Two 1921 Peace Dollars

The obverse of the top coin looks unnatural to me, like maybe it was tampered with. It could possibly have been thumbed (rubbing the surface with a thumb to hide surface damage such as hairline scratches or polishing).

OK, interesting... My original thought was that the first looks 'softer' than normal.. and could be due to being cleaned?
The second - I think you can see the black markings.. How can I get that off without damage?


Thanks again

I think the first one is cleaned. The 2nd one looks like it could be XF or AU. It is hard to tell from the photos. I would try soaking it in acetone overnight and see if it helps with the black marks.

They both look AUish to me and the first one does appear to be cleaned or polished. Those black marks might come off with acetone and I've had good luck with Goo-Gone on a Q-Tip (very, very gently!).

I'm going to go out on a limb here considering my limited experience with Peace dollars and high relief examples even more so, but this is what I think I know/see.

On high relief 21's, when in doubt - always start on the reverse. I'm in doubt because as with so many high relief examples, it appears to be poorly struck. When this is the case, they can seem worn and washed out on the obverse. They can have very nice luster, but not cartwheel in nature due to the lack of strike. It's almost impossible to tell in the picture so I'll start on the reverse.

The reverse looks natural enough, I don't see any signs of cleaning, brushing or rubbing and it appears to have some luster. I'd grade the details in the high EF to AU range with wear evident in the normal areas - top of leg and breast above it.

Taking that into account, I'll grade the obverse the same as well for detail. Again, it's very hard to tell from a pic like this, but the lower left field (below in God we) looks like it may have been brushed. It may just be that the rest of the coin has been lightly cleaned which would account for the difference of appearance in that area, and the appearance as a whole of the toning and grime being where it is and only at the very edges of the devices.

I can't say with any certainty that the coin is cleaned so I'll leave that out and grade the first coin EF-45.

As for the second one - the pics are just too small to tell.

Brian.

OK, thats not going to work.. carry on..

Back to these 1921s.. SO- How does possibly being cleaned affect their values? If EF45s

The top one may have been lightly cleaned or it may be the light. Either way that is a great strike for a 21 Peace. The Reverse is very very nice. Those are AU55 details on the Reverse, and I think that what most people take for wear on the obverse is in reality a more than average strike for this coin. Looking at the areas where wear occurs I don't see much to take it down below an AU.

The second coin is harder to see, but the surfaces look more natural and from what I can see the reverse is also, at least an AU. It has a more average strike for a 21 and may even grade MS in hand.

#1. Cleaned, MS details.
#2. High AU, low MS. Need better pics.