1865 Cn3c

I'm thinking the flatness in the hair is strike weakness. I would go AU55 on this one, possibly higher in hand or with better pictures. What's up with the mark on the first S of STATES? That could affect the grade, depending on what it is or if it's on the slab.

If the "flat" spot on the hair above forehead is not wear I would dare say a MS 60. The blemish is unfortunate because of its size and location. Do you have this coin graded by someone? If so I would love to know by who and what it was graded. Very Nice 3cent(nickel)!

Thanks all,

ptb, yes, it is graded, by ANACS. I will post the grade when everyone has had a chance to grade.

Prethen is the expert on these, but I'll throw in my 3 cents worth. The CN alloy on these is extremely hard, & the hair that shows flatness on this coin is fairly high above the planchet surface. Because of this combination the metal doesn't always get forced completely into the die. The same two factors also contribute to a lot of interesting die cracks. I don't have any idea what percentage of these are weakly struck; I have seen a bunch of these in MS that showed the same flatness.

Notoriously, AU58 grades are very difficult to grade properly when presenting pictures on forums like this. Also, many times now, services will give the coin the benefit of the doubt and bump it to MS61-62 if it's possible the coin has no wear but just rub (coin cabinet, bag, etc.). Plus, it might be how you take and present photos of the coins. I actually thought your photos were pretty good. From them, I really don't see any obvious wear. Perhaps if they were taken at a different angle and/or different lighting conditions, some light wear might be obvious.

Regardless, this is a good thread for demonstrating the AU58 grade.