| Author |
 Replies: 12 / Views: 885 |
|
|
New Member
Canada
21 Posts |
Hello, New here from Canada. I love collecting and am learning various aspects of the hobby. I recently died and came back to life after I purchased a graded NGC $20 St. Gaudens ;) I am curious about the authenticty of the coin. Here is what I have done: 1) Visual inspection under a microscope 2) Tested metal authenticity with a Sigma tester (while it is not as accurate as an Xray diffractor, I think it will suffice). 3) Verified certificate with NGC database 4) Rechecked surface condition with a visual inspection. Every of these checks are good. No problem. However, what raises my concerns is that the holder of the coin has bubbles on one end and a *melted* plastic as well. The plastic could have melted during sealing however I am not sure if the uneveness warrants a suspicion that the holder had been tampered. I have watched some videos on Youtube where some avid collectors have shown how a holder could be opened, the coin swapped and holder resealed. My question then is whether or not such an event would leave signs and whether the current characteristics of the holder match to any signs of opening and resealing. If so, I then asked whether the coin in questions has the qualities of the assigned grade. Here I concur that the coin appears to be MS62 (however I am not 100% sure for there appears to be dirt/black surface on the forehead in the area where the brows almost meet; as well, there is *nick* on the reverse on the eagle wing and at the front on the knee. The nose is also flat) and there is no reason to swap the coin for a lower grade coin as there is not much spread between the grades for this coin. Here are attached the photos of the St. Gauden. What do you think? I'd love for your input.      Edited by VestedPocket
09/30/2024 9:43 pm
|
|
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
 United States
94367 Posts |
Thorough job indeed!  to the CCF! Edited by Coinfrog
09/30/2024 9:20 pm
|
|
New Member
 Canada
21 Posts |
|
|
Moderator
United States
157702 Posts |
to the Community! Your post was moved to the appropriate forum for the proper attention. 
|
|
New Member
Canada
21 Posts |
Thanks. :)  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4376 Posts |
A couple of thing on the reverse flip the photo, so the letters are upright. Take a photo of the NGC label and bar code. My gut is that the example is genuine, but a few details are concerning as the details in the capitol, rays and date are softer than is typical for Saints, but it could be a soft strike at end of the die run or photos. If you have return privileges send it back for a refund, because of the holder issues. If I am buying a coin for a couple thousand plus, I will pass if it has holder problems as it could be difficult to resell.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
PS - Always best too show your images right-side up.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3619 Posts |
It's genuine, and the holder has no issues. The older prong-less NGC holders all have that "melting" on the side. Nothing to worry about.
I think MS-62 is appropriate for the grade.
Suffering from bust half fever. Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves. |
|
New Member
Canada
21 Posts |
Hello everyone, Thank you all for your replies. I really appreciate your input. jacrispies: Today I checked other NGC holders and saw that the older generation holders have the melting / glue on the sides. So I realized that this is the same and I feel more assured about the holder being authentic. As for the grade, I am still learning. I find it harder to grade the gold coins that silver because of the reflection of the light. I find sometimes the color of the gold and the light reflection 'fools' the eye. Maybe just me or just need more training with the eye. Coinfrog: Going forward, I'll upload the photos right side up. I just upload whatever the scanner scanned. Slider23: I did have concerns about the features of the obverse like the strike being average or less. Do you know any books I can reference to learn about the strikes for the Gaudens? As with regards to the strike, are there any online references or books that anyone can recommend that chronicles the strike pressure on the dies for various years? I find that the strike on the gold coins appears to be much softer sometimes and I think it is the effect of the light hitting the surface and being reflected back. Any suggestions on lighting? I read incandescent. What do you use? Thank you!  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4376 Posts |
Quote:
As with regards to the strike, are there any online references or books that anyone can recommend that chronicles the strike pressure on the dies for various years? I have the Double Eagle gold coins book by David Bowers. He does cover strike qualities by date. On the 1927 he notes, "usually well struck and very lustrous". I would not recommend the book for any in-depth information about double eagles.
|
|
New Member
Canada
21 Posts |
I noticed today that something is off with this coin. The rim looks like a wire rim when I compared this coin next to two other coins side by side. I will take a clear picture and try to show you. Can a 1927P have a wire rim edge?
I'm not able to add any images. Any help would be appreciated. The upload image link doesn't seem to open the popup window that it used to open.
Edited by VestedPocket
11/18/2024 6:16 pm
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Just an ordinary Saint, believe me.
|
|
Valued Member
United States
289 Posts |
I have a few similar NGC holders, with what appears to be a bit of melting.
|
| |
Replies: 12 / Views: 885 |
|
Posted 09/30/2024 9:53 pm
