1857 flying eagle

[e1cnr]

This one has me scratching my head

- it looks like there is a big portion that is grease filled...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Raisethis2]

I know the book says that it was common for these to be weakly struck but that one seems to have more going on than that. I'd agree grease was the culprit.

[e1cnr]

I found a similar thread and they suggested tapered planchet

 

https://forums.collectors.com/messageview.aspx?catid=26&threadid=953991&highlight_key=y&keyword1=grease

 

the weight is near 4.5 g, which is light

[Lucky One]

have seen many like this in the past, I think it is due to lowered striking pressure. These were made from copper nickel and the alloy was hard and required a lot of pressure to strike up properly into the dies. If this was weak on one side I'd agree with a greasy die, but since it is evenly weak on both sides, I think it was just caused by a reduction in striking pressure.

[Lucky One]

I found a similar thread and they suggested tapered planchet

 

https://forums.collectors.com/messageview.aspx?catid=26&threadid=953991&highlight_key=y&keyword1=grease

 

the weight is near 4.5 g, which is light

 

this is a good and logical diagnosis since the most weakness is on the same edge both obv and rev (bottom of obv & top of rev). I still think, however, that the amount of weakness overall demonstrates a lack of striking pressure, so likely both forces were at play here...

[e1cnr]

I sent it in and got it back from PCGS - AU details cleaned. It is obviously cleaned on the obverse. I did not do anything since the original picture and wonder why I could not see what is now so obvious.

 

 

I can not remember if I gave this an acetone bath before submitting (I sometimes do) - is there a lacquer or something that covers cleanings that would come off in acetone?

[Nutmeg Coin]

Fairly clear cleaning issue there. I would only want to buy these certified or through a knowledgeable dealer. One leading grader said he hasn't collected cents in over 20 years, which tells you something.

[MarkFeld]

Fairly clear cleaning issue there. I would only want to buy these certified or through a knowledgeable dealer. One leading grader said he hasn't collected cents in over 20 years, which tells you something.

 

Without additional information, it tells us nothing. There could be any number of reasons why the person hasn't collected cents in over 20 years.

[BillJones]

I did not do anything since the original picture and wonder why I could not see what is now so obvious.

 

Sometimes you have hold the coin at a certain angle to see the hairlines that indicate the cleaning. In this case the third picture down in your post clearly shows it. The other three ... not so much.