1844 Half Dollar. Whatcha think?

[JOBESSI]

Here is an 1844 half dollar. Nedd some input. Grade?

 

[physics-fan3.14]

EF details, harshly polished and quite ugly. I grade it $50.

[JOBESSI]

EF? Even if it's a details grade, it would definitely be UNC

[James_OldeTowne]

AU-55 details, but 100% chance it's been whizzed.

 

Net value of VF-35.

[physics-fan3.14]

EF? Even if it's a details grade, it would definitely be UNC

 

There is no way in heck that's UNC. High points to look for wear on this design are Liberty's breasts, thighs, arm, shield, and the eagle's head, wings, and neck. I see noticeable wear on all of these areas. It may be AU details, but like James said with the whizzing it is worth VF money at the very generous most.

[Mark T]

This coin is far from MS . It has Au details and has been Whizzed.

Value is maybe $75 retail.

 

[JOBESSI]

There would be hairlines if the coin was whizzed, right? I think dipped is probably more accurate.

[Mark T]

Rotate the coin and look for very small circular lines.

Your coin has been harshly cleaned in some fashion. Whizzing appears to be the most likely cause. See the attached Barber dime – notice the swirl marks on the neck - they are the most obvious sign of whizzing on this coin.

[BillJones]

The sharpness grade of the coin is Ch. AU, but sadly its surfaces have been totally moved around to create a fake luster that is indicative of whizzing. This sort of thing was done by crooked dealers, mostly in the 1960s and ‘70s to fool collectors into paying Mint State prices for AU coins. Sadly all they did was ruin some nice coins.

 

This coin has been dipped, but not whizzed. Notice the “cartwheel” luster that remains on the piece. This is the type of luster you want to see.

 

 

This Seated half Dolla is a Choice MS-64 piece and has original undipped surfaces. It's a bear to photograph these coins nicely, at least for me, but this is the look many collector crave.

 

[JOBESSI]

Thank you for the examples Mark and Bill. It a continuous learning process. I spent $110 on the coin, so it's not that bad of a hit. I learned a good lesson though.

[physics-fan3.14]

Thank you for the examples Mark and Bill. It a continuous learning process. I spent $110 on the coin, so it's not that bad of a hit. I learned a good lesson though.

 

That's a good attitude. For another example of a whizzed coin, see the GTG thread I recently started with a Seated Liberty quarter. I bought the coin as a reference, so I could study it.

[Coindude]

Jobessi, you didn't purchase that coin from Great Southern Coins did you? That is the kind of coin I've seen them pass off. Just wondering. And if it is from GSC, they will readily make a full refund for you instead of getting bad feedback.

[Mark T]

Thank you for the examples Mark and Bill. It a continuous learning process. I spent $110 on the coin, so it's not that bad of a hit. I learned a good lesson though.

 

Your welcome – see I am not really that bad of a guy

 

[JOBESSI]

No, I didn't. I learned the GSC lesson about a year ago.

[FishyOne]

Thank you for the examples Mark and Bill. It a continuous learning process. I spent $110 on the coin, so it's not that bad of a hit. I learned a good lesson though.

 

$110 is not too bad for this coin/lesson. Before reading any of the posts, I thought the fields looked badly whizzed. AU Details sounds correct also.

 

Take a close-up look at the fields on this piece:

 

Heritage Link

 

It went for $98 a few years ago.

[James_OldeTowne]

Thank you for the examples Mark and Bill. It a continuous learning process. I spent $110 on the coin, so it's not that bad of a hit. I learned a good lesson though.

(thumbs u

 

You are definitely doing the right thing, and gaining inexpensive knowledge from other peoples' mistakes - I'm sure all of us have purchased a whizzed coin or two in our collecting lifetimes ! This is what makes the NGC boards invaluable to collectors, especially those just starting out.

[BillJones]

Thank you for the examples Mark and Bill. It a continuous learning process. I spent $110 on the coin, so it's not that bad of a hit. I learned a good lesson though.

 

Thank you!

 

Here is an alternative view of the 1860-O half dollar shot from a different angle. BTW the 1844 half dollar is an unsung better date. A lot of the coins from the 1840s went to the melting pot after gold was discovered in California. The discovery changed the ratio of value between gold and silver which made it worthwhile to melt the earlier silver coins. The 1863 arrows and rays half dollar I posted earlier was made to show that that coin had less silver in it and as not worth melting.

 

For those who follow such things, this 1860-O half dollar does have a CAC sticker on it.