Jefferson - Does this qualify as full steps? 1 1

[MattGinAZ]

What does ANYONE  say? Been alot about grading.

thanks

MattGinAZ

[MattGinAZ]

Looked at grading guidelines and this does NOT qualify as full steps. One would think it is a strong strike and the ding is after striking  and not a mint strike failure.

[VKurtB]

Negative.

[Greenstang]

Can’t be full steps with that ding. It breaks the lines.

[Coinbuf]

The large hit across the steps automatically takes a full step designation of the table.   However, the coin was never full steps to begin with, there are some subtle blends of the steps under the third pilar which would make a full step designation impossible even if the hit had not happened.

 

On 7/6/2023 at 3:50 PM, MattGinAZ said:

Looked at grading guidelines and this does NOT qualify as full steps. One would think it is a strong strike and the ding is after striking  and not a mint strike failure.

It is impossible to opine on the strength of strike from a photo of only the steps, however, a coin that displays full steps is not automatically blessed with a strong strike.    As to the second part of your comment, I have a holed seated dollar, would you consider it unimpaired?   After all the hole happened after it left the mint and was not a strike failure.    The point is when the damage happens is not relevant, in this case the steps are broken by that hit and it doesn't matter when that hit occurred.

Edited July 11, 2023 by Coinbuf

[JKK]

Nope. They're right--the ding kills FS.

[RWB]

No. All the steps have to be complete. The big cut eliminates any possibility, as do the two merged areas in the central tier. (The escalator looks fine...)

[J P M]

Sorry to say no. What does the rest of the coin look like and what year is it ?

[powermad5000]

Agree with the others. The hit across the steps fully negates the coin receiving FS designation. I am with @J P M as well. It would be nice if you provided clear, cropped photos of the obverse and reverse so we could see the rest of the coin and not just the steps on the reverse.

[MattGinAZ]

Thanks for the opinions. I'll be more critical in my assessment next time.

[JKK]

On 7/12/2023 at 1:38 PM, MattGinAZ said:

Thanks for the opinions. I'll be more critical in my assessment next time.

It's worth questioning whether the coin would be FS even without that season-ending injury. As I understand it, there are 5FS and 6FS designations. I'm not sure this one would even make 5 without the ding, and I can pretty much assure you it wouldn't make 6. Not to worry; everyone who collects Jeffs at some point confronts this small but important hurdle in evaluating them. It takes a really sharp strike for the steps even to have existed when the coin was freshly minted, and the high ones wear off quickly in circulation even if they ever had full definition.