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Valued Member
United States
374 Posts |
Any opinions on the grade of this Shield nickel would be appreciated. I had to decrease the image quality a lot to get the photos to post.   Edited by Bababooey
08/03/2013 03:35 am
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Valued Member
United States
171 Posts |
Looks AU50 to me. I don't see the luter to go any higher.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
36741 Posts |
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Valued Member
 United States
374 Posts |
Thanks for the opinions. It was sold as a 'choose bu' but the price was in the AU range. What areas should you look at to decide AU rather than UNC? Either way I still like the coin, just wondering.
Edited by Bababooey
08/03/2013 12:14 pm
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
What areas should you look at to decide AU rather than UNC? Either way I still like the coin, just wondering. The obvious wear on the obverse - shield details at the top and obvious wear on the scroll surrounding the lines. |
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Valued Member
United States
374 Posts |
SuperDave, thank for you opinion. I think I've got to take and upload a better photo. I'm trying to learn more about the Shield nickel grading. What are the highest points that get the first wear? I think the horizontal shield lines look fine on the actual coin, but there is no way to tell on this picture, so that is my fault. However I may be wrong on this. -Evan Edited by Bababooey
08/03/2013 1:13 pm
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
What we're running into here is the difficulty of grading from photographs. It is as much about understanding images themselves - the photographic process and what does and doesn't translate - as it is about understanding the individual coin issue. Not everybody's capable of creating "perfect" coin images, so you have to take grading opinions with a grain of salt. Here's how we'll approach this: Below I'm posting a couple images of a well-struck Mint State 1870 (PCGS 65), imaged with sufficient quality to reliably grade from. It's as much about the quality of color and implied luster, as it is about the sheer sharpness of the pics. The scrollwork and upper part of the design are the high points; on the reverse, your best bet for catching wear early is the stars. However, all of these are also areas which are affected by weak strikes, so there's still a level of subjective thinking in the grading process. See what you can - using your own eyes with your coin in-hand - observe to differentiate your coin from the one I'm posting. One thing I immediately noticed, which I hadn't before, is what looks like a sizable break in the obverse die of your coin down near 4:00 below the last leaf. If that's a chunk out of the die, it makes for a very interesting feature given its' size.   |
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Rest in Peace
United States
4078 Posts |
Is that a die crack below CENts in op picture and SsDd picture?
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
Is that a die crack below CENts in op picture and SsDd picture? Yes, it's a pretty common location for die cracks with this issue. Note they're not the same crack, indicating two differing dies. |
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Moderator
United States
16679 Posts |
It appears the coin Dave posted is a slightly later die state than the op's coin but not by much :)
Cool coin and a very under appreciated series.
AU50-53
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
18660 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3229 Posts |
AU 55. Nice!  |
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Valued Member
United States
171 Posts |
I look for ware on the Stars on the Reverse and on the horizontal shield lines and leaves on the obverse. AU50+ should have full stars on the reverse. There looks to be ware on the horizontal lines and several of the leaves. Definitely better than XF but no better than AU50-AU53 IMO.
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Valued Member
United States
374 Posts |
Here is another picture, taken as best I can. I tried two lights and no flash. This may or may not be easier to grade from. Thank for the opinions. thus far. I'm happy if it is in the AU range and it is a real coin. However it is irritating that it was sold as a "BU Choice" by a major dealer on ebay, when the consensus here is AU. It's clearly not the MS-65 that was posted above, but neither was the price.   Edited by Bababooey
08/04/2013 12:38 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5854 Posts |
I think it could grade AU-58. It seems to have much more luster than what I often see in the lower AU grades.
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Moderator
United States
16679 Posts |
After seeing the newer, better pictures, I agree with D0ubl3Eagle.
Your first picture made it appear lower AU.
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Replies: 20 / Views: 2,045 |
Posted 08/03/2013 10:45 am
