1984 D Kennedy Half (another grading question...... :) 0

[GBrad]

I am a bit torn on this one to be honest and would like some guidance. I have continued to research the in's and out's of coin grading and have come across numerous coins that I believe would have a decent shot at obtaining a fairly good grade.  Take for example this Half.  I have compared this one to numerous pics from both NGC and PCGS Photograde and it appears (to me at least) that this one may possibly be worthy.  I feel I have gotten pretty good at assigning grades to Lincolns as they have always been my favorite since I was a little kid but I continually try to delve into other coins to expand my horizons.  It seems to me through my experience and observation that there is a just a tad bit more leeway on larger denomination coins when it comes to very minor marks vs. smaller denominations like Cents that pretty much have to be absolutely flawless to obtain a high MS grade.  I assume this is due to the larger surface area(s) and it being much more practical in realizing there is a lot more surface area for these coin to receive a small mark or blemish compared to a much smaller coin.  Correct me if I am wrong in saying this please.  I know there are several other important criteria involved in grading but I am presenting this one to the forum for some feedback.  Here's what I see:

The relief on the devices, both Obverse and Reverse, appear to be very well struck and sharp. There are possibly some minimal hairline scratches but when compared to other graded coin photos my coin appears to have less for the grade I'm thinking it may 'possibly' achieve. Also, those are not scratches on the cheek and profile.  To me it appears to be in overall better condition even though it does show a few minor blemishes but no more so than Kennedy Half's graded at MS66 and MS67 especially from what I can tell on PCGS Photograde.  Without getting even more long winded I will stop here....lol. I would appreciate some comments, opinions or feedback from the pros here on this one and anything I may be missing that you see.  I may be completely off base, wouldn't be the first time, but would this coin even have a shot at 67?? (let me down lightly now......)  But then again, I'm not the expert here and I still enjoying learning everyday. Educate me further please!  Obviously, unless this went 66+ with PCGS (I'd rather use NGC, if I even were to submit it based on feedback here, but they don't supply a price guide for in-between grades that I am aware of) it wouldn't even be remotely worth the time and expense.  A 67 would obviously be a no brainer for submission. This Half came from an estate of an older gentleman that was a lifetime collector, just FYI, and it only cost me .50 cents so no loss there..... Thanks! 

[James Zyskowski]

I’m not very good but my reference material sez the field on right side of obverse looks AU.  Again I am learning too. Thanks for letting me comment 

[GBrad]

1 minute ago, James Zyskowski said:

I’m not very good but my reference material sez the field on right side of obverse looks AU.  Again I am learning too. Thanks for letting me comment 

Thanks for the reply James. And ya don't have to Thank me for letting you comment my friend, even though that is a very nice and polite gesture .  EVERYONE is welcome to comment, that's what I love about this forum as opposed to others.  You get very good professional advice and opinions here no doubt.  I need all the help I can get brother.  Heck, this may very well be an AU and I am fooled once again.  But I know on this forum that if you are sincere, take the given advice to heart and learn from it, and NOT argue with the experts here...... You will learn and be respected in time.  If only "some" of the other folks on this site would understand this.

I do think I need to take a better picture with a different lighting angle for the Obverse.  Not that it will make a difference but it is sort of shadowed out a bit.  I think the Reverse pic is pretty decent though considering I'm using an iPhone and a loupe.  I'll try to post another pic.  Thanks!

[J P M]

I also do not see a MS coin here there is to many small nicks and scratches also a lot of hair lines missing, and the Eagle head, shield and tail feathers all have a lot of wear. and without seeing it on a angle it may also have been cleaned. Sorry just my opinion

[Moxie15]

I looked at the coin then wondered what made you write so much about what looked like an AU coin that looks to have a huge wheel mark on the obverse. 

Perhaps I am a bit blind in my old age, but I would spend that one

[Woods020]

Agree with Moxie. Noticeable wear in the hair. Low AU or perhaps XF. 

[GBrad]

I guess it's back to the drawing board.  Looks like I just need to stick with my Lincoln errors and varieties which I am much more familiar and successful with.  Just trying my hand at learning and attempting to grade different denomination of coins and thought this one looked promising when I compared it to the online TPG's photos.  Maybe my old eyes are seeing (or not seeing) things that they should be seeing. Not sure what you are referring to as a wheel mark Moxie15, can you please explain so I know what it is that you mean?  I didn't post this frivolously I promise, I would never do that, too much of that goes on as it is.  I sincerely thought I had something worthwhile. Here's one of the pics I compared it to from PCGS Photograde.  These are pics I took off my screen, with my phone (taboo..I know..) only because I couldn't copy and paste them from their website. SO.... Disclaimer: These pics are from, and compliments of, PCGS and are being used for comparison purposes only (Hopefully this is legal...  ).  My apologies for posting my coin but when I compared mine to this example (just one example I looked at)  I just did not see much difference at all in the minute hairline scratches and minor dings, Obverse or Reverse. The hair details, or lack thereof, for this year and Mint are normal from what I can tell, there just doesn't seem to be good relief in this area of this coin.  The Reverse of the PCGS coin appears to be pretty consistent with my coin down to the nicks on the breast plate of the Eagle yet this coin is listed as MS67. Oh well, I will live to search another day and all the while learn from my mistakes. Thanks to all!

[J P M]

I also looked at this exact coin as a comparison you mentioned previously and thought it was not a very good example of a MS67 it must belong to a relative of the grader at PCGS