1893 Columbus Half

[pendragon1998]

Got this one for around $8.50 shipped on eBay. I wouldn't mind hearing guesses as to grade and originality. Also, this is the first coin I've done the acetone thing with, as it had some minor PVC damage on the cheek and mainsail. Opinions?

 

[MunkyMan95]

EF-45, and original!

[ldhair]

Not bad for the price. Looks original.

I'll guess EF-40 or 45.

[Bruceswar]

EF 40 on a good day VF 35 on a bad one. Pretty original and circulated

[James_OldeTowne]

I would grade this VF-20 or so. You stole it at $8.50!

[Bruceswar]

here is one I got for $4.00 Its now in an FA-2 Holder.

 

[Stanley]

The circulated1893 Columbus Half in it simplicity is one of my favorite Commemoratives. You did real well

[WinstonWare]

I like it and it looks like you did a nice job retaining most the original surface while removing the PVC. I have a question, how did these commemoratives get worn? Were they in circulation?

 

Bruce, I really like yours as well. For some reason, I really like worn rounded-rim coins.

[Bruceswar]

Correct! These circulated quite heavily for awhile. This is one of the more common ones to see worn.

[Horizon-migration]

I agree with what everyone has said.

 

Not a bad coin, at all, for the money. Nice purchase.

 

My motherinlaw gave me a nicely toned Columbus Half, a couple of months ago, that I should post for comments.

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Ralph

[TomB]

To answer Winston's question, the Columbian half did not sell well, relative to its mintage, at the Exposition. This was the first time the US Mint issued a 50 cent piece that cost the public one dollar and the surcharge drew ire. Eventually, all three of the first US commemorative issues were either heavily melted, released into circulation at face value or purchased by their backers to avoid the previous two listed fates.

 

The Isabella quarter sold poorly and was bought up in massive quantities by strong supporters of the issue. Most of these coins are the ones we find with very dark navy toning. The Columbian half was eventually released at face value through the banking system only to generate intense criticism of the government for previously putting a surcharge on it and these bank issued halves circulated widely. The Lafayette dollar had about 10,000 unsold pieces put away in US Treasury bags that were forgotten about until WWII, at which time the government wanted silver bullion and melted the coinage instead of selling it to collectors or dealers. They lost significant money by melting the coins since at this time they were already selling for $10-$11 dollars each instead of the $1 silver content.

[pendragon1998]

Thanks for all the responses, y'all! I'm glad everyone seems to like it. I was pretty happy with the way the acetone soaking worked out. I have a few more questions about the grade, if someone wouldn't mind answering them for me. There seemed to be a large spread in the guess the grade category, ranging from VF-20 upwards to EF-45. The seller (a board member selling on eBay) had it listed as "XF+", which I took with a grain of salt. Can anyone give me the grading criteria for this issue so I can get a better idea of the correct grade?

 

That aside, I'm very happy with this coin. I love the age, and the design. I think the ship is beautiful - I wish we had more ships on our coins.