Higher Grade Ikes--what to look for?

[Nutmeg Coin]

I've sold a few Ike sets in the last year, and like many people I just figured reasonably nice sets are what will sell.

 

I saw this article on how some Ikes can be worth a quite a bit more, what should collectors and dealers be looking for in possibly higher grade important date Ikes?

 

http://www.coinweek.com/education/coin-grading/when-dealing-with-eisenhower-dollars-grade-is-everything/

[cladking]

I'm a big fan of Charles Morgan. He's one of the few numismatic writers since Numismatic News' Paul Green who actually "gets it" and he's a good writer who chooses good subjects ( ).

 

The odds of finding really nice Ikes are slim to none. I thought they didn't even exist until 1978 when I stumbled on a Gem '77 in a mint set. They are out there and not nearly as rare as I once thought. Most come frommint sets but unlike other moderns this is less certain with Ikes and some dates are actually easier in rolls. Part of the reason is a much higher percentage of the mintage was checked before enterring circulation. People paid little attention to Ikes but even less to quarters. Ikes were big and heavy and "felt" a little more like a collectible.

 

Completed Ike sets are a very good place to look for Gems since many collectors are picky. Unfortunately though most of these sets are commercial sets that were put together in large batches for sale to the public. Gems in these are a little less common than elsewhere.

 

Looking for Gems requires an appreciation of what each date/ mm looks like and their various characteristics. The '76 t I is plagued by planchet scratches and the '71 is marked up badly. '78-D's come nice and '73-D's are nice except almost all have a few deep marks. The reverses are far more likely to be Gem than the obverse on most dates. The feathers should be fully struck and there should be almost no marking. The obverse will ususally have some marking and weakness of strike which shows up on the peripheral lettering. About 1% of mint set '77 and '78-D Ikes are Gem but other dates are tougher and some are much tougher like the '76 t I (~.07%)(sample size is much too small to get accurate estimate). Gems of different dates will not be identical though so a lot of the reality can hide in the definitions.

 

For most dates I look at the reverse first and if it doesn't blow my socks off then there's usually no chance for the coin.

 

Nice, gemmy and high end BU coins are somewhat underappreciated and have a pretty strong market right now. Even common dates are bringing a couple dollars each wholesale. Typical low end specimens are tough sells and often end up at the banks and FED unless they are tough dates.

[ldhair]

Great reply.

[Nutmeg Coin]

Thanks for the thorough response.

 

I sold this one recently, probably hard to tell from images if there were any coins worth submitting. I don't know any dealer who searches through Ikes for grading submissions.

[e1cnr]

just like everything else

 

 

strike, luster, eye appeal

 

 

 

clads are harder than silver so strikes frequently mushy and periphery has clatter from planchet that was not struck out. The strike pressure was not increased greatly because of wear on dies.

[RWB]

On the best Ikes, the former President has a full head of hair....well...fuzz if I remember correctly from meeting him at the Gettysburg farm.

[coinman1794]

I've sold a few Ike sets in the last year, and like many people I just figured reasonably nice sets are what will sell.

 

I saw this article on how some Ikes can be worth a quite a bit more, what should collectors and dealers be looking for in possibly higher grade important date Ikes?

 

http://www.coinweek.com/education/coin-grading/when-dealing-with-eisenhower-dollars-grade-is-everything/

 

The primary trick to grading IKEs is learning to tell the difference between mint-made imperfections and post-mint damage. Planchet tumbling marks and grease strike-through rough patches are found, to some degree, on virtually every IIKE dollar. These generally do not affect the grade. A coin can be peppered with tiny strike-throughs and voids in the planchet and still grade MS66 at PCGS and NGC, because it has good luster and virtually no actual abrasions. For a coin to grade MS67, it typically will have a minimum of both mint-made and post-mint damage, combined with excellent luster and a commanding appearance.

[Nutmeg Coin]

So grading is not that different as on Morgans and Peace dollars?

 

 

[RWB]

...except that the coins are so ugly grading has to be done with the eyes closed. Same procedure used for Anthony dollars....

[19Lyds]

...except that the coins are so ugly grading has to be done with the eyes closed. Same procedure used for Anthony dollars....

Your "appreciation" of Numismatics is.............so atypical and slightly less abrasive than your humor.

[RWB]

Thanks 19Lyds....a truthful opinion is so hard to find these days.

 

[19Lyds]

Thanks 19Lyds....a truthful opinion is so hard to find these days.

 

Anytime Roger.

[phankins11-migration]

The primary trick to grading IKEs is learning to tell the difference between mint-made imperfections and post-mint damage. Planchet tumbling marks and grease strike-through rough patches are found, to some degree, on virtually every IIKE dollar. These generally do not affect the grade. A coin can be peppered with tiny strike-throughs and voids in the planchet and still grade MS66 at PCGS and NGC, because it has good luster and virtually no actual abrasions. For a coin to grade MS67, it typically will have a minimum of both mint-made and post-mint damage, combined with excellent luster and a commanding appearance.

 

Is there a definitive way to tell the difference between planchet tumbling marks and post minting bag marks?

 

This series grows on me more and more as I read and learn about it.

[tenacious]

Is there a definitive way to tell the difference between planchet tumbling marks and post minting bag marks?

 

 

phankins11,

Go to http://www.ikegroup.info then under articles > Planchet Issues > there's 2 articles on planchet striations and planchet chatter. Maybe not exactly what you want but it's a start.

 

The Ike Group site is full of great info. The creators of that site have done a great service to Ike collectors.

 

If you're just starting with Ikes I also recommend the books, The Collectible Ike Varieties: Facts, Photos and Theories. Another book is The Authoritative Reference on Eisenhower Dollars. Both are on Amazon.

 

I'm not an expert Ike collector I just collect them for fun. I thought they were cool when they came out when I was a kid. I still do.

[phankins11-migration]

phankins11,

Go to http://www.ikegroup.info then under articles > Planchet Issues > there's 2 articles on planchet striations and planchet chatter. Maybe not exactly what you want but it's a start.

 

The Ike Group site is full of great info. The creators of that site have done a great service to Ike collectors.

 

If you're just starting with Ikes I also recommend the books, The Collectible Ike Varieties: Facts, Photos and Theories. Another book is The Authoritative Reference on Eisenhower Dollars. Both are on Amazon.

 

I'm not an expert Ike collector I just collect them for fun. I thought they were cool when they came out when I was a kid. I still do.

 

Thanks tenaciius. I actually went straight to the Ike group page when I posted my question and found those articles. I am really liking this series. Reason I asked about the differences, I purchased an MS 64 ike a few months ago and was surprised at the chatter that was present for a 64 compared to other 64s. The only thing I could think of was that it was a planchet problem rather than post minting marks. It's fun learning this stuff.

[coinman1794]

The primary trick to grading IKEs is learning to tell the difference between mint-made imperfections and post-mint damage. Planchet tumbling marks and grease strike-through rough patches are found, to some degree, on virtually every IIKE dollar. These generally do not affect the grade. A coin can be peppered with tiny strike-throughs and voids in the planchet and still grade MS66 at PCGS and NGC, because it has good luster and virtually no actual abrasions. For a coin to grade MS67, it typically will have a minimum of both mint-made and post-mint damage, combined with excellent luster and a commanding appearance.

 

Is there a definitive way to tell the difference between planchet tumbling marks and post minting bag marks?

 

This series grows on me more and more as I read and learn about it.

 

Planchet marks that still show up after striking will have flow lines at their edges (sometimes inside them as well, depending on their depth), and bag marks will have disturbed metal at their edges, as well as within. Also, though not definitively, planchet marks will often be dark, rough, and unfinished inside their craters, where bag marks will have bight scraped metal inside. The only time a planchet mark should shine inside is when it has flow lines and actual mint luster emanating from within (a bag mark has no flow lines or actual mint luster). For these reasons, even deeper planchet marks can seem to disappear at some angles, because they are part of the coin as it was made, with metal flow affecting them, rather than being interruptions in the metal flow.

[coinman1794]

The primary trick to grading IKEs is learning to tell the difference between mint-made imperfections and post-mint damage. Planchet tumbling marks and grease strike-through rough patches are found, to some degree, on virtually every IIKE dollar. These generally do not affect the grade. A coin can be peppered with tiny strike-throughs and voids in the planchet and still grade MS66 at PCGS and NGC, because it has good luster and virtually no actual abrasions. For a coin to grade MS67, it typically will have a minimum of both mint-made and post-mint damage, combined with excellent luster and a commanding appearance.

 

Is there a definitive way to tell the difference between planchet tumbling marks and post minting bag marks?

 

This series grows on me more and more as I read and learn about it.

 

The following IKE dollar shows a planchet mark in the field above OL of DOLLAR, and two bag marks above the A in DOLLAR.

 

Notice that the planchet mark, which was there before striking, is rough inside and seems to blend into the fields at its edges. The rims of this gouge wanted to close in as the metal flowed into the dies, but it didn't quite happen, and much of the void remains.

 

The two bag marks are clearly different in appearance. They are nothing more than scrapes in the surface of the coin; interruptions in the metal, which happened after striking. There is another bag mark across the D in DOLLAR.

 

(Incidentally, the other disruptions or crisscrossing lines, seen here, are tiny lint and grease strike-through errors; also as-made imperfections and also ubiquitous on IKEs.)

 

[phankins11-migration]

Good stuff, thanks for taking your time to reply coinman1794.