1883 Shield 5c - Grade (With 3 OBV Breaks & Recut Motto)

AU-55

I'm going to go with AU55 here along with IGE. Very attractive coin IMO and a great "Everyman" type coin.

Observations:

- Very sharply struck for a Shield nickel with all stars showing full detail and most shield lines fully intact

- Original luster present on both sides of the coin, only partially interrupted by toning or light circulation wear

- The "strong" crack probably happened very early in the die pair's life, based on the overall sharpness. This is not uncommon at all for these coins.

- Obverse denticles are weak or absent in many places. This is probably also original to the die and may have been a result of excessive die polishing.

- Motto is recut as you noted and did a great job photographing!

- Check the loops of the 8's and the upper loop of the 3 with a 10-20x scope or loupe for signs of heavy die polishing lines, a rather scarce variety for the date. Also look for signs of repunching on the date digits (I think there are 10+ known RPD's for 1883 and 3 main overdates or OVD's which are much more scarce.)

Hopefully, these new attempts will shed some highlight





The top horizonal lines of the shield are full and complete and still will not come through clearly with a straight head on shot.

I decided to take one last angled picture (coin looks out-of-round) to show off the luster that this coin has. It has one of the most beautiful light copper toned patinas that I have ever seen on a shield:



This last shot is an extremely accurate portrayal of the coin's true look.