Iowa grown and grand

[messydesk]

Using this as a reference: Linky

 

Grade this:

 

[Coindude]

If that one is a 69, yours is a 70!!!

[FILTHYHOARD]

With the toning on the coin in the link, it's kind of like apples & oranges, but I'd say yours could go toe to toe with that one ANY day.

Ooops, I didn't guess a grade for yours, but I'll say MS67+

[messydesk]

Tab toning on an NGC coin should only be worth a "star," since that's the kind of thing it was invented for. I'm not a big toner freak, usually don't like tab toning, and this coin is no exception. I'll bet dollars to donut (not exactly sure what that means, but I like donuts) the Heritage coin doesn't sell at LB unless there is something so gonad grabbingly otherworldly gorgeous about that coin in hand. Eh...even then, it won't sell.

[coinman_23885]

Using this as a reference: Linky

 

Grade this:

 

 

I don't think the luster is strong enough for a grade above MS67. I'll guess MS67, no plus.

[cpm9ball]

I'll bet dollars to donut (not exactly sure what that means.......

 

John,

 

I remember the saying as, "I'll bet a dollar to a doughnut.....". I used to hear this phrase used alot by gamblers in the 50's & 60's when a doughnut costed 5c. Basically, the gambler was giving odds of 20-to-1.

 

Chris

[FILTHYHOARD]

Forget about 20-1 odds, I'd be happy with 5c doughnuts

[BillJones]

The tab toned Iowa that is in the Heritage auction is a special case. The coin probably is virtually mark-free and the toning indicates that the coin has never been dipped. There are a small number of very serious commemorative half dollar collectors who really like this look. And if you are doing the registry thing, an MS-69 is going to max you out for the number of registry points for the Iowa half dollar slot. Having said that, I’m not a fan to dark tab toning like this, and I would not even come within the next galaxy of paying the price that posted for that piece.

 

As for your coin, it’s nice, but it might not bring the grade you think it should. The reason is I think the coin has been dipped, and it’s been my experience that dipped commemorative half dollars seldom get more than an MS-64, maybe 65 if you are lucky. I have a number of similar pieces in my collection that are super smooth with almost no marks that only got the MS-64 grade.

 

Of course I’m basing this on a photo and sometimes photos don’t always show things the way they are. So perhaps your coin is original, and if so it might grade as high as MS-66. Usually, however, you at least a wisp of original toning to get the “honor grades” beyond MS-65.

 

[messydesk]

The thing is, the Heritage coin is nowhere near mark free. Even in the small pictures (smaller than mine), you can see that the eagle's wings are banged up. Look at the larger pictures, and you see it on the stars and the columns of the capitol (and then you'll see it on the small pictures). Yes, there's more to a grade than marks, but the presence of dark tab toning doesn't mean you can ignore the rest of the coin. Were the Heritage coin posted as a GTG, I'd have said 65*. I have to wonder if 69 was a "mechanical error."

 

My coin is graded MS66, which I think is an accurate grade. It's a very typical original Iowa in terms of color and surfaces. It's essentially mark free, but doesn't have that extra traffic-stopping something that would push it into 67 territory.

[FishyOne]

The thing is, the Heritage coin is nowhere near mark free. Even in the small pictures (smaller than mine), you can see that the eagle's wings are banged up. Look at the larger pictures, and you see it on the stars and the columns of the capitol (and then you'll see it on the small pictures). Yes, there's more to a grade than marks, but the presence of dark tab toning doesn't mean you can ignore the rest of the coin. Were the Heritage coin posted as a GTG, I'd have said 65*. I have to wonder if 69 was a "mechanical error."

 

My coin is graded MS66, which I think is an accurate grade. It's a very typical original Iowa in terms of color and surfaces. It's essentially mark free, but doesn't have that extra traffic-stopping something that would push it into 67 territory.

 

Yours looks good as a 66. Can't comment on the HA coin other than to say it sure looks overgraded, way overgraded.

[Coindude]

John, I have to agree with you, the one on Heritage has quite a bit of bagginess on the eagle.

[BillJones]

I guess I missed on the grade estimate for you Iowa half at MS-64, 65 if you are lucky. It might the picture, but the luster looked a little "flat" to me.

 

Here's the piece from my collection. It is only an MS-64, but it has that sort "wet, dipping" look that I like on commemorative half dollars.