Coinbuf

Even for a small mintage of a few million more than one set of obv and rev dies would be used. The op's coin was likely struck with a worn obv and new (newer) rev die, which accounts for the difference in the strike for each side.

Guy walks into a bar and says "how do I make $100 cleaning and selling rare coins?" The bartender replies "start with $1,000 worth of rare coins". True story.

Valuing cleaned coins is tough because the kind of cleaning and the severity of the cleaning will have an impact on the value. If the cleaning is just a lite wipe then it will be worth more than a coin that has been scrubbed harshly. Without seeing the coins the only advice I can offer is to start at the grade you think each coin would grade at if it was not damaged and then subtract a percentage of that price depending on the severity of the issues it has. If you can plainly see significant cleaning lines then it could be 50% or more of a deduction, if just a lite wipe with only faint hairlines perhaps a deduction of 15-20%. I'm sorry for your experience, the only solace I can provide is that it is a very common one for those just getting started in coin collecting and many have been through this. @Mohawk's suggestion of putting them on ebay in a no reserve auction is the best way to really find out what the market value is. Or you could keep them as a learning tool of what not to do in future purchases.

Thank you @Hoghead515, this is the 8 tailfeather VAM 14.2 and NGC graded it as MS62. Also adorned with a CAC green bean.

No

My thoughts are that there is no way to give an accurate guess as to what this coin could grade from the two photos provided in the op. If I had to make a call from only these two I would have be say AU, but honestly that is akin to throwing a dart onto a dartboard blindfolded and expecting to hit the bullseye. I do not think you have worn out your welcome, rather that you are expecting answers that cannot be given from the provided resources. As such the members are doing what they can to help by providing the link above and their thoughts without the direct answer you seek. And just to touch on the counterfeit issue, it is actually much easier to pass off fakes that look like circulated coins vs unc as the potential buyers may just rationalize the things that "don't look quite right" as having come from circulation as opposed to alteration.

How is that any different from the funds in your checking account? Every bank relies on electronic devices to access and process deposits and withdrawals. So if the power grid is knocked out then you will have no way to access your bank accounts or use your debit and credit cards as most do when buying and selling goods. Sure some people have a few hundred or maybe even a few thousand on hand, but how long will that last if a widespread ransomware attack happens.

Sounds like you will be writing a very large check to NGC.

Does not look broadstruck to me, more of a vice job or attempt to make an error. the fact that the smooth side is raised almost certainly suggests PMD.

1921-S not P, AU55 ish is the best I guess from the pics and I would say that you paid full retail +. Currently on ebay there is an ANACS graded AU58 with a bin price of $55 with $4 shipping.

No not die doubling, just uber common and worthless strike doubling; AKA mechanical doubling.

No

In theory the city would still be responsible to pay the taxes to the feds in dollars, so the payroll software would have to be programed to do all withholding in dollars and a conversion table to covert to bitcoin for the salaries. Not impossible and I think it is being done in a few instances, seems to me that I read where a few pro athletes have requested to be paid in bitcoin vs dollars. I did not read any follow ups nor did I hear of this was granted or being done for them but it is possible. While these are currently "one-off" examples it could pave the way for crypto payments as a more mainstream currency, still lots of issues and not fully viable yet but could be someday. I'm just guessing here but I get the feeling that some people think that being paid in bitcoin is one way to stay off the IRS radar. In case anyone is not aware part of the 3 trillion dollar boondoggle bill proposed by the current administration includes a provision that would require banks and financial institutions to report all cash transactions of $600 or more to the IRS.

Just a bit of strike or die deterioration doubling, uber common and it is not an error and does not add any value to this coin.

Did you use the link that was provided for you? Use the above link that @Just Bob provided, once there up in the right hand corner you will see a toggle button that says MS PF. Click the PF and then you will see four photos of the different proof mintmark styles. I could tell you what you have but I would rather you will learn something about the features and knowledge that this site has to offer once you know where to go. There are no different mintmarks for the "D" (Denver) mintmarks on the SBA coins.

I am not very crypto savvy, however from the little I know most of the crypto currencies are still far to volatile to be used as a base currency for things like paying employees. However after saying that it is being done on some small scales and I would not be surprised to see this become more mainstream sooner than later. Hopefully not during my lifetime.

The small S mintmark on the reverse of the coin means this was minted at the San Francisco mint where just over 17 million of these dollars were coined. This makes the coin more valuable than the very common coins of this date that has no mintmark and were coined in Philadelphia. However as has been said the condition of this coin, even taking into account the lower mintage; is too poor to be worth the cost of grading and slabbing. It is a very nice family keepsake, one that you can be proud to own and pass on some day.

Does not look like any sort of DDR to me at all, the most likely scenario is a plating blister. If the lines are raised from the field then the next most likely is some sort of die gouge, my bet is a linear plating blister.

These are my thoughts, I think what you are interpreting as wear is mostly because of the tone this coin has and how it lays on the coin. The high areas have a change in color look that often defines an AU from MS, but in this case that is mostly because the high points did not tone like the lower areas. There also is some strike weakness notable in the hair curls, hat and leaves which might lead one to conclude AU. But look at the cotton bolls, notice how there is some slight weakness of strike (very common) but the surface looks consistent not dull or rubbed on the high spot, same for the hair over the ear. Again some strike weakness (again very common) but no noticeable color change or rub is seen in the photos. Same for the eagle's breast feathers on the rev; these are the areas that can help you to judge photos when trying to ascertain MS from AU. This is easier when you have the coin in hand to rotate and see any changes on the surface of the coin. You can see the drawbench marks on the cheek left there because the cheek did not fully strike up. Overall a very nice MS coin with minimal marks and a pleasing tone (not monster level tone); the only reservation I have with the grade is I would like to see the cheek just a bit fuller. However I will say that it may appear fuller in hand than it does in the photo.

Looks very nice, enjoy the journey.

Sounds like your gilty of spreading misinformation to me.

Collecting is diverse, lots of ways to have fun.