1904-S 50c Barber Half Dollar

Obverse F12, reverse F15, net, could go either way.

I'm at F-15 as well. I could not buy from these pics.

LOL. I was waiting for the first customer to call this VG. You guys certainly don't disappoint.

Barbers need to be graded looking at the whole coin. Die wear, strike weakness, and circulation all play in the appearance. This date is a bearcat to find with nice appearance and no obvious problems.

The obverse shows too much detail in the top leaves, ear, eye, lips, ribbon, and hair to be VG. The bottom leaves are visible, which doesn't happen on VG coins. On balance, the obverse looks F-12.

The reverse has the same weakness as the obverse. If LIBERTY is weak, the eagle's tail feathers will be weak. The central and lower feathers on both wings are more consistent with F-15, but the horizontals and lower verticals of the shield, neck feathers, and talons are more consistent with F-12. The rims and denticles are much sharper than I would expect for F-12. On balance, the reverse is right on the F-12/F-15 line.

I'm at solid F-12. Unless the in-hand inspection shows something that isn't obvious in the pics, at a VG-10 price, this one's a no-brainer.

Why do I need a greysheet?