1799/8 Draped Bust Dollar

I don't know enough about them to say, but I'd want to know if that messed up "I" in America is a known variety. Anything can be faked but that seems like it would be good starting point.

I think it's a 1799/8 $1 13 Stars Reverse, B-1, BB-142, R.4.

What raised dots? And yes, the "I" on the reverse is a well known die break on this variety.

http://coins.ha.com/itm/early-dolla...Lot=1x=0&y=0


P.S. As you can see by the linked price, the ebay price is not great for a raw one.

I disagree that advising collectors not to buy these coins raw is not helpful. The quality of counterfeits these days, buying raw coins of substantial value -- especially with regards to highly-counterfeited series such as these Early Dollars, Trade dollars, etc. -- I won't buy them uncertified. I don't care how good I get at grading or how certain I am, I'm not going to gamble $1000+ on an educated guess.

In your case, with your experience and knowledge, you may feel comfortable doing so; and if the seller has a good return policy, good feedback, and as seems to be the case, the coin matches a known die variety and has all of that die variety's features -- go for it.

That being said, the coin is overpriced, especially when you add in shipping and customs. A certified example could be found for less money, located in the US, and you'd have less questions about its authenticity. (Note: Seller states shipping will not be calculated until after the sale. That may raise the price even further.) Seller also offers 14-day returns, but in his terms, states 7 day returns only: Retour accepte dans les 7 jours suivant la reception de l'objet si le motif est justifie. retour aux frais de l'acheteur (returns will be accepted within 7 days of receipt if the reason is justified. Returns are at the buyer's expense.)

The raised dots are not seen in the plates of this variety in Reiver, nor are they mentioned in the text and this is a very lumpy variety so many lumps are mentioned, but not these. Further they are not seen in the Heritage coin posted. I think its fake. If this were real it would be a new die state of B1 and one would have seen intermediate states before. Further, the dots are all uniform in size and shape, not like die problems (see all the other lumps in this variety and how irregular they are).

My laptop has not been running ebay's zoom feature and those dots are definitely a concern. I'd pass for sure.

That coin looks bad to me. It's got the Chinese artificial toning look, and I don't care for the way the "Liberty" looks relative to the rest of the coin. I also don't care for the sharp looking "dots" that a previous poster circled. You might see a couple of those on a real coin, but they would usually look a bit more mushy.

I agree with the others. Buy coins only on one of the "big four" grading company holders. I'll only consider buying a raw coin if I can see the piece IN PERSON before I buy it. I won't buy any uncertified piece from pictures UNLESS it's a token or British coin from a dealer I know and respect.

the dentils above liberty and the tail feathers have a repaired look also