1870 3CN Nickel Piece-Grade Needed

Single pics full size of each side would help. I will throw out XF-45 from what I can see

my best effort with a very tough milky white surface that 3 CN pieces present themselves as:




Every time I attempted a straight perpendicular shot the hair strains faded out. Therefore, I held the coin at a 30 degree angle to better accentuate the true details present but very slightly distorted because of the angle.

Finally, I inserted this somewhat oblong shot into a Word doc., clicked once on 'each separate' .jpg to make the interactive perimeter handles show up. I then grasped one of the middle handles and slightly pulled outward to 'stretch' the oblong appearance into a further improved (but not perfect) and normalized circular one.

These secondary coin shots are a much closer representation more in tune for grading opinions to accurately weigh in on.

The designer of this coin, James Barton Longacre, would have given me a blue ribbon for making the head of his girl, Ms. Liberty, not appear like an egghead.

And yes, this is the same genius that named-stamped Longacre doubling: kind of appropriate and coincidental in this particular thread...

Sorry for the deviation but I guess it's not a mortal sin to 'slightly' rob one's own thread?

The most famous coins Longacre designed:

Flying Eagle cent (1856-1858)
Indian Head cent (1859-1909)
Two Cent Piece (1864-1873)
Three Cent piece in silver (1851-1873) and nickel (1865-1889)
Shield nickel (1866-1883)
Seated half dime reverse (1860-1873)

This is too much information; I know.

the cheek is not showing any type of wear which would be one of the first places we would see it. I believe you have a weakly struck coin on both sides. its still difficult to determine surface originality but i'll go AU58 or MS62/63. I'm leaning MS62 due to strike

Not less than AU-58, MS would not surprise.