Featured Need a condition opion for this 1882 gold liberty $10

I am considering buying this from a reputable dealer, but I'm not sure what the coin grade might be. He says AU. Looks to me to be less then that. What do you think would be a fair price. I have looked at some and seen prices all over the board. He wants $725 Out the door. What do you think?

 

I wouldn't pay more than melt without having it in hand, but then as a cheapskate I wouldn't pay melt either.(LOL)

 

if he's a dealer , he's gotta make a profit......and dealers...in my experience....upgrade to sell...and down grade to buy......
yer better off buying a gold bar.....or Canadian coin...

 

Doesn't appear to have positive eye appeal in your pictures. May be low AU or could be high XF if it is wear on the high points. I can't tell for sure with these pics.

Premiums over melt on old gold are way down over the past five years on common date gold. Apparently there have been large numbers of old U.S. gold brought back from Europe in recent years greatly increasing supply thus depressing price. On eBay I'm seeing coins similar to this selling in $630-650 range. For $700 you can get a MS-61 in a PCGS holder on the Bay.

I'm assuming that "out the door" means that $725 includes sales tax if your state is one that still has sales tax on coins and bullion. If tax is included in that figure I'd say $725 isn't bad but it is not a particularly good deal either.

 

Thank you all for your input. The pictures make it look dull and brassy, but it is a nice shiny gold. I appreciate you all giving me your insights into this. I'll try to get a better picture of it.

 

Better pics I hope!

 

Those pictures make it appear to be AU-Details, harshly cleaned. If possible I'd suggest passing on this coin unless it is offered at the melt value of the gold.

 

Thank you Joe

 

I've got to say that coins are difficult. After reading some things in forums about cleaned vs uncleaned coins, there is a whole world of differing opinions out there. Same say they will only have uncleaned coins in their collections, while others like cleaned ones for the eye appeal. Then there is a whole other debate about what HARSHLY Cleaned vs cleaned means, and to what extent that effects value. Often it requires high magnification to tell if a coin has been cleaned. I have to wonder if you have to look with a loupe to tell if a coin has been cleaned, the difference is so subtle, what does it matter? It does seem that most like natural coins with the original patina.
The whole grading systems seems a little subjective to me too BWDIK? Seems to me (the untrained eye) That the difference between F, EXF, AU, BU and UNC and others is more of an opinion, and rests on minute details, then a hard and fast rules. But again WDIK? Still I strive to learn, and hopefully make sense out of the coins I have from my fathers collection.
Again, Thank you all for helping me on this learning adventure!

 

Coin collecting requires a considerable amount of time and patience. Many collectors only collect certain series since it that allows them to focus and be knowledgeable in their particular niche.

Coin grading is tough and requires the examination of many coins to get to a passable level of being right most of the time. European collectors and U.S. collectors have differences in their grading scales as you can see in this thread with the European system being more conservative than the American grading scale. In the U.S. we use the Sheldon grading scale.

On the topic of cleaning, it is very possible to see harsh cleaning from the distance since the alterations in the coin's appearance is severe. More subtle cleaning may be more difficult to spot and could require a loupe and magnification to see the hairlines.

Interpreting photos is a whole other task that collectors purchasing online must master in order to avoid problem coins and be able to grade coins properly. Poor pictures can make a coin look cleaned and that is why I'm hesitant to be too critical without good pictures.

 

You should join a coin forum. I'm just one collector with only certain areas I specialize in. I'm not that proficient on gold coins since that isn't an area I actively collect.