This crown jewel is thoroughly suffused in canary-gold tone that dominates the vast central portion of each side, and concedes the peripheral areas to richer chartreuse-yellow tint. We like our gold -- especially early gold -- to be fully original, uncleaned and unmolested, and the presence of tiny flecks of die grease is highly desirable, since it suggests that no effort has been made to "improve" the surfaces. Interestingly, a tiny, subtle fleck of black tone is applied to the underside of Liberty's eyelid precisely in the manner that a supermodel applies eye-liner, and this gives Liberty a sultry, seductive appearance. Give her an earring, and she's a gypsy; give her a bikini and she's a beauty pageant winner! Obverse details are brought up with stunning precision that seems almost impossible of crude, early mint technology. Dentils are struck up in such high relief that they look like they could fall off the coin, and the stars all display exquisite interior definition.

The reverse is not quite as well struck, and this may be of little surprise since the reverse die was paired up with two obverse dies, and therefore struck twice as many coins. Dentilation is still finely crafted, but the eagle's feathers are beginning to display softness, and a few neck feathers are slightly merged. Some responsibility for deficiency of strike rests on the presence of diagonal adjustment marks across the central reverse, a charming aspect of early mint production that is severely underappreciated by many collectors. From a grading standpoint, the obverse will appear somewhat nicer than what is implied by an MS-63 assessment, so the most likely upgrade deterrent is what looks like a scratch in the upper shield lines of the reverse. Your cataloger submits that this could have been a defect present prior to striking, however. Aside from this, there is a handful of trivial, wispy hairlines on Liberty's cheek.