1892 Barber Half Dollar - Please Evaluate The Toning For Premium And Type

FortCollins

I appreciate your honesty and respect and appreciate your comments. I would respectfully disagree with all of them however. I trust PCGS as a grading service and though they sometimes can get certain aspects of a grade wrong, you made a list that I feel is unsubstantiated. Also, questioning the validity of their attribution was never meant to be the theme of this post.

When I purchased the coin and had several friends who are dealers look at the coin for the grade, they all agreed the grade is accurate and that the toning could actually push the coin to a PR64.

This is why I brought the coin here. To address another point you made, the very faint hairlines that your referencing in the fields of the coin are polishing lines, not countertop or cabinet scratching. Since these coins were made to be proofs, they used highly polished dies and that lends itself to the hairlines your concerned with.

In regards to a fingerprint, I just dont see it. I have taking about 50 pictures of the coin in about every kind of light and in hand under great magnification, I dont see any evidence at all of a fingerprint. I would have to give PCGS more credit than that for missing something so egregious as a fingerprint.

The scratches as I have indicated, are under 3 to 5x, and greatly exaggerated in most cases due to the lighting. They are not distracting in any way when looking at the coin in hand and barely if visable at all.

Since toning has been a thorn to some on this post its subjective and an acquired taste, but I would not dismiss it as unsubstantiated hype or a buzzword. Collectors appreciate toning in all types and it could bring thousands to an otherwise high pop coin or increase a coins grade.

There is a very strong market for toned coins and honestly, they are a breath of fresh air from the "blast white" examples that seemingly overrun the market. This of course is subjective and in the eye of the beholder and your entitled to your opinion. I would also strongly argue that DCAM or CAM are the only drivers of price above the base price, that is simply not true. You are also making the assumption that on that day, there was one available or that I had the extra $600 for a CAMEO example. I bought what I could afford and this was the only 1892 PROOF on the entire floor out of 125 tables.

I am not scared when its described as corrosive, I already undestood that going into my many purchases of toned coins. To me, they add something unique and elevate a coins appearance.

This coin has both electric blue and pink hues around the rim of the coin that is exentuated against the background of the gun metal grey toning. The toning is even and not splotchy and is described as target toning, one of the most desirable types.

The one thing I will agree with is that it doe not reach the monster level of toning that could command thousands more.

Given the coin only has 124 combined examples from both PCGS and NGC of this coin in this grade, I would be happy and was happy the gentleman before me who wanted the coin put it down, because he could not afford it.

Some on this thread have acted like this coin is massively available in this grade, and thats relatively true but a PR63 is not a PR65 and there will be imperfections as with any coin graded in 63.

So, though this coin is not for you I feel it was a bargain as has others here have agreed at $1400. PCGS lists it at $1525 and a recent ebay sale sold for $1500. When you add the toning it elevates this coin to $1900 reasonably.

With only 124 examples available across both grading companies, I would argue that turning your back on a piece of history on the bourse floor, with hopes of finding something better in the same grade, may cost you months of trying to find something you may never find.

Thanks again