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 Replies: 12 / Views: 1,674 |
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Valued Member
United States
82 Posts |
This is the other gold eagle from my dad's collection. On the 1910 (and the dollar gold) the comment was made about having been cleaned. I'm afraid I'm somewhat at a loss here because both - all of the gold coins, for that matter - look the same quality of color. What am I missing? Does 'cleaned' mean something other than the color? How would this grade out compared to the 1910?  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1374 Posts |
I suppose a good way to describe it is polishing. If the scratches and fine features of a coin look like someone have tried to rub them away, then it has been cleaned.
This weekend I bought a 1911 Indian Quarter and a 1908 Liberty Half. The Indian was in a bezel, and the owner only polished the front of the coin. It is a great example, I'll see if I can't get some pics.
I'm not great on gold, but I think my Liberty is dang near perfect. Be back in a bit.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1374 Posts |
By the way, you have a great coin there. A bit of scratching on the front, and a bit below the eagle on the back but at least it isn't in the image.
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Valued Member
 United States
82 Posts |
Drsandman2 .... Thank you for helping to clarify. Yes, I would be interested to see your Liberty piece - though I may not know a lot about coins anymore, I can appreciate them. The thought of a bezel makes me wonder about this one. The front looks like it has wear, much more so than the back - where you can see the scratches and such in the 'fields', but not as much close to the relief of the designs. Oh well, I'm way out of my field with these, but must carry on. Thank you, again.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1374 Posts |
Note on both of these coins: scratch marks are from the holder. These are just temporary containers. Check out my 1911 Indian here. Might not be able to tell on the photos, but the rim is worn and colored a bit differently than the rest of the coin. That is your first sign it has been in a bezel. Anyway, the front has been polished. You can tell that the fine details of the Indian's headdress have almost been completely polished away. However, the reverse maintains most of its original luster and wear. Also note the difference in color between the front and back. I don't believe my liberty to have been cleaned, although I'm wondering what it would grade. The scuffs in front of liberty and most scratches are from the container.     Edited by Drsandman2
01/18/2011 11:22 pm
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Valued Member
United States
82 Posts |
Okay, I jealous! How do you get such clear photos? And, what kind of lighting are you using? When I take the photos, I get the light reflecting on every little scratch and whatever and it makes the coins look much more scratched up than they seem to the eye in real life. Like this .... one of the 3 quarter eagles I have. And the Liberty looks REALLY good to me.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1374 Posts |
Another note - I shot these pics with an LED light source. I paid $10 over melt for the Indian and $80 over on the liberty. Not sure if those are great prices or not, but figured it would be a cheap hole filler on the Indian type.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1374 Posts |
Your angle looks fine, but just too much light. Try a lower wattage bulb. I use a hiker's headlamp by setting it on the table. The LED will give it a more white or blue appearance, where the incandescent bulbs will give a warmer, brighter tone to the photo. Also make sure your camera is set on Macro and use a tripod or something to steady the camera.
Oh, and use only one light source. Before I snap my photos I turn off the room light!
Edited by Drsandman2
01/18/2011 11:53 pm
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Valued Member
United States
82 Posts |
I will have to look into an LED source. It might be worth it just for the coins even though there aren't many. Thank you.
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Valued Member
United States
82 Posts |
Potteries and porcelains are my forte and I've found that a halogen is a good lighting source for truer color. However, I seldom have that much 'gold' color to have to deal with so I suppose that is why I'm at such a loss for taking these. Tripod and macro are SOP - the hand isn't as steady as when I was younger.
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Rest in Peace
United States
4849 Posts |
christopher: The 1898 Eagle does not look cleaned imho. I would say the grade would range from AU-58 to MS-61(to grade lower than 58, it would have less luster; higher than a 61 would mean fewer hits and nicks imho).
On the 1912 quarter eagle, it may be cleaned but I dont think one could be certain from those images. The surface on the indians were more susceptible to hairlines since they are actually the high parts on the coin. I have owned about 10 AU indian quarter eagles certified, and almost all had significant hairlines. I would say MS-61 since I dont really see wear. Id expect more luster than what can be seen. Luster is a very important aspect in grading gold. Also, these indians are commonly faked and some of them are so good that you really need authentication. They are BOTH nice coins that you should be proud to own.
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Valued Member
United States
82 Posts |
johnny54321 hit it the mark. NGC called it MS61.
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Rest in Peace
United States
4849 Posts |
Woohoo! Well, got one right at least. :-)
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Replies: 12 / Views: 1,674 |
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Posted 01/18/2011 10:23 pm
