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1973 d red penny full steps.should I grade
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13 posts in this topic

No

I didn't look it up, but you may need MS67 and more likely MS68 or higher, to have a chance of making it worth more than the grading fees.  Now, notice the marks on your coin.  Ding on the rim above the G in GOD, ding behind Lincolns shoulder, ding on the pillars, a couple scratches and marks under the memorial, ding under the C.  And that's just what I can quickly see from a pic that was taken from an angle.  

 

In circulated rolls of Lincoln Memorial cents are readily available and consequently the majority have very little value.  However, your cent would make a nice addition to an album set.  

You should check out some if the pics on auction sites of MS68 and higher cents to get an idea of what is required to meet these grades.

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It is a very nice coin with a very nice strike which the mid 70's Lincolns are not known for.   However there are far too many small and medium size hits/scratches as well as some stains/spots which limit the grade to MS65 tops in my opinion.  MS66RD graded coins sell for around $30-$40, which is just about break even for the costs to have one graded and MS65 slabbed and graded coins sell for $10 or less assuming you can find a buyer for one at that grade.  You would need a grade of MS66+RD or higher to be able to make a profit upon selling.

Now that you have some information on the pricing; and if you just want to see for yourself as a double check of what you think it grades then go ahead and submit it.   I am quite certain that I am spot on with my grade guess, but I am judging a photo and not the coin in hand.  You may get lucky and be able to break even, also a $30 loss may be a small price to pay as a check of your grade against what NGC will say.

In the future I suggest that you use the NGC explorer tool, it can be found on the main page the first item under the resources tab.   That tool will allow you to see the NGC price guide as well as some actual auction prices for graded NGC and PCGS coins.  In there you can also see the population numbers for each grade that NGC has graded, a very useful tool. 

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coinjunky:

Common coin with ordinary surface marks. Worth 1-cent. Cost to authenticate and grade, approx $35. Value after grading, 1-cent.

What do you think?

Edited by RWB
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Full steps on cents now? What about full heads on dimes? /smh

Seriously though, start a nice high quality album (if I were starting today, I’d go with the green Littleton) and fill that 73-D slot with this coin. Rinse, repeat. 

Edited by VKurtB
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To member Coinbuf's credit as a seasoned veteran with a top-tier compilation of Lincoln Head cents  -- ranked #5 somewhere, last I checked, I would be inclined to take his words to heart.  If you had a malfunctioning Cartier or Patek Philippe chronograph, you would take it to an authorized dealer.  Coinbuf is the unofficial authorized dealer of this century-plus year old series and his opinion -- reworked by our stalwart RWB for bare-bones brevity -- should count for something.  VKurtB's contribution to the discussion, a light sprinkling of exasperation should be regarded for what it is with no offense meant to anyone.

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On 8/2/2021 at 12:31 PM, VKurtB said:

Full steps on cents now? What about full heads on dimes? /smh

Seriously though, start a nice high quality album (if I were starting today, I’d go with the green Littleton) and fill that 73-D slot with this coin. Rinse, repeat. 

Have you had a lot of luck with copper in albums? I’ve been spending a lot of time, and had a lot of fun, on albums recently but I’ve been reluctant on copper. Seems like it would tone terribly in them. But I could be wrong and I’m not a copper guy in general. What has been your experience? 2x2 or album better for long term storage?

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On 8/2/2021 at 9:05 PM, Woods020 said:

Have you had a lot of luck with copper in albums? I’ve been spending a lot of time, and had a lot of fun, on albums recently but I’ve been reluctant on copper. Seems like it would tone terribly in them. But I could be wrong and I’m not a copper guy in general. What has been your experience? 2x2 or album better for long term storage?

I use some Dansco albums, even for cents. The toning I get is attractive and subtle enough. The one that is really fun is the 2009 page I created from a “plain” cents page. 4 designs. 2 mints for brass/bronze cents from the uncirculated set. 2 mints for the Zincolns, and of course the brass/bronze S proofs. 20 coins total. The Zincolns tone fundamentally different from the brass/bronze ones, despite being side by side for the same amount of time. The older alloy tones like fine Scotch. 
 

Of course the vast majority of that time was in Pennsylvania. Last week, Alabama proved to me I had not yet begun to experience humidity. 

Edited by VKurtB
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On 8/2/2021 at 9:15 PM, VKurtB said:

I use some Dansco albums, even for cents. The toning I get is attractive and subtle enough. The one that is really fun is the 2009 page I created from a “plain” cents page. 4 designs. 2 mints for brass/bronze cents from the uncirculated set. 2 mints for the Zincolns, and of course the brass/bronze S proofs. 20 coins total. The Zincolns tone fundamentally different from the brass/bronze ones, despite being side by side for the same amount of time. The older alloy tones like fine Scotch. 
 

Of course the vast majority of that time was in Pennsylvania. Last week, Alabama proved to me I had not yet begun to experience humidity. 

Welcome to the deep south. It’s like living in a sauna 

Edited by Woods020
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On 8/2/2021 at 9:25 PM, Woods020 said:

Welcome to the deep south. It’s like living in a sauna 

It took until last week to get nasty. I’m about 1,100 feet above sea level. Even most of the run to Birmingham is downhill.

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