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 Replies: 20 / Views: 1,337 |
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New Member
United States
17 Posts |
Hi - I am new to the community and to coin collecting. My dad passed away and he had quite an assortment of coins, including hoardes of coins which I must go through. But before I can do that, I need to become educated and learn how to grade coins. I watched an pre-recorded 2 hour online grading 101 presentation by the ANA and took copious notes. Now, based upon that presentation, I am going to attempt my first grading of a coin. Will be following up for a professional appraisal as well, but would like to get the communities input so I can see what I did right and what I need to improve on. With that, here we go..... Obverse side - Strikes and rim are strong and fine detail in the devices (i.e. hair curls on face, hair above liberty crown, around eyes (especially the lower eye lid), crown, beads holding hair in back of head and stars are easily seen. Has nice luster that reflects when rocking the coin under the light. There is some very faint light scratching on the field of the coin, her cheek and neck which can be seen with the aid of a magnifier. There is a one small light scratch which can been seen by the naked eye on the field of the coin on the lower right side just below where the bottom curl meets the shoulder. Also looks like a small area is starting to darken by the first and 2nd stars on the bottom left. Has nice luster that reflects when rocking the coin under the light. Reverse - As in the front, the strikes and details in the devices, especially the shield, is fantastic. Can see the lower and upper mouth of the eagle, nostril and its eye ball are distinctive. The details of the feathers on the lower right arrows in the eagle's talon are showing signs of wear but are still noticeable. As on the front, very faint light scratching on the field can be seen only the aid of a magnifier. Overall Impressions: A coin great shape. Comparing this coin to the others on PCGS, I am going to assign a MS62. Let the comments and education begin!!!!     |
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
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New Member
 United States
17 Posts |
Thank you for the link John! Bookmarked!
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Please enlarge both of your full-size images.  to the CCF! |
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New Member
United States
17 Posts |
Let me know if this is any better. |
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
18670 Posts |
i like your detailed assessment. all of that comes into play. keep in mind that TPG's are more lenient on gold when it comes to scratches. your photos are too small to see the surfaces properly and must encompass the entire coin using your photos here I can only narrow it down to AU58 or MS63. the last photo of the reverse looks like its showing some very light wear on the top of the feathers on the neck which would lean me to AU58. if you can get larger photos posted. we will take another look at her. congratulations on your inheritance for condolences for your loss. you have now been thrown head first into the numismatic pool. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Yes, much larger pics, pease!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6385 Posts |
Quite a few scuffs and abrasions, particularly on the obverse. The obverse also shows lots of friction and luster loss in the fields. Original luster is only visible around a couple of the stars. I'd grade it AU-53. This 1880-S half eagle is a common coin and the value in this condition is based on the gold content. Edited by Jaobler
10/30/2023 5:11 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Looks like a bad cut across the cheek as well. Guessing this is just a bullion coin.
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New Member
United States
17 Posts |
My initial gut reaction was between an AU58 and MS62 so I'll give myself a pat on the back for first attempt. Did something on a Peace dollar someone posted and asked for people to guess its grade - I guess one grade higher than actual. I may actually have a future at this!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2281 Posts |
Slow down turbo.
This isn't something you can just accrue over night.
Most likely you compared photos to your Coin and it took you awhile.
A professional grader will know the grade within seconds without the help of photos or anything else but a loupe.
It can take a long time to develop your eye, stick with it and don't get discouraged.
You realize when you know how to think, it empowers you far beyond those who know only what to think.
-Neil deGrasse Tyson
Edited by NumismaticsFTW
10/30/2023 10:52 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
74294 Posts |
I am thinking AU to low MS.
Errers and Varietys.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1143 Posts |
I believe the old saying goes like this...
Grading is easy..just look at 10,000 coins and it becomes apparent.
I'm probably at 50,000 and am still learning.
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New Member
United States
17 Posts |
NumismaticFTW - your right that this is a skill which is definately not obtained in any short period of time. I didn't spend awhile, I spent hours on this. I referred to the notes I wrote from the ANA online grading 101 class, researched what focal points to look at on this particular coin, look and compared numerous PGLS example to the coin itself before I put together my thoughts and final grade on the coin. I am just happy and encouraged that it appears I applied what I read and saw correctly this one time. Thanks everyone for the feedback on stuff I missed and additional thoughts/feedback on some of my observations. Much appreciated! Its only through practice and being receptive to honest constructive feedback or suggestions can we improve.  Edited by dldmetz
10/31/2023 02:52 am
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Moderator
United States
15441 Posts |
to the CCF Nice job on your initial attempt. Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.art |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
18670 Posts |
here's something you can do regarding grading. assess you coin and assign a grade based on that. go to ebay and search for same coin slabbed by PCGS/NGC in the grade you assigned. look at several of the slabbed coins side by side with yours and see how they compare. Always keep in mind that even the big houses get the grade wrong since its subjective. we see them here all the time. sometimes you just scratch you head and try to figure out how they got there. |
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Replies: 20 / Views: 1,337 |
Posted 10/30/2023 08:02 am
