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 Replies: 11 / Views: 1,486 |
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New Member
United States
3 Posts |
Hello, everyone. I am new to this, so please excuse me if I am making amateur mistakes. I have had an 1877 silver Trade dollar with an "s" mark on it for over a decade and I am trying to evaluate it's quality. I have been reading about the various grading standards and I have an opinion regarding where it may fit on the grading scale, but I am a neophyte. I am uncertain about the size of the "s", as I understand the size varies, as well as the relative placement of the "1 and 8". Having only one of these to look at doesn't help me compare possible variations. If one or more of you has an educated opinion you'd be kind enough to share with me, I'd be greatly appreciative. Thank you very much for reading and/or responding to my post.   Edited by BrianL
08/09/2014 4:49 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7615 Posts |
XF details cleaned and/or polished
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Rest in Peace
United States
10625 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Korea, Republic Of
1881 Posts |
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Moderator
 United States
16677 Posts |
Welcome to the CCF BrianL.
As mentioned, your coin appears to be harshly cleaned which will substantially effect value.
I agree with XF Details.
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Valued Member
United States
121 Posts |
However, if there is a cup half-full approach, it appears to be genuine.
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New Member
 United States
3 Posts |
I wiped it with a small, felt cloth meant for wiping the patina off my sterling silver silverware so that I could see the extent of the scratches on the coin's face. It was about 15 seconds of wiping with this dry cloth. No abrasive or solvent was used. Will this really "substantially" affect the value? Like I said in my original post, I am a neophyte here, but won't that patina return once the coin is handled? Will the value then substantially increase? Lesson learned- I won't do that again, but I merely wanted the picture I posted to the forum to be as clear as possible so that you all could see the detail.
Thank you all for your input. -B
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7615 Posts |
Yes...wiping with ANY abrasive cloth, no matter how minor, will diminish the value.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7615 Posts |
If there is any consolation, we have all cleaned coins at one time or another. It is part of the learning process.
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Pillar of the Community
Puerto Rico
778 Posts |
 As you said lesson learned. Never clean your coins because that affects their value. I love patina.  |
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New Member
United States
3 Posts |
Funny- I never considered cleaning ANY of my coins until I photographed this Trade dollar. (sigh) If only I had picked a less impressive coin as my intro to the CCF I could've learned this lesson differently... Oh well, life goes on. I have other coins to share with you all and I'll be sure to never wipe them. Until then, thank you for the advice and thank you for all the friendly welcome messages! -B |
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New Member
United States
3 Posts |
The coin looks to me to be of the "Medium S" variety. Though it's a bit challenging for me to accurately measure a 1.1mm s versus a 1.17mm s, it looks like 1.1mm to me. I also think that the 1 and 8 are touching and it features a "heavy date". I don't see any chopmarks. Does anyone know how common the "medium s" Trade dollar is, relative to the others? -B |
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Replies: 11 / Views: 1,486 |
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Posted 08/09/2014 5:58 pm
