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 Replies: 14 / Views: 1,322 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1731 Posts |
My grandma just called me to me if I knew anything about a 1842 half dollar, I dont know anything. I asked her about the if there was a letter below the date (not sure if thats where its supposed to be) but she said no  |
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
The mint mark, if any, will be above HALF DOL on the reverse. They were minted in Philadelphia and New Orleans, so the only possible mint mark is an "O." That would make for a fairly pricey coin depending on condition; the Philadelphia version is rather more common. Condition, as you know, is key and I suspect it'd be tough for you to ascertain on details provided by a grandparent.  |
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
1731 Posts |
I just gave her an estimate of $29, because of the no mint mark, but there might be one. I havnt seen the coin so I dont know. I also said if theres a small O it might be $720. But those are the prices I got form the internet, but thanks Superdave for the help  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1610 Posts |
Does she live far from where you are... that must've been exciting news.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1731 Posts |
If far away, means 5 mins away, then yes she is far away. But I think shes just going to keep the coin. |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
There are also a couple of varieties based on the size of the date and lettering. The "Small" version is much the rarer from the New Orleans mint. It's distinguished most easily (to an inexperienced collector) by the amount of space at the bottom of TAT in STATES - the Large Letters version has the serifs very nearly touching at the bottom, while the Small Letters version has noticeable space between those serifs.
Prices are all over the map, and cannot be accurately quoted without specific knowledge of condition and variety. I will say, this one's worth pursuing for those details.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1731 Posts |
superdave, how would I grade one of these coins, if I ever go over to there house to look at it?
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Gimme a few minutes (OK, maybe an hour ). I'll put together a visual "quick and dirty Seated Grading" tutorial. You're not going to need to grade within a point one way or another, and Seateds are easily guesstimated by the condition of the wing feathers on the reverse. |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
OK, here you go. These are my own estimated grades - the filenames indicate the grade on the slab, all from PCGS. All images are courtesy of Heritage Auctions ( www.ha.com ), who have generously granted CCF permission to reproduce their images in return for credit. I know I'm going to sound like a commercial here, but if you're any kind of serious about coin collecting, you need to be a member at Heritage (it's free). You need to give their offerings serious consideration for any coin you're going to spend $100 or more on; I often "lowball" others here when quoting coin values, and my opinions are usually based on real-world results from Heritage. PCGS called this one F-15. I think that's slightly low.  PCGS VF-35, perhaps a touch conservative.  PCGS XF-45, again maybe a touch conservative. Note that the wear is confined to the highest parts of the feathers.  PCGS AU-55, and spot-on in my opinion. You have to be thinking carefully to see the wear.  This one's the "Small Letters" version, limited to New Orleans issues. PCGS VF25. Note the similarity to the first coin I posted; I'd call either of them VF-20.  You can fill in the blanks up and down. For an 1842 with no mint mark, you need to be in the upper VF range for value to really start escalating. There are multiple variations of date/letter size from Philadelphia, some worth more than others, and if you feel the coin to be XF or better we'll explore that at a later date. |
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Valued Member
Canada
258 Posts |
Very nice visuals! I'll surely refer to this page if I ever need it!
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Valued Member
United States
158 Posts |
Wow, SuperDave, the time you spend making the hobby, interesting and educational is greatly appreciated  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1731 Posts |
WOW, thanks superdave I'm deffiantely going to show this to her and maybe get an estimated grade. Thank you very much |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8904 Posts |
 Nice job SuperDave! You're a tremendous asset to this Forum! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1432 Posts |
Quote:
Nice job SuperDave! You're a tremendous asset to this Forum!  only 3 months as a member & have learned so much - thanks |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1731 Posts |
So she emailed me back and said there is no O mint mark, but she didnt tell me what picture, the coin looked like
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Replies: 14 / Views: 1,322 |
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Posted 12/27/2011 1:45 pm
