18.11 Bust half advice and opinion

[DonHeath]

Evidence of an old light cleaning and a nice retone. The reverse strike isn't bad, although the rim is weak on the obverse at 10:00. There is no luster. Does this coin reach EF? Also, how common relatively speaking is the 18.11 variety?

 

[lazeroo]

hi don,

your coin appears to be an overton , 0-102 but there is also a chance it is an unlisted version.

 

it looks like it has doubling in the leaves on the rev.

and the off center obv die is interesting. it still would be an r-4 coin.

most bust halves have been cleaned and if NGC would reject it you could send it to ANAC'S and they would holder it at vf 20.

either way it's a nice coin thanx for sharing it .

 

 

rob.

[RotatedRainbows]

There are two different varieties one is rated R1 (common) and one is rated R4 (scarce). As for grade it does appear to have enough detail to make EF as the eagles claws still show plenty of detail and none of the eagles feathers are merged together from wear, the obverse shows strong drapery lines and good hair curl on her neck along with separation on the hair above her ear.

[Hoot]

"Evidence of an old light cleaning and a nice retone."

 

Neat coin Don.

 

I sent along a pair of bust halves to NGC that fit this description perfectly. I figured they'd grade about AU50. NGC bb'd them. I thought it was rediculous. So, I sent them to ANACS that Net graded them EF45, AU details. Fair.

 

Tough from the scan, but I'd guess a net grade of EF40.

 

Hoot

[stman]

Hoot, if you have some images of the Bust halves you sent to NGC that got bagged, I'd be interested in seeing them. I'm trying to figure out what is acceptable in this series. Many or most have at least been wiped. I'm also aware the services give some slack to these early coins... I'm just trying to figure out how much.

 

I believe some of the pieces they slab that have hairlines, if it were a different series they might bag them.

[DonHeath]

Thanks guys. Looks like your take on it is very much like mine. Hoot, I think you saved me a step.

[James_OldeTowne]

Don, this is a coin that does not need to be encapsulated, nor is it to your advantage. I would net-grade it VF-30+ overall, because despite being cleaned, it is an attractive coin. I'd rather have that one than an original EF-40 with nicks and gashes, or a terrible strike, which is common on 18.11.

 

In my experience, this is a tough coin above EF, especially at the AU level. In grades below Fine, they are definitely out there.

 

I like your coin, cleaned or not.

 

James

[Hoot]

Hoot, if you have some images of the Bust halves you sent to NGC that got bagged, I'd be interested in seeing them. I'm trying to figure out what is acceptable in this series. Many or most have at least been wiped. I'm also aware the services give some slack to these early coins... I'm just trying to figure out how much.

 

I believe some of the pieces they slab that have hairlines, if it were a different series they might bag them.

 

1817 (attached)

 

Hoot

[Hoot]

1833 attached. The spot on the cheek is simply wear/rub. The cleaning was difficult to detect, as it was in the fields of the coin. The coin, like the last one, had toned so well that it took a pretty close look to reveal it. Obviously from the net grade, one can see that the cleaning was light.

 

Hoot

[JadeRareCoin]

Hoot,

 

You got ripped off! Those coins look like an average AU to me. The 1817 looks more cleaned of the two, but the 1833 looks like a nice coin. Hard to tell from a scan. I have seen other far more blatantly cleaned coins in ANACS holders. Same for the other services, including NGC. I once owned an 1802 half in an NGC VF-35 holder that was blast white and hairlined to death. Probably slabbed because of the scarce date. I would bet that your 1833 would slab at any service if you sent it in enough times. That's just part of the game. Don't you love it??

 

The bottom line is that those coins should just be kept out of a slab, since you can enjoy them without the impedance of the unsightly blob of plastic. And....you can even look at the edge of the coin, which is important since these are lettered edge coins. Crack 'em out!

 

Dennis

[stman]

Thanks for providing the pics Hoot. I am attaching one I own that is slabbed by NGC AU58. I bought it for about AU55 money as the seller didn't feel it quite met 58. Keep in mind this is just a scan, and the piece does have decent luster for the toning it has acquired.

 

Now, it has light hairlines in the obverse field that weren't tough for me to detect. That's what confuses me on this. Your coins were bagged, and mine gets slabbed. Perhaps NGC felt my coin had much less hairlines and it's just a wipe.

 

 

 

 

[Hoot]

I honestly can't answer why NGC bagged the coins I sent. Even the local dealer (I did not buy them from him) who is a former PCGS grader thought that the hairlines were so few and insignificant that the net grades were not really warranted. The toning was nice (and old) on both coins, even though the scan of the 1817 does not show it. The coins were each very interesting and better to look at raw. Like Dennis said, it's a game. I'm tired of it, but I still use the services.

 

I had both the coins and another in the raw until I decided to sell them. Since I sell on eBay, I figured it would just go better with the coins slabbed. Maybe I was wrong.

 

By the way, the third coin in the bunch (attached) was also bb'd by NGC but not net graded by ANACS. ANACS did the right thing. The coin had been dipped sometime in the past, had retoned a bit and nicely so, and it was problem-free, no hairlines or scratches (e.g. from cleaning!), and good Mint lustre. Maybe NGC bb'd them because I used free submission forms for the coins .

 

Hoot