How would you grade this coin?

[rockrepeatclothing]

What grade would you give this coin.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1904-S-Barber-Head-U-S-Silver-Half-Dollar-Coin-90-Silver-L466-/171473189261?...

I'm fielding many questions about the quality of this coin (I think because of it's unbelievable low starting bid).

Anyhow, on the face, possible scratches or a "swipe" with a cloth.  The latter it is not.  The coin was found in a flip folder within a 2x2. Coin was removed and photographed and placed in its own 2x2

Back: appears to be a bunt mark (the "L" in half) possible due to striking at the mint. No clue, but certainly not a scratch.

Thank you in advance.

[fforce]

i would rate this coin as a very fine  ,cleaned with a large ding . most coins this old have been cleaned at one time or another but these internet sellers won't tell you that because it  drops the value big time . just received 2 morgans that were adv. as uncirculated BUT they are AU's sellers also know they are AU's but won't tell you because they would get a lot less for them now i got to pay the return freight if so its 2 NEGS plus lots of 1's  . this is the only way to stop these crooks .

[davidx256]

Hello myquest4u,

If you sent this coin to PCGS it would come back VF - Details - Scratch. The cleaning that was done to this coin occured several years ago and you can see that it is begining to re-tone. Typically the grading service will call out the worse or most permanent flaw as this coin could look completly uncleaned in a few decades.

This coin also shows evidence of PVC damage -the green spots are indications that this coin may have spent part of its life in a PVC holder that imparted some staining on the surface.

In all cases it is good to ask for better photos or the opinion of the seller before bidding. Most sellers, including myself will always take a coin back if you are not happy with it and we will pay the return shipping costs. It's just a matter of communicating with the seller. If they refuse to help you then you can always resort to filing a case with eBay.

Thanks for posting this question - this is one of those marginal coins that are difficult to buy on just photos.

Cheers,
Davidx256

Numismastist

New England Coin Exchange