1890-CC $20 Double Eagle MS-64

Well, these are shots on a short tripod with an older digital. My new digital should be better, but I can't find the manual focus in the users guide. (Yes, I am one of those people who read manuals.) These are better, but not fantastic.

Image: 1890CC_20DBLEGL_Eagle.jpg
85.96 KB

Image: 1890CC_20DBLEGL_Head.jpg
88.1 KB

It is not so obvious in the picture, but all the little dimples along the edge (stop laughing) of the coin on both sides are quite clear with no nicks or scratches. The slashes on the edge of the coin are all clear with no nicks or marks. The little delicate beams coming out over the eagles head are clear, no scratches that I can see using my 3x glasses.

I think I will be sending this off to be professionally graded. That should help the estate get the best value if we all decide selling is the way to go. Part of me wants to keep this, no matter the value. We'll see what the Sib's say.

Thank you all for your help. Its always good to find a group that is so helpful, and respectful of newbies!

I will keep you up-to-date and I will keep checking in to make sure I read all the comments.

Charles

The obverse has some deep bag marks, while the reverse looks clean. Unfortunately, the marks are at the most noticeable area (cheek) and would limit the coin to MS61 at best. If your mom purchased the coin during the peak coin craze of the 80s, she probably paid a good amount for it too.
I would send it off to ANACS, along with other coins you think may have value. What else did you find ?

Thanks for the comments on the image. It definitely will moderate expectations. In some ways it is good that Mom did not to discover this on her own. If her notes are right then she paid more than it was worth today, and that was in 1984 Dollars. It is a lesson I learned a while ago, don't invest/collect items you don't understand well.

I did find out my color scanner does a great job making pictures, though the images are huge. I set it up to 1600 dpi and the image is detailed. I think I see some of the things 1sikevo mentioned. Some artifacts from the plastic are there, but there do seem to be other real scratches. I might be able to make a nice clear 90K version for upload.

Hello Charles,
Well, the ANACS opinion is proably accurate.

The good news is that you have a genuine, highly collectible coin from the historic Carson City mint which contains almost a full ounce of gold. The "60 details" comment means it would grade Mint-State 60 (MS-60) or better based on wear. MS-60 is the lowest grade that is assigned for uncirculated coins.

The bad news is that someone, some time attempted to improve the look of the coin by "tooling". Perhaps they used dental picks or a file to smooth out some of the marks. ANACS is estimating that the tooling has reduced the value to that of a similar coin which grades AU-55. That grade is two notches below the minimum mint state grade. Although the coin is still probably worth nearly $2,000, in retrospect, it's clear that the Coin Castle dealer had drastically overstated the condition.

Please let us know if your Mom left other coin treasures that you can share. Once again, condolences on your loss.

Looks like the 90CC came back as a 55, no issues
It appears he sent in a 1904 also, separate ANACS number and it came back tooled, MS60 details. Too bad someone messed with that coin.

Yeah, looks like the dealer tried to pass it off about 6 grades higher than it really is... what a shame.
Still, it's a nice coin I would be proud of owning.