1931 Dime AU details - Damage

[DarkSki]

20200119_101737.jpg (678.34 KiB) Viewed 4219 times

20200119_101806.jpg (719.06 KiB) Viewed 4219 times

I wanted to find out how much this rim damage would take away from the grade of this coin.

Is it better to get coins with good details with damage or one that is worn more with no damage ?

[Bill in Burl]

I can't tell "wear" from the photos. It's either glare, luster, or wrong kind of light. Try to get them right-side up if possible. The Obv doesn't look AU. It's better to get maybe a little lower grade, but nice with no damage. The nick will drop it down.

[DarkSki]

Hello Bill in Burl,

I took the picture with my Smartphone and I'm not too experienced with this yet.

Thanks for your reply on this , I have been in the spirit of buying since silver is so low and this was one of my choices from the pile.

I am able to see all the jewels clearly in the crown , it doesn' come off so well in the picture and there is some luster left.

Do you have any suggestions to get better pictures ? I did use a high MP lens for this.

[Bill in Burl]

I would use portrait, rather than landscape and use as much natural light as possibl, not a flash.

[JNOD]

Hi!
I'm still learning but I've been gathering advice about just this sort of thing from many people. I've talked at some length with a guy named Hugh Powell, who I met at Torex, and he is full of sage advice. His advice to me was to focus on "problem free" coins; e.g. coins that are not damaged. He also introduced me to the idea of 'best in grade'. So, for example, a strong VG would be one where all the lettering is clear and the devices, while worn, are still clear and easily identified. If the coin is a very scarce one then, even though it's only a VG, if it's got these traits it can be worth quite a bit. Finally, there are the so-called 'subjective properties' - which would be things that are hard to grade but that just look nice. I focus on lettering that's legible without a magnifying glass. I also like it when the portrait of the monarch (usually Queen Vicky in my case) stands out against a toned background. As long as the coin isn't cleaned then this can be very attractive and that, to me, makes it more collectable.

JN

[Bill in Burl]

Hugh Powell is more than just "a guy at the coin show". He is a very astute long-time dealer who carries many many extremely high-grade coins. You couldn't have found anyone, short of Sandy Campbell, who knows more about high-grade coins and what to collect. Hugh is highly respected in the Canadian numismatic community.

[JNOD]

I didn't mean that to sound disrespectful - though he is a guy and I met at a coin show (Torex specifically). I have since talked to him on several occasions and I have learned a great deal from him. He is incredibly generous and knowledgeable and he is the most honest dealer I have encountered - he's the only person I would consider buying something from based just on his description.

My point was not to disparage him - it was to pass some of his wisdom along as it seemed appropriate to the question.