1918 Illinois Grade Request

Hmmm ... the scans of this coin mixed in with the other six led me to hope it might be MS ... but alas not.

This individual scan tells me XF45 or so ... and quite honestly I question whether this coin is genuine.

I may be completely wrong ... and offer the following insights to help you make your own determination.

There is some unusual toning/stain going on. The 'light' spots are curious to me ... look for example at the flow of light area on the obverse ... wonder if that is truly there or an artifact of the scans?

Also ... have you weighed the coin? Hoping it is somewhere near 12.5 grams ... with a slight weight loss due to circulation wear. A 'typical' genuine circulated example in this state (XF45) should weigh 12.1 to 12.4 grams in my experience.

There appear to be two 'dots' on the obverse that are proud of the surface ... and these do not appear on a genuine example. Look at 7pm in the fields (before the legend Centennial) and also at 3pm in the field between the I and N of Illinois.

Also that 'dot' under Lincoln nose ... is that really there?

Are these really there ... and are they proud (stick up) of the surface?

This coin was minted with a really cool (and uniform) beading on the interior of the rims ... all genuine examples I have seen have the beading complete ... this coin has the beading complete in some areas and disappearing in many others ... look at the obverse betwen 4pm to 5pm ... and the reverse between 5pm to 6pm.

Look as well on the reverse at the T of United ... that weird shape is not how the USA Mint issued this coin.

Hope I'm all wrong ... but in the honest spirit of sharing I encourage you to determine on your own if this coin is genuine ... if it were in my hands I would have some questions about it.

Not to steal your thread ... but for comparison to help you ... here is a photo of a PCGS MS65 Illinois half ... note the differences I spoke about:



Let us know what you determine ... if genuine ... XF45 and a $110 coin.

David

Edited for spllneging

I did not intend for you to worry ..

Look at your own scans and you should see all the things I pointed out (and more) ...

Relax ... find your loupe and confirm yes or no if you see these things on the coin itself ... might just be poor scans

Alas ... 11.7 grams for this coin (if an accurate weight) is not a good sign.

Truly need high resolution pictures ... do you own a camera?

David