1808 $2.50...A would be monster and an 1834 $5 crosslet 4 with the scratch that mattered.

When building my US Coin type collection, I elected to purchase two separate gold coins that I knew would not be accepted in any registry. But they were gorgeous coins with amazing strikes and, except for a long ago, errant cleaning on one of them and a minor tiny scratch on the other, they would be a couple of my flagship pieces. Even as it is, I love these coins and will not part with them.

The first is an 1834 Capped Head "left", $5 Small Head with Crosslet 4. The coin is gorgeous and I bought it raw in an auction thinking it was easily a low 60-something. The coin has great eye appeal, bright luster and very sharp details...a small scratch on the obverse was a tad bit worrisome but hopefully, I thought, this little physical faux pas would not keep this important coin from grading...wrong...not! Now resting in an ANACS holder, the coin remains no less enjoyable to look at and is no less rare than its non problem mates. Oh well..It looks great in my type collection...though I would have relished all the registry points this one would have brought in an NGC or PCGS holder.

The other is a hairsbreath away from being a true monster. This is an 1808 $2.50 in at least 62-63 mint state condition as to wear. But due to an old, improper cleaning, it resides in an NCS holder. I did not buy this one raw folks...I was told right from the get-go that the coin was in an NCS holder but decided to buy it anyway. I could not touch the price for this rare, one year type coin in the same condition if it were in a PCGS holder. My US Coin Type Collection is my flagship set and I truely wanted to own a type example of each Federal business strike coin since 1792. So, buying this coin was a choice that saved me the price of an Aston Martin DB9...ok maybe a one year old one. I've been told a problem free MS example of this coin would cost over three times what I paid.

I can't help wonder if left on its own and out of the holder, whether the patina of age would eventually, and naturally, begin to erase the signs of the aleged cleaning...which I can barely discern, by the way. The coin shows absolutely no no wear at all...just a few bag marks and very minor cabinet abrassions.

At the end of the day, I get to look at this beauty sitting between my 1805 $2.50 and my 1813 $2.50 type coins instead of grumbling over a VG8 example in a PCGS holder that I would probably be able to afford for the same coin without any grading problems.

Off Belay!

PS..Cant upload the image no matter how much I compress it or adjust it per the <75k requirements... Any ideas?