1967 Kennedy Half - Opinions?

[jwkramer61]

This is a currently slabbed 1967 Kennedy Half that I have. I think it's under graded currently... but I am far from an expert on grading. I'd love to hear some opinions.

 

 

Thanks everyone!

 

-Jim

 

[jwkramer61]

I guess I should have mentioned that this is from a SMS - although that's probably obvious...

 

-Jim

[James_OldeTowne]

Keep in mind that hairlines play the critical role in grading these, and they are usually too small to show up on an image of that size. It could literally grade anywhere from SMS-63 to SMS-68 from that image.

 

Is that a scratch on the back of Kennedy's jaw? If so, then 62. If the coin is typically clean, it's likely 65 +/- a point.

 

Also, I'd say lock CAM, strong possibility of UCAM, but I see a few breaks in the frost on the upper levels of the cheek. NGC might give a boost to UCAM, but deduct a point in grade to balance out.

 

Regardless, it's fantastic!

 

Edited to add: Welcome to our friendly little neighborhood!

[jwkramer61]

I need to learn how to spot hairlines. I guess they are a major factor in grading proof type coins. I don't have the coin in front of me, so I'll check the cheek for a scratch later. Normally I would have posted a little bigger image, but all I had on my laptop was the NGC Registry limited image (less than 200KB).

 

Thanks so much for your input. I'll reveal the grade once a few more get the chance to chime in... I'd prefer unbiased opinions, which is a little harder if the grade is declared (I think).

 

Thanks for the warm welcome. There seem to be a lot of knowledgeable folks around here.

 

-Jim

 

[physics-fan3.14]

I agree with everything James just said. Proofs and SMS coins are very hard to grade from images.

 

I will tell you, that cameo contrast appears to be quite strong, and is very cool!

[jwkramer61]

Thanks physics-fan. I guess it is quite hard to guess a proof grade using a photo. For one thing, proofs aren't that easy to photograph.

 

I'm kind of torn with this one. It's a very attractive coin, and is much more striking than the MS68 that I currently have in my registry set. That said, it actually scores lower due the currently assigned (MS65UC) grade. I am going to look at it very closely to see if I think it would grade higher on a second trip through. To me, the coin looks like a higher grade than a 65... but to be honest, I haven't really looked hard at it using a loupe as of yet. Maybe it's not so hot under 5x.

 

Thanks eveyone.

 

-Jim

 

[Coindude]

With larger images it would have been easier to grade. The mirrors on this one are excellent, but that's pretty common on the 67 issues, not so much on the 65 or 66. The frost is thick but shows to be "shiny" on the upper cheek bone and the lower right of the jaw. That is most likely the reason for the lower grade. As for the spots? The appear to be on the slab. It is quite possible that these are milk spots though and will not come off the coin. If so, that is the reason for the lower grade. The line that appears in the left of the field.... that appears to be a lint line. But it could very well be a strike through that fell off. This is quite common in the SMS series. I've seen a ton of them. This should not limit the grade because it's an as struck flaw, but I have seen coins be downgraded because of this problem.

 

Personally I love the SMS cameos. I have a pretty decent complete set of cameo SMS coins. Check my registry if you get a chance.

[jwkramer61]

I took a closer look at the coin with a loupe last night. The scuffs on the cheekbone of the obverse are on the coin, and go through the frost. There is also a nick in the field on the reverse, directly below the "I" in "America". The nick looks pretty nasty under 5x. I'm not sure what happened there... maybe it happened at the mint, maybe someone mishandled it afterward. Anyway... I'm thinking the grade is pretty spot-on with this one, and probably would not fair any better on a sceond trip through. I'm going to hold on to it, because it looks pretty good to the naked eye.

 

Thanks all.

 

P.S. - Augustus - I was confused by your 'hmmmmmmm'... what are you referring to?

 

-Jim

[Coindude]

Mr. Kramer, if you are not familiar with the series, these were not treated like proof coins, that is handled one by one. They were instead handled by bunches. I believe it was reported that they were dumped into buckets or bins and then placed into sets. This would not surprise me at all seeing the number of lower grade examples. Rarely do these truly grade at 68 or higher. In 1967, there were a number of coins that truly look proof. Yours has the look of the true proof, but as you mentioned, there is rub there which obviously occurred at the mint. I'm betting the contact mark on the reverse also occurred at the mint.

[jwkramer61]

Thanks Coindude! I appreciate the info... I did not realize that special mint sets were treated in that manner.

 

-Jim