Sandon

Whenever I have submitted coins to NGC, I have submitted them myself and have been able to track my submissions through the "Submission Tracking" function under the "Submit" tab on the NGC home page while logged in. I don't think that you can do that where a dealer submitted coins under his own NGC account, not yours. (If he used your account, he should have given you the submission number through which you could track the submission.) The "turnaround time" runs from the date that NGC enters your coins into their system, not the date the package was received. There can be a delay of a week or more between those two dates, as well as the time between the date that NGC ships the coins back to the dealer and the date the dealer receives it, so you should add about two weeks to the estimated turnaround time before making any inquiries. The dealer should be able to track his own submission. Coins on a single submission form must be submitted under the same "tier". I assume that all of your coins were submitted under the "Economy" tier with owner's values not exceeding $300 each. If NGC determines that any of these coins substantially exceeds the $300 value up to $3,000, you will be charged for the "Standard" tier ($40) for each of those coins, an additional $17 for each such coin. NGC uses the NGC Price Guide to make these determinations. NGC once charged me the "Express" tier fee ($80) for a 1795 half cent that I submitted under the "Standard" tier knowing that it was impaired based on their graders' opinion that the coin has "AU details" and was worth more than $3,000 even though NGC described it as "corroded". However, I have had other coins that received grades whose NGC Price Guide values somewhat exceeded the upper limit of the tier without being charged more. In addition to grading fees, submissions to NGC generally are subject to a $10 per submission form processing fee and a return shipping fee that varies with the number of coins submitted and the total declared value of the coins. You can see the current return shipping fees at NGC Announces Major Improvements to Return Shipping and Insurance Services | NGC (ngccoin.com). The dealer may be using his own shipping account instead. I would have assumed that the dealer would have informed you as to any shipping and other charges that originate with him. Although you may have some pleasant surprises, be prepared for unpleasant ones as well. Many coins that look good even to experienced collectors and dealers are returned as "cleaned" or otherwise impaired. It doesn't appear that you asked the dealer to check the coins for you to determine whether they were all worth submitting. You might want to read the following article on the NGC website by major dealer Jeff Garrett: Jeff Garrett: The Art of Rare Coin Submissions | NGC (ngccoin.com). I hope it works out for you. Please tell us about the results.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. I assume that you are offering to sell this coin. You may wish to review the guidelines for the Marketplace forum, which are posted as its lead topic. In particular, please take note of the following rules: "If selling directly from here, you must list specific items with purchase prices. It is acceptable to bulk price, and/or to note that package discounts may be available, but you must list a starting price that you WILL sell for (links to auction sites like eBay are an exception). . . . Include estimated shipping costs, times, and methods. Include acceptable forms of payment." As this coin has a doubled die reverse, a clear, cropped photo of the reverse might also be helpful. If you are not offering the coin for sale, you should have posted this topic on the "U.S., World and Ancient Coin" forum, as the Marketplace forum is for solicitations to sell, purchase or trade numismatic items.

Back in 1996 I bought the coin whose photo appears below this paragraph as a representative of the 1856 "Slanting 5" Braided Hair large cent. I noticed the irregularly shaped depression between the portrait and the eleventh star but didn't think much about it. It occurred to me that it could be a planchet flaw, the result of the coin having been struck through scrap, or post-mint damage. (The reverses of this coin and the others shown in this post are unremarkable.) The coin cost me all of $15.65 and was a decent enough (Ch. VF, though perhaps "cleaned") coin for my old "Library of Coins" album. I assumed that the depression was unique to this particular coin. In 2002 I attended a local coin auction that included another 1856 "Slanting 5" large cent, this one having uncirculated or nearly so details but with an unfortunate area of corrosion on the obverse encompassing the left edge of Liberty's coronet and the adjacent stars. I noticed that this coin had a similar, but larger, depression in the same area as the example I already owned. I purchased this coin for $55. I had the idea of showing both of these coins to knowledgeable dealers at coin shows but never got around to it. Here is a photo of the obverse of this second coin: I subsequently obtained a copy of Newcomb's United States Copper Cents 1816-1857 and determined that each of these two coins is an example of the N13 die variety. The most distinctive characteristic of the obverse of this variety per Newcomb is "a sharp point [that] slants up from [the] end of [the] bust", which is possibly a misplaced numeral "1", which is visible on both photos. Newcomb's only comment about die states for this variety was that it "[c]omes perfect and with a narrow rim break from over ninth to eleventh stars". Newcomb did not mention a depression near the eleventh star. More recently, I looked for photos of other examples of the 1856 N13 large cent online. The circulated example illustrated on NGC "VarietyPlus" shows a small but noticeable depression touching and just to the left of the eleventh star and a narrow and shallower depression extending from the left side of the deeper depression near the star. Presumably, this is an early state of the larger depressions on my two coins. Here is the obverse photo of the NGC coin: PCGS Coinfacts includes in its photos of 1856 N13 large cents a coin (certificate no. 21880447), graded MS 64RB and provenanced to the Col. Steve Ellsworth collection. This piece shows a roundish depression extending from the left side of the eleventh star. It is smaller than those on either of my coins but larger than that on the NGC "VarietyPlus" example. However, Coinfacts also contains images of this variety that have no sign of the depression, one of which (graded MS 63 BN but no certificate number) has the late die state rim break mentioned by Newcomb! The PCGS photos of the obverses of these two coins follow: A mint caused depression on the surface of the coin would be caused by something raised above the surface of the die. Such a depression could be caused by foreign matter (such as a sliver of scrap metal) lying on the die or planchet resulting in a "strikethrough" or by a bulge in the die. However, a "strikethrough" would likely only appear on a single coin or a few coins; and a bulge in the die, although it could get larger as the die wore, presumably wouldn't disappear as the die became more worn and developed a rim break. I am at a loss to explain the appearance, growth and disappearance of the depression on 1856 N13 large cents. Does anyone have a large cent reference that explains or even notes this depression? Do any of you have possible explanations to offer or photos of additional pertinent examples to post?

1982 "no P" Roosevelt dime, strong strike, PCGS graded MS 65 in old green holder.

I see nothing in the photos that indicates to me that this coin is counterfeit, although I can't be sure that it is genuine either. The coin has clearly been given a harsh abrasive cleaning, as indicated by the extensive hairlining that goes mostly in the same direction on each side of the coin and the ugly gray color. (Compare this with the patches of hairlines on the 1880-CC Morgan dollar you recently posted, which could have occurred in circulation.) In addition to obverse chop marks, this trade dollar has serious scratches and damage on the reverse. Even if genuine, it's an undesirable coin.

1802 large cent, no stems variety, S-241, NGC graded VF 20, with a fascinating reverse featuring part of an extra "S" punched beneath the second "S" in "STATES" and a doubled fraction bar. The same reverse was used in an earlier die state on the 1803 S-243!

To learn how to submit coins to NGC, go to the "Submit" tab near the top of the NGC home page and review the various topics, under it, especially "How To Submit", "Coins We Grade & Policies", and "Services & Fees". Submission forms and instructions are also available through this tab. As others have stated, coins that have been removed from jewelry are usually damaged. Hopefully, you will be lucky enough to find someone who can remove the coin without damaging it.

Based on your photos, which we would have preferred to be cropped to eliminate the excess white space around the coin, the coin appears to be a genuine example of this very common date "with motto" Liberty Head half eagle (five-dollar gold piece). There is no way to tell for sure that the coin is genuine from photographs. If possible, you should have the coin weighed on a digital scale that goes out two or three decimal points to verify that the coin weighs approximately its official weight of 8.359 grams. As gold coins are frequently counterfeited, and some of the counterfeits made decades ago were made of gold of full legal weight and fineness, it might not be a bad idea to submit it to a grading service solely for purposes of authentication. The coin would likely grade somewhere in the About Uncirculated (AU 50 to 58) grade range, and there is little difference in list prices for this issue and other common dates of this series from 1880 to 1908 in circulated grades and mint state grades below MS 63. At current gold prices, the coin is sought in such grades more for its gold content of 0.24187 oz. than for its numismatic value. If you are interested in buying it as a "type coin" rather than to acquire gold, you might want to look for a MS 62 or better example that has already been authenticated and graded by a reputable third-party grading service. It is my impression that the "Counterfeit Coins" sub-forum is for the posting of topics about coins that have already been determined to be counterfeit or likely counterfeit. You would probably get more attention by posting a topic like this one in the regular "U.S., World, and Ancient Coins" forum or the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" forum.

1909 V.D.B. Lincoln cent, PCGS graded MS 65 RD in old green label holder:

Welcome to the NGC chat board. Your 1949-S (not 1944-S) Lincoln cent has been polished to an unnatural brightness and shine, which reduces its collector value (otherwise ten cents or so) to face value. As its color is orange, how could you think that it is composed of steel?

These coins have simply tarnished, nowadays called (unattractively) "toned". It's some chemical compound formed from the combination of the silver and/or copper in the coins combined with other molecules in the environment to which the coins were exposed. Remember your high school chemistry class.

1934-D Lincoln cent, NGC graded MS 65 RD (old holder):

FYI, I own the coins whose photos I have posted on these chat boards. I give Stacks Bowers photo credits when I use their catalog photos.

Regarding the grade of your coin, it has Fine details and appears to have been polished or otherwise improperly "cleaned". To grade Very Fine per ANA grading standards, the bottom two cotton leaves must be distinct from Liberty's cap. The hair strands should also be more distinct. The reverse on a Very Fine coin should not have the flat areas on the feathers seen on the upper left (facing) wing of yours.

Your coin has the usual small, roundish "O", not the oval "O". The oval "O" seen on a minority of 1888-O Morgan dollars is apparently from the punch that was used on all 1881, 82, and 83-Os, on some 1879 and 80-Os and on most 1884-Os as well. The small, roundish "O" was introduced at some point in 1884 and used on the vast majority of "O" mint Morgan dollars dated from 1885 through 1904. I happen to have a well-worn (Good) 1888-O "oval O", which looks like this:

1940 Lincoln cent, PCGS graded MS 65 RD:

Welcome to the NGC chat board. Someone simply ground off the reverse of this 1941 Lincoln cent with a tool. It isn't a mint error and has no value to collectors.

I wouldn't! In my experience ANACS tends to be more conservative than many realize and perhaps more likely to describe the coin as "cleaned".

The coin is stored in a safe deposit box and isn't available for me to photograph. The Stacks Bowers photos are sharper and less "glary" than the ones I could take with a digital microscope and are a pretty accurate depiction of the coin, which was likely "dipped" and has a somewhat "washed out" appearance. Since @Coinzrfun intended this topic to be for posting photos of Morgan dollars, here are my own photos of an 1879-S "Reverse of 1878" (identified by the concave breast, parallel top arrow feather, and small mintmark), which I bought uncertified back in 1993, when they were relatively inexpensive. NGC recenttly graded the coin MS 62.

1866 Liberty Seated half dollar, ANACS graded XF 40: Photos courtesy of Stacks Bowers Galleries.

I only post photos of coins that I own. I acquired the 1894 Morgan dollar at a 2017 Stacks Bowers auction. You can see photos and descriptions of my NGC and PCGS certified coins on the NGC Registry at Sandon's Competitive Sets | NGC (ngccoin.com).

Although there aren't any Morgan dollar issues that can legitimately called "rare", the 1894 is certainly one of the scarcer ones. PCGS graded this one AU 55. Photos courtesy of Stacks Bowers Galleries.

This shade of grey is natural for a circulated silver coin. I would need to see the coin closer and at different angles and lightings to see if it has enough hairlines or an unusual sheen that could have led to an opinion that it was "cleaned". As the list prices for VF and XF of this issue are close together and an AU wouldn't be that much more expensive, you might want to wait for a somewhat higher-grade example anyway. Where do you get your information that "many of these were cleaned"?

Counterfeiters often make their fakes of older coins look worn or damaged to make them look old and, therefore, likely genuine. Another example would be the early half cents and large cents that have fooled the grading services, which fakes were mostly made with corrosion or surface damage.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. If you post this topic and the photos--preferably cropped to show only the coin and not the surface on which you placed it--on the "U.S., World, and Ancient Coins" forum where it will get more attention from the forum participants, one of the ancient coin collectors who participate in that forum may be able to identify the coin.