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 Replies: 18 / Views: 2,143 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
752 Posts |
I have looked online at many of these in every grade I could see. It is amazing to me how some of the high end VF ones at first glance look better than even low end AU ones! I am very curious to see if people here agree on how they would grade this, or if the spread of answers will be as wide as I think it might be.   Edited by Adam590
07/25/2020 8:46 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
857 Posts |
Probably A technical EF with a somewhat light cleaning, what PCGS gave it really could be between a VF-30 (that's what I would personally grade it as, using my own standards) to as high as AU-55, given the leniency they usually give to coins like this I am leaning towards the latter.
Edited by Numis-Northerner
07/25/2020 8:51 pm
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5394 Posts |
EF 45 , based on what I have seen lately .
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7620 Posts |
AU 50 would not surprise me at all!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6385 Posts |
XF45 seems fair, with a shot at AU50. This is a very nice piece by the way, much finer than my type example which is graded PCGS VF25. Are you considering a purchase?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4680 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4469 Posts |
I am going to net grade to VF 25 because of old cleaning.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
8938 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
752 Posts |
Wow. We already are ranging from VF(25-30) to AU(50)! This one, which is NOT mine, is the same grade as mine, but seems to have MUCH more detail, especially on the eagle--again, this is why I am asking about this one. Others in the same grade as mine seem to have significantly less detail too...The standards seem all over the place!   Mine actually has traces of luster (if looked at from the right angle), and a pretty original gray patina, which is cool because a lot of the 1795 half dollars I have looked at seem to be very dark. @Jaobler: Thanks! I actually purchased this one already (it was my big purchase of the year) for a type set of half dollars (I am pretending the 1796 and 1797 ones don't exist). Does yours have comparable details? Edited by Adam590
07/26/2020 01:31 am
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1273 Posts |
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Moderator
United States
56855 Posts |
I'm in the 40-45 camp. John1  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
18665 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12057 Posts |
My grade is XF40 net VF30 due to the light "X" shaped scratch on the cheek and some minor surface disturbances. It is not a deep scratch but it is in a key focal area. That being said, it doesn't really matter what someone graded it at a TPG. It's a beautiful and historical coin which would be the centerpiece of a great many half-dollar type sets, mine included (the oldest I have is an 1806.) If the rest of your half dollars are of similar quality and scarcity, your set will be a pleasure to view. Member ANA - EAC - TNA - SSDC - CCT #890 "Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done." -- Louis D. Brandeis |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
752 Posts |
Here it is! Thanks for sharing your opinions, and yeah, it seems like there is a lot of subjectivity in how these early US coins are graded, even by the professionals! I like my example--and I like the price I got it for. I posted another example of the same grade which seems to have many more details, but I wonder if it has the same original color and traces of luster mine has. Eventually, I will want to upgrade this one to one with less wear on the cheek and the eagle's eye being more clearly visible, but for now, this is a flagstone in my collection. Thanks for your personal and passionate response, @paralyse. Sometimes TPG distracts us from the actual coins in favor of bold-faced font behind plastic. This is the lowest grade half dollar in my type collection (my 1807 one is EF(45), but weakly struck and my 1892 Barber Half is AU(50)), but it certainly has its originality, beauty, and history on its side. With silver half dollars and dollars of this era, fifty cents was a lot of money then, and I always wonder if a famous person or founding father once held this coin. Oh, the stories we wish they could tell us!  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
857 Posts |
Imo, though higher than I personally would grade it, I still think XF-40 is a fair grade considering.
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Replies: 18 / Views: 2,143 |
Posted 07/25/2020 8:58 pm
