comment means it would grade Mint-State 60 (MS-60) or better based on wear. MS-60 is the lowest grade that is assigned for uncirculated coins.
The bad news is that someone, some time attempted to improve the look of the coin by "tooling". Perhaps they used dental picks or a file to smooth out some of the marks. ANACS is estimating that the tooling has reduced the value to that of a similar coin which grades AU-55. That grade is two notches below the minimum mint state grade. Although the coin is still probably worth nearly $2,000, in retrospect, it's clear that the Coin Castle dealer had drastically overstated the condition.
Please let us know if your Mom left other coin treasures that you can share. Once again, condolences on your loss.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1984 Posts |
Isn't that two separate coins?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1801 Posts |
Looks like the 90CC came back as a 55, no issues
It appears he sent in a 1904 also, separate ANACS number and it came back tooled, MS60 details. Too bad someone messed with that coin.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6385 Posts |
Oops, right you are. It's good to know the more valuable coin was judged to be undamaged. It should be easy to sell that one if that is what the owner wants to do with it. It's still a shame that the dealer passed it off as a high-grade example. I should probably read the details before sounding off!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1130 Posts |
Yeah, looks like the dealer tried to pass it off about 6 grades higher than it really is... what a shame.
Still, it's a nice coin I would be proud of owning.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2540 Posts |
Sorry to hear about the 1904, but that is still a very nice CC.
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Replies: 27 / Views: 3,655 |
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First Page
Posted 10/28/2008 6:13 pm
1890CC_20DBLEGL_Eagle.jpg
1890CC_20DBLEGL_Head.jpg
