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Need some brutal honest opinions (2 part question)

Started by FILTHYHOARD,

31 posts in this topic

FILTHYHOARD

FILTHYHOARD

Posted
Posted

Hello again all. I need some help with a recent purchase. As I said in the title of this thread it's a 2 part question. (we'll just worry about part 1 for now)

Part 1 falls under your garden variety "guess the grade" . The photos are terrible I admit, but if you were to look at the condition of this slab in hand, you'd be amazed I was able to get results even this good.

So, whaddya say folks, first & foremost, help me out & guess the grade. Part 2 will come later after some guesses. As always, thanks for your help :)

 

006.jpg

010.jpg

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Coindude

Coindude

Posted
Posted

Small tick on the cheek is the only hit of note. Again, as you stated, it's kinda hard to see under the slab scratches. Thank goodness the major one is not in the main area of the coin. I'd have to say as well that this is in an old fatty due to the rim toning. Plenty of luster!

 

I'll give a guess of solid 65.

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cpm9ball

cpm9ball

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The 1902 is known for sub-par strikes, and it appears evident in the eagle's breastfeathers. If the lack of detail in Liberty's hair is more of the same, I'd say this is an old MS64.

 

Chris

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FILTHYHOARD

FILTHYHOARD

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The 1902 is known for sub-par strikes, and it appears evident in the eagle's breastfeathers. If the lack of detail in Liberty's hair is more of the same, I'd say this is an old MS64.

 

Chris

 

Well Chris, that's my first & biggest complaint about this coin so far, definitely the strike. Very weak strike on Liberty's hair especially around the ear as well as a very soft strike on the breast feathers

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bsshog40

bsshog40

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I agree with the weak strike on this one. Looks like it would be more of a very nice coin to look at if it were'nt for the slab scratches. Looks like a nice MS65 to me.

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Coindude

Coindude

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anyone seeing the parallel lines on the obverse? cleaned possibly?
I agree with the others on the "FLAT" strike. The ear detail and breast feathers are "not there". But the lines on the obverse... I believe those are scratches on the slab. I've taken many pictures of coins in scratched slabs and they look like this.
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FILTHYHOARD

FILTHYHOARD

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Oh boy, I'm starting to feel like a REAL grade A jerk. doh! I just received this coin in the mail about an hour ago & sent the seller a somewhat nasty message expressing my concerns that the coin & slab appears to be tampered with. I didn't flat out say that he did a "switcheroo" and re-sealed it, but I was so taken back by the weak strike that I immediately opened a not as described case on Ebay. The fonts on the slab didnt immediately look right to me either, but I started comparing it to other earlier generation slabs that I have & it looks similar. Aww man, I kinda feel bad now. That's my hot blooded Italian temper I guess (well half anyway)

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FILTHYHOARD

FILTHYHOARD

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There will be no need for part 2, since my lack of knowledge on the strike of this particular date made me question the grade it received. I will however be sending it to NGC to get re-slabbed, but here is the grade (with an equally horrible photo) Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention the burn mark on the lower half of the slab. Yeah, burn marks, a crack & lots of scratches, the whole tri-fecta!! lol

Thanks everyone. You guys rock!!! :headbang:

 

009-1.jpg

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$ilverHawk

$ilverHawk

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Did the listing describe any slab damage? Did the listing have pictures of the entire holder so that anyone could notice the damage?

 

If no to both questions, then you have a definite case for "not as described".

 

I compared the coin in your photographs with a 1902 PCGS MS65 that I have. The hair over the ear and the ear are well defined. The eagles beast feathers are well defined.

 

Strike for a 1902 P is noted as generally well struck with some variability. You may have purchased a MS65 which just made it.

 

If you are not fully satisfied why not just return the coin.

 

$ilverHawk

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FILTHYHOARD

FILTHYHOARD

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The listing didn't mention any slab damage, but it's my fault for not asking. You could see the "burn" at the bottom , but the pictures were very distant and you couldn't really determine exactly what it was. (that's the problem with sniping coins at the last minute)

The coin itself is pretty weakly struck , but it's not that bad. I'm sure I'll feel better once I get it re-holdered

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HiHoAudio

HiHoAudio

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I wonder what caused the burn mark.

 

Was someone resting a lit cigarette on the slab in lieu of an ashtray?

 

Crazy world we live in...

 

 

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FILTHYHOARD

FILTHYHOARD

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I wonder what caused the burn mark.

 

Was someone resting a lit cigarette on the slab in lieu of an ashtray?

 

Crazy world we live in...

 

 

It does look similar to a cigarette burn, but I'm hoping it was probably done by a high watt bulb. If it was caused by a cigarette, then that's just wrong!!! (shrug)

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Walkerfan

Walkerfan

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Even though it is very lustrous and frosty with great rim toning and the surfaces, esp. the cheeks, are very pristine; I am bothered by the lack of hair detail. I don't think that I would keep it unless I got it really cheap. Even then, I would probably resell it and use the money for one that has a better strike. You will almost certainly have to pay the 5.00 to have it reholdered first, however.

 

How in the world does someone burn a slab!!?? Maybe some crazy dude was drunk and trying to be slick and remove it with a blow torch, then half way through the job, he realized that this was a bad idea!! lol

 

I recently passed on a nice Walker, b/c the slab had two huge gouges on it!! What do people do? Throw them against a brick wall and hid them with hammers??!! It worried me that even if it (the Walker) was reholdered that the gouges were so deep that they may have hit the surface of the coin.

 

I am sooo careful with my slabs----People are crazy.

 

Overall, it (Morgan) was a very nice pick up on a scarce semi-key. I'm sure that you got a good price which gives you some room to work. I agree with the assigned grade and feel that it is at very least a solid MS64+ Congrats!

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cpm9ball

cpm9ball

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I recently passed on a nice Walker, b/c the slab had two huge gouges on it!! What do people do? Throw them against a brick wall and hid them with hammers??!! I am sooo careful with my slabs----People are crazy.

 

It never fails every year at FUN! You'd be surprised how many dealers I've seen going through another dealer's inventory and throwing them back like undersized fish.

 

Chris

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Walkerfan

Walkerfan

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I recently passed on a nice Walker, b/c the slab had two huge gouges on it!! What do people do? Throw them against a brick wall and hid them with hammers??!! I am sooo careful with my slabs----People are crazy.

 

It never fails every year at FUN! You'd be surprised how many dealers I've seen going through another dealer's inventory and throwing them back like undersized fish.

 

Chris

 

Wow! Funny--but sad and, unfortunately, true. Maybe, if we saw how some of our coins were handled before we purchased them, we may not want them so much! :mad:

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Coindude

Coindude

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The thing is, if you find a coin you really truly want, that's in a slab that you feel is damaged.... would that really prevent you from purchasing it and getting it reslabbed? I don't think it would bother me to spend another 20 bucks to get said coin into a fresh slab.

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BillJones

BillJones

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Decent MS-64 with the usual less than perfect strike found on 1902 dollars. I don't see any upgrades here from MS-64 both because of the light marks and the less than perfect strike.

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James_OldeTowne

James_OldeTowne

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EVERY 1902 I have seen in MS-65 looked overgraded to me, so all in all, it's probably on par for the grade. I would have guessed MS-64 prior to reading through the thread, but the given grade comes as no surprise.

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Walkerfan

Walkerfan

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The thing is, if you find a coin you really truly want, that's in a slab that you feel is damaged.... would that really prevent you from purchasing it and getting it reslabbed? I don't think it would bother me to spend another 20 bucks to get said coin into a fresh slab.

 

This is true--- but it would have to be a very special coin (at a great price) that doesn't come around very often for me to go through all the extra bother.

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FILTHYHOARD

FILTHYHOARD

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Wow, I hope you apologize(d) profusely to the seller!

 

Curiously, why didn't you ask for opinions here before taking the actions that you did through Ebay?

 

I absolutely apologized to the seller almost immediately after the first few replies from the fellow members on this board & closed the not as described case just as quickly. When you're wrong, you're wrong and I was W-R-O-N-G!!

As I previously mentioned I was just so shocked by the condition of the slab & the weak strike that I jumped to conclusions and flew off the handle. I sent it in to get re-holdered in one of the "scratch resistant" holders & I should have it back this week.

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MarkFeld

MarkFeld

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Wow, I hope you apologize(d) profusely to the seller!

 

Curiously, why didn't you ask for opinions here before taking the actions that you did through Ebay?

 

I absolutely apologized to the seller almost immediately after the first few replies from the fellow members on this board & closed the not as described case just as quickly. When you're wrong, you're wrong and I was W-R-O-N-G!!

As I previously mentioned I was just so shocked by the condition of the slab & the weak strike that I jumped to conclusions and flew off the handle. I sent it in to get re-holdered in one of the "scratch resistant" holders & I should have it back this week.

Well done. (thumbs u
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FILTHYHOARD

FILTHYHOARD

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Well, today I received my newly re-slabbed 1902 Morgan. Here are the new & improved photos. It definitely was much easier to photograph without all the scratches and cracks that the previous holder had. It is a bit of a soft strike, but now it's definitely a lot easier on the eyes.

 

1902MorganNGCMS65obv.jpg

 

1902MorganNGCMS65rev.jpg

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Walkerfan

Walkerfan

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Agreed! Soft strike--somewhat....Nice semi-key date in a brand new holder at a great price, with nice luster and a little rim tone--for sure!! Easier to sell, b/c of MUCH better presentation---Absolutely!!! :thumbsup:

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