Sandon

This appears to be a nice uncirculated example that could achieve a high grade such as MS 67 RD, but it still wouldn't be worth the cost of submission. It doesn't appear to qualify for a "prooflike" designation. Dealers who got substantial "bulk submission" discounts had thousands of these certified--nearly 23,000 have been graded by NGC alone--and you can probably buy one of these for less than what it will cost you to submit this one.

@Dang vang--If you want to sell or trade coins on the Marketplace forum, please post your own topic instead of replying to someone else's (other than to do business with that member) and follow the rules stated here: Coin Marketplace Guidelines - Coin Marketplace - NGC Coin Collectors Chat Boards. I have no idea what coin you're talking about. Please post your question with clear, cropped photos of the coin on the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" forum.

The odd color and continuous scratches clearly indicate that this coin has been abrasively "cleaned", likely by a wire brush as suggested by @Idhair. The raised lines and blobs in and around the date are likely die chips, which were very common in the 1950s and add no value to the coin, especially one as impaired as this one.

The "Magnum Opus" label is likely some dealer's marketing gimmick and has nothing to do with the coin itself. If your coin is a Lincoln cent and is dated 1983 or later, it is composed of copper-plated zinc (official weight of 2.5 grams). If it is dated 1981 or earlier, it is composed of 95% copper alloy (official weight of 3.11 grams). (See the "Redbook".) If it happens to be dated 1982, you probably can't tell for sure, and we wouldn't even have a clue without photos. It is not possible to weigh a coin that has been "slabbed".

It would have been helpful if you had identified the "wedge tailed eagle set" as recent Australian issues, as most of us don't collect them. These modern noncirculating legal tender pieces and their holders match their photos on NGC certificate verification and are almost certainly genuine. Verify NGC Certification | NGC (ngccoin.com) Verify NGC Certification | NGC (ngccoin.com). There have been cases of grading service holders being counterfeited or tampered with and containing counterfeit or overgraded coins, but this is not the norm. It would also be helpful if you examine known genuine examples of coins that you want to acquire or at least photos of them, such as those on PCGS Coinfacts, the NGC World Coin Price Guide, or for recent issues, the website of the issuing mint, before you bid on them online. It is impossible to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit coins when you don't know what the genuine ones are supposed to look like. This is true for most of us. There are many coins I'd like to own but can't afford. Another well-known adage among collectors is, "there is no Santa Claus in numismatics." Equivalent sayings include "you get what you pay for", "if something is too good to be true, it probably isn't", and "you can go broke buying a bargain". You can get good deals on genuine, correctly graded coins if you look around, including at coin shows, and have the knowledge needed to evaluate the coins, but you're unlikely to pay less than 75% or so of retail list prices. You probably paid a low price for the 1875 twenty cent piece because knowledgeable bidders could see that it was heavily "cleaned" and of questionable authenticity. The 1878 graded PF 61 has current list prices ranging from $3,200 to $3,850 (CPG, NGC and PCGS price guides), and it's unlikely you could obtain a genuine one nowadays for less than $2,500 or so. If you did, it was a while ago or because the coin is unattractive even at the "61" grade. You may want to focus on attractive pieces that are within your budget and only buy coins certified by NGC, PCGS or ANACS.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. I have collected U.S. coins for over 50 years but don't recall having heard of a "magnum opus penny". If you can provide the name of the grading service that "slabbed" it and the serial number on the holder, we should be able to view the description and any photos of this piece on that service's certification verification application.

1803 Large 3 Draped Bust half dollar, PCGS graded Fine details, scratched, would be nice but for the likely intentional old scratch extending from Liberty's mouth. Some of our "newbie" collectors would probably proclaim that they had discovered the "spitting goddess" variety! Photos courtesy of Stacks Bowers Galleries.

Indeed, to my knowledge there are no coins minted and issued for circulation graded "70" by either NGC or PCGS. I've heard that PCGS once graded a 2003 Lincoln cent "MS 70RD", but the coin subsequently developed spots and was removed from the population report. If anyone wants to look through all of the pages of the NGC Census and the PCGS Population Report page by page for all circulation issues, be my guest.

@Erin33-The page of the NGC Price Guide at which you are looking is for uncirculated (MS) issues only. To see pricing for proof (PF) and reverse proof (RP) issues, click the "PF" button at the top right of the page. If you would post a photo of the coin, we should be able to advise you which of the three issues--uncirculated (MS), proof (PF), or reverse proof (RP), it is--and if it is an uncirculated issue, whether it has a chance of being designated proof-like (MSRDP). The uncirculated pieces were issued with 2019 uncirculated coin sets, the proofs with regular (clad) 2019 proof sets, and the reverse proofs with 2019 silver proof sets. "MSRDP" stands for a mint state (uncirculated) coin that is full "red" with a proof-like surface.

@TheFalconHunter--Welcome to the NGC chat board. If you are trying to get opinions as to the grade or other information regarding the 1881-dated Morgan silver dollar whose obverse photo you posted on this topic, please post clearer photos of both sides of the coin as a new topic on this forum and ask the questions you want answered. These coins were made at four different mints in 1881, with the mint mark appearing on the reverse ("tails") side. All but those with a "CC" mint mark are common issues. Your photo is too overexposed to see clearly, but this one appears to have been "cleaned" or polished, which would reduce its value.

I have the same comment as on your 1951-D cent photos about making the photos clearer and cropping them. These photos also have too much glare to make out the coin clearly. Try lighting the coin with a lamp aimed at an angle instead of lighting it from directly overhead. This 1975 cent appears to be uncirculated and full red, but the photos are too blurry to attempt to give it an adjectival (typical, choice, or gem) or numerical grade. It is difficult to grade coins, especially those at or near uncirculated condition, from any photos, as in-person examination at different angles and different levels of lighting and magnification are necessary to detect and assess "rub", hairlines, abrasions, and other factors that go into the determination of the grade.

Please try to provide clearer photos and crop them so that the photo is primarily of the coin and not the surface on which it sits. This 1951-D cent appears to be uncirculated and nearly full red. This would be an unusual find nowadays. If someone has touched the coin with bare hands, it may develop fingerprints or spots, so it would be a good idea to dip it in a neutral solvent such as acetone, or if none is available, I've had good results with rinsing each side of low value uncirculated copper coins like this with cold tap water, patting (not rubbing) them dry with a clean tissue, and letting them air dry for half an hour or so before placing them in a proper coin holder or container.

1995-S silver proof Kennedy half dollar, NGC graded PF 69 UCAM, which I just purchased for registry type set purposes for $19, this being NGC's current fee for grading it. The dealer had a PF 70 UCAM for $47, but I couldn't see any meaningful difference between the two.

Again, please use punctuation, and don't write in a "stream of consciousness". This makes it difficult for us to help you. You seem determined to multiply your mistakes and waste still more money. You don't send coins that you suspect of being counterfeit to grading services, only pieces that you believe are both genuine and of sufficient value to make third-party grading worthwhile. (The grading services nevertheless detect a fair number of counterfeits.) Sending the 1875 20 cent piece to NGC would involve a grading fee of at least $23 ($40 if you value it over $300), a processing fee of $10 per order, a $28 return shipping fee (1 to 10 coins) and your own cost to ship it to NGC. See NGC Services and Fees | NGC (ngccoin.com). You could ask experienced dealers and collectors to give you an opinion on it at no cost. You can also learn how to identify some counterfeits yourself. See NGC Counterfeit Detection | Identify Counterfeit Coins | NGC (ngccoin.com). If you own or wish to purchase a properly calibrated digital scale that measures to at least hundredths of a gram, you can check the weight of your coins against the legal weights stated in the "Redbook". Coins that differ substantially from these weights are likely fakes, although a correct weight does not guarantee authenticity. While it would be wrong--and obviously illegal--to sell a coin you know to be counterfeit as a genuine piece, I have never heard of anyone being prosecuted in the U.S. for simply possessing suspected counterfeit coins without intent to spend them or to sell them as genuine. (Some collectors openly collect "contemporary" counterfeits--those that were made when the original coins circulated.) If you determine that the coin is counterfeit, you presumably could turn it in to the U.S. Secret Service or other appropriate authorities. From whom did you buy these coins? Most reputable dealers guarantee the authenticity of the uncertified coins they sell, though not usually the grade. Don't do business with any dealer who doesn't make such a guarantee. Certified coins are subject to the grading service's guarantee, which you can read on their respective websites. I assume that by "stone mountain" you mean a 1925 Stone Mountain commemorative half dollar, a relatively common classic commemorative with a distribution of over a million pieces that isn't worth much unless it is in a Gem Uncirculated (MS 65 or higher) grade. Without a clear question and clear photos of the coin in question, we really can't help you.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. Respectfully, please try to use correct punctuation in your posts, and don't use abbreviations or jargon unless they are terms in everyday usage. I have collected and studied U.S. coins for over fifty years but am having difficulty understanding you. (What is a "10 oz wedge tail eagle set"?) The 1875 twenty cent piece you posted appears to have been harshly "cleaned" with an abrasive substance or, even worse, "whizzed" with a rotating wire brush. The original surface has been destroyed by thousands of minute hairline scratches, taking much of its value to knowledgeable collectors. I'm also concerned that the coin isn't genuine, as the word "LIBERTY" on the shield looks too deeply incised, and the border beads at the edge don't look right. Over the past twenty years or so, large numbers of counterfeits of many different coins of varying quality have been manufactured in Mainland China. The counterfeiter may have "cleaned" the coin to cover up some of the evidence that it was fake. The 1878, a rare proof only issue, checks out on NGC Certificate Verification (Verify NGC Certification | NGC (ngccoin.com)) and is presumably genuine. The PF 61 grade is a relatively low proof grade usually awarded to proofs that were wiped or polished, as was frequently done by collectors of a century ago, and such coins are usually also noticeably hairlined or dull. The grading services make some allowances for this widespread practice on proof coins of this era and will give these low-end grades to such coins instead of "details" grading them as "cleaned". This is one of the things you should have learned before you spent, I assume, several thousand dollars on this coin. You should also have bought the coin only after in-person inspection or, if not possible, after viewing high resolution photos as are usually available on the better numismatic auction houses' sites, such as those of Heritage (ha.com), Goldberg (goldbergcoins.com), Great Collections (greatcollections.com), and Stacks Bowers (stacksbowers.com). You needed to "buy the book before the coin", an old adage that remains pertinent today, although some of your education can now occur online. The "Redbook" is an essential resource for basic information but isn't an up-to-date or comprehensive price guide, nor does it contain sufficient information on grading or the nuances of various types and issues of coins. Check out the links provided by @EagleRJO. You also needed to gain hands-on experience with coins by attending such venues as coin shows and coin club meetings, which I understand are held in Hawaii. You can examine certified coins in various grades and speak with knowledgeable dealers and collectors at such venues. Your initial question was whether you should have a coin graded. All of your coins should be graded--BY YOU, once you have learned the necessary skills. The only coins that you should consider submitted to third-party grading services are those that you have determined are worth at least several hundred dollars each and are likely to be returned with "straight" numerical grades. If you insist on buying expensive coins before acquiring sufficient knowledge, you should only buy them already certified by reputable grading services such as NGC, PCGS, or ANACS and preferably from reputable dealers such as the previously named auction houses and those who are members of the Professional Numismatists Guild (pngdealers.org).

There is nothing new about this. Young, budget and casual collectors were collecting severely impaired as well as heavily worn coins when I started collecting over fifty years ago, and most dealers have always offered "fillers". What I find silly is that there are now collectors who will knowingly pay a premium for so-called "lowball" coins or even severely damaged pieces, such as coins said to have been salvaged from a particular shipwreck. I've always been of the opinion that one should collect the best quality that one can afford. The 1885 Liberty nickel that is the subject of this topic might have been worth $50 or so to me if I were a budget collector who couldn't afford more and who just wanted to complete the set. I have in my collection two coins that are holed. One is an 1865-S half dime with XF-AU details that I bought for $2 as a young collector back in the mid-1970s. I might never upgrade it, as this is a difficult issue to find, and an unimpaired one with equivalent details might cost $600 or more now. The other is the 1795 "three leaves" half dollar with VF details for which I paid $785 in 2007 and about which I posted a topic. HOL(E)Y THREE LEAVES! - US, World, and Ancient Coins - NGC Coin Collectors Chat Boards. An unimpaired example of this variety in this grade could cost around $9,000, so I'm happy to have this one. The point is to understand what you are buying and pay a reasonable price for it.

It is important to distinguish between die polish and hairlining. Die polish lines or marks are, indeed, hairline scratches but on the dies that strike coins rather than the coins themselves. Accordingly, they are raised lines on a coin rather than minute scratches that penetrate the coin's surface. Whereas hairlines on a coin are indicative of handling and may reduce a coin's grade, or if significant, lead to a diagnosis of abrasive "cleaning", die polish is usually indicative of a coin having been struck from new or refinished dies. Such coins are not impaired. Die polish is sometimes useful as a tool in authentication or variety attribution to identify a coin as having come from a particular die pair. I have never been troubled by die polish. However, newer collectors should be careful not to confuse a hairlined, likely "cleaned" coin with one exhibiting die polish.

I'm not surprised, as the 1885 Liberty nickel is a key date, and some people will overpay for such a piece with a clear date to fill the slots in their albums. The NGC Price Guide lists this issue at $235 in "PrAg". This one has VG details based on the obverse, although the reverse could be called "AG", in this case meaning "About Gone." It's likely genuine, based upon the date numerals and other recognizable features being correct, which generally isn't the case for a contemporary counterfeit. I don't know why a counterfeiter of numismatic items would create something that looks like this. Compare it to the example I bought back in 1999, now NGC graded XF 45.

I think that the most likely answer is that this 1885 Liberty nickel has been burned in a fire but agree with the others that the cause of this severe damage isn't important. Unless you were there when it occurred, it isn't possible to know for sure.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. The short answer to your question whether this coin is worth submitting to a third-party grading service such as NGC is NO. Capped Bust, lettered edge half dollars (1807-1836) are all "open collar" strikes in which the mint did not use a "close collar" that when properly placed keeps planchets (coin blanks) perfectly centered between the dies during striking. Consequently, many of these coins are at least slightly off center, with the dentils (those elongated grooves extending from the edge) longer on one part of each side than the other and sometimes, as on this coin, not visible on part of the edge at all. This 1813 is a little more off center than usually seen, with a small unstruck area beyond the dentils, but, in my experience, not far enough to be considered a significant mint error for which an error collector would pay a significant premium. It is also not particularly desirable to a Bust Half collector due to the damage--part of the coin appears to be bent--and because its unattractive color suggests that it has been improperly "cleaned". NCS no longer encapsulates coins. NGC would now encapsulate it with a "details" adjectival grade (Fine or Very Fine for this moderately circulated coin) and a description of the impairment ("damaged", "bent" and/or "cleaned"). The coin is probably worth less than $100 due to the impairments; a coin should be worth at least several hundred dollars to be worth the cost of certification. In this case the cost of certification would include, assuming that you are already a paying NGC member with submission privileges, a minimum $23 grading fee at the "Economy" tier for coins valued at no more than $300, an $18 error attribution fee (which NGC would retain even if the off-center strike is considered too minor to be attributed), a $10 per order processing fee, and a $28 return shipping fee (one to ten coins), totaling $78 if your order is for this one coin. You would also have to pay for shipment to NGC. An NGC member dealer might be able to submit the coin for somewhat less, but still for more than would be likely worth your while.

I assume that what you are referring to is the "1988 Reverse of '89", FS-901, CONECA: RDV-006, which is described by NGC VarietyPlus as having a "[l]etter "G" in the designer's initials [that] has a vertical stroke that projects downward below the letter's curved bottom." The "G" appears rounded off at the bottom on other 1988 and previous years' Memorial reverse cents. This variety is also listed and described on doubleddie.com at https://www.doubleddie.com/278722.html, which identifies seven different pairs of dies that produced this variety. It is, nevertheless, an apparently obscure variety, unlike the "close AM" and "wide AM" varieties of 1992 and 1998-2000. I don't recall ever having heard of it before and am not aware of any sales records for it. One of the VarietyPlus photos follows: I don't think that your coin is a "Reverse of '89", although I am not completely sure. The designer's initials are weak on your coin, and what you are taking as the "vertical stroke below the letter's curved bottom" appears to be a nick on what would otherwise be the "normal" reverse, a photo of which from doubleddie.com follows. Notice that the entire "FG" is weaker on the "normal" reverse, as it is on your coin:

This 2015 cent has been mutilated, resulting in much of the copper plating being scraped off. If you thought this was a mint error, what type of error did you think it was? In other words, how could it have been created during the manufacturing process at the U.S. Mint?

1805 Draped Bust half dollar, NGC graded VF 35, ex-John Jay Pittman collection:

1895 Indian cent NGC graded MS 64 RB:

The NGC Registry forum is dedicated to topics relating to the NGC Registry. Please post topics like this on the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" forum or the "U.S., World, and Ancient Coins" forum. As I understand it, a dealer named Lester Merkin had sets of supposedly specially struck 1964 Philadelphia mint coins in all denominations that he had apparently obtained from Eva Adams, the then Director of the Mint, or some other mint employee. See 1964 50C SMS (Special Strike) Kennedy Half Dollar - PCGS CoinFacts. Although grading services have certified a few of these supposedly special strikes, and they have sold for high prices, some experts such as @RWB maintain that they are just regular strikes from new production dies and that there is nothing "special" about them at all. To my knowledge, none has ever been found among 1964 coins issued for circulation. Unless you can trace these coins to a presentation set obtained from a mint employee in or about 1964 and they have an unusual matte finish, which based on the photos they do not, you are simply wasting your time. (I also don't see the purportedly identifying "defect that appears to hang from the crosslet of the 4", only a contact mark.) Unfortunately, there is much disinformation about these coins posted by unscrupulous or ill-informed persons on YouTube and similar sites.