Try Something Different on Grading.

[Oldtrader3]

Ok, here is the deal, new game in town. These two coins are both 1879-P and 1879-S eagles. One is MS60 the other is AU58. Can you tell which is which? Have fun!

P.S. I have removed the scans of these coins from my sets just to level the playing field and ignore the slab debris on the top of the one coin.

[ant]

im going to guess that the top coin is the ms coin due to the more brilliant look and a tiny bit less wear/chatter. and the eagle looks better struck.

[PCcoins]

Guessing the top coin too. Although hard to tell from scans.

[lehigh96]

I am going to guess the top one is MS60 because there appears to be no wear on the coin, but there are a significant number of contact marks on both the obverse and reverse. The second coin seems a little cleaner, but there appears to be traces of wear on the highpoints, the eyebrow & the hair above the ear.

 

Personally, I would rateher own coin #2 even if it is a slider because I think it is more attractive. BTW, thanks for breathing some life back into this forum.

[JKK]

The bottom coin has wear on the hair curl over the ear. That must be what docked it down to AU-58.

[Oldtrader3]

BTW, remember that we are comparing apples to oranges for coin strike because one coin is a "P" coin and one is a "S" coin. The bottom coin is an "S" coin and has a poorer strike, especially on the obverse.

 

Answer: The top coin, the 1879-P is the MS60 coin. The slider is a nicer looking coin IMHO. You guys did pretty well though.