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 Replies: 6 / Views: 256 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
36916 Posts |
What would you grade this one? Sellers photos. I'm thinking about giving this one a bath in E-Z-Est.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3690 Posts |
For sure, 1888 is one of the more frustrating dates overall, but you found one of the nicer examples. There are some fun VAMs for this date. Great luster, original surfaces, and a better than average strike. Tired dies, like most of them.
Some of the cheek rash is die related, but there look like three or four NW-SE scratches on the cheek. It's hard to judge the depth from the seller's photos, but those are the only real issues I see on the obverse. There may be a ding on the eagle's breast. If these are the only serious marks and if they are shallow, this could go higher.
Just based on the seller's photos, this looks like at least MS-63/63+. I wouldn't be surprised with this going much higher when we see your in-hand photos. It's definitely an 1888 that I would have grabbed. Nice coin, clearly above average for the date, and maybe a very nice coin.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
76302 Posts |
I'll say MS-63.
Errers and Varietys.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11941 Posts |
65 at least.
IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.com |
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
36916 Posts |
Arrived. The coin was in an old flip and covered with PVC film. Gave it a bath in Acetone, then E-Z-Est. Not as nice as the sellers photos depict. As Forrest Gump once said, "it's like opening a box of chocolates, you never know what you'll get".   |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11941 Posts |
AU58. Looks rubbed above the ear and at the ball of the cap. Shame because it looks 65 based on hardly having any hits. Reverse luster seems odd after the dip.
IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.com |
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
18784 Posts |
i dont think thats wear on the hair around the ear and cap. these are typical areas where you see flatness from strike and cabinet rub.
MS63+
I'm not familiar with using E-Z-Est. will that affect luster? whats the purpose of using it?
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Replies: 6 / Views: 256 |
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Posted 01/28/2026 12:29 pm
