Is This 1921 Buffalo Uncirculated?

I'm thinking it could be MS but probably AU-55 to AU-58

I hope fortcollins pops in.....

Looks quite nice to me

The 1921 Buff is an enigma. UNC 1921 Buffs price well, but aren't as scarce as Greysheet pricing suggests. Well struck ones are very scarce, but this isn't one of them.

This looks pretty much like an average 1921 UNC. It has a mismatched die pairing, LMDS obverse, VLDS reverse. The reverse lettering (especially FIVE CENTS) is merging with the rim and there are heavy metal flow lines in the fields. The strike is weak, but typical. The second feather rachis and calamus are complete, but weak. The date and first feather are very weak for a 1921. There is heavy evidence of die clashing and heavy die polishing. Notice the chin/EPU clash and polishing marks on the Indian's chin and upper neck and the buffalo's head and right rear leg. there are quite a few polishing gouges in the field, as well. This one is typically baggy. There are quite a few bag marks on the central devices, though not too many are particularly deep.

Overall, it appears to be marginal/lower UNC, but is not an eye-catcher. Better struck UNC 1921 Buffs with better eye appeal are out there. Greysheet has lower UNC 1921 Buffs in the $100 to 140-ish range. They shouldn't command those prices with the weakness shown on this coin.

From the pics, I'd call this one MS-62, tops, because of a possible half point eye appeal knock for strike weakness. It's a longtime seller, the listing is fair, and the seller's description and pics are fair. IMHO, it could be a decent buy if you set your top bid and stick to it. This isn't one for "gotta have it" syndrome. Better examples are out there.

JMHO.

i have it at MS63 and appreciate fortcollins detailed assessment as it helps everyone with this more difficult to grade series.

one thing that frustrates me is my inability to see die polish lines where he sees them. even when I blow these up for the life of me I cant see most of them he referenced.

@Panzaldi, your wish is my command.

As background, I am a buyer's agent almost exclusively. I have customers in different stages of assembling high end Buff sets. The first to commit to a specific date and mint combo gets dibs on the next one I find. It's an elusive hunt for some of them. A 1921 Buff that checks all of the boxes is a beast to find (pun intended).

Here are the photos showing some of the clash remnants and the die polishing lines. This set of dies was used extensively after polishing the clashes. I only have the ebay photos to work with here, so the pics are small.

WSW-ENE die polishing lines to the left of the second feather:


N-S Die polishing lines at and below the chin. These are the most common lines found on Buffs:


Die polishing lines at an angle to the metal flow lines at IB of LIBERTY. Note that they are roughly parallel to the deep die gouge through the "T" of LIBERTY.


Unpolished chin/EPU clash on reverse:


Still visible second feather clash above buffalo's head:


Weak SSW-NNE die polishing lines above buffalo's head. Note also the weakness of the hair on the head relative to the buffalo's back.


W-E (upper) and NW-SE (lower) die polishing lines at the right rear leg. Note the leg weakness.