Best Of

@privaterarecoincollector said:
I have a question to all of you. Does anybody share this view with me here below or do you have a different opinion and why ?

Its about grading:

There are quite a few coins that are not really unc and now graded PCGS 61 up to PCGS 65 and were before in AU holders.

Here are a few examples:

Chain Cent PCGS MS 65 (formerly PCGS AU 55)

Now my problem is the following:

When AU coins are being graded MS 65, how do you grade real unc Gem coins ?

The Chain Cent PCGS MS 66 was PCGS MS 65 already in 1998, when the other Chain Cent was graded PCGS AU 55, that is now graded PCGS MS 65. Maybe all of this doesnt matter so much, as the prices in relations are still different with the 66 coin 2.3 Mio and the 65 coin 900k, but I am still not sure if it is good to grade this way. The 65 coin in this case is just not a 65. Just not. It has lots of wear. (Im relating here to the coin that formerly was owned by Cardinal / Martin Logies).

So you cant grade the coin that was PCGS 55 in 1998 55 anymore, thats why it is now MS 65.

It just seemed on some type coins the grades are way off today.

Oliver, the PCGS MS65 S-2 Chain Cent just does not have "lots of wear." JA stickered both the Cardinal S-2 Chain Cent as MS65 and the Eliasberg-Jung S-4 Chain Cent as MS65, and stated for the record that the Cardinal S-2 was superior to the Eliasberg S-4. (In fact, after I had purchased the S-2 coin, and before JA started CAC, JA advised re-submitting the S-2 coin for an MS66 grade.)

There are nuances to die varieties than need to be taken into consideration. The obverse die of the S-4 variety was entirely new when those coins were struck, and featured significantly different hair detail, in much lower relief than the hair detail of the S-2 obverse. Whereas, the obverse die of the S-2 variety featured higher relief hair details and was used during the entire time of production of the S-1 Ameri Chain Cents. You simply can't judge wear by details alone when a coin is struck by a worn high-relief die, as Strike Weakness does NOT impart wear to the struck coin. The Cardinal S-2 coin is fully lustrous, and I was told that when Naftzger owned it, it was his favorite coin.

Here is a modern example of strike weakness from a high relief die:

Here's another example from the same dies, but fully struck:

Both examples display full luster across the surfaces, yet the first one lacks a lot of detail. Should the first one be graded XF-AU because of that missing detail?

In between earthquakes I was able to set aside a little time to decompress with coins and take my mind off of the mayhem in MC. I met up with pruebas at the Bi Annual Mexico City coin show on Friday. I was only able to do a quick walk through this quaint show as my wife was coming in from LA that afternoon. The show didn't yield me any coins but I was able to pick up a cool coffee table book printed in English from the Banco De Mexico. It's actually pretty awesome. Pruebas is a cool dude and it was a pleasure to meet him.

Today I was able to go to the Museo Soumaya with my wife. This in my opinion is one of the coolest museums in the world. They had half of one floor devoted to coins and medals of Mexico. It was pretty comprehensive. Some pictures of the exhibits:

Here are some random pics of the Museo Soumaya.

My wife pictured in the foreground

And of course I had some other non coin favorites. The Thinker with Tracy and also anothecRodin piece that I have always thought was insane. Las Tres Sambras.

If you have never been to Mexico City I strongly recommend it. Between the people, culture, food and architecture it maybe my favorite city in the world. I work here 3 weeks of the month and we are contemplating getting a more permanent place here. Some on the neighborhoods have a Greenwich Village feel while others kick Parisian with a Latin flair. A great walking city.

mark

Well let me see...
Enjoyed the wildlife, saw some really cool clouds, added a new member to the family....

It is only when a mosquito lands on your testicles that you realize there is always a way to solve problems without using violence.

Where is the 50000th post giveaway contest from ricko?

My wife and I went through a country music phase back in the mid/late 90s, during that time we had the joy of taking in a Garth Brooks concert. Last night we returned to the same city where he returned 20 years later (for 9 shows in 6 days).

Here's a picture we took with her sign last night...the small photo on the sign is our son who is a freshman in college this year...and is 19 yrs and 3 months old.

Actually, I'm not ignoring anything obvious. Everything you brought up was already taken into account.
Your reply gets back to my last point....you ask for opinions and because they don't match yours, you try to refute them.

For instance, 96-W dime. You ignore when I talked about how, while it didn't circulate, it is still a business strike finish. It "fits" with others.

Proof sets sell a ton...they are established. However, look how the VALUE of the proof sets usually drop after a short time from the mint. Many are propped up only by their precious metal content (for the silver proof sets) and the clads are a terrible buy. I actually have stopped by clads from the mint.

People don't NEED an excuse to NOT buy something for their year set/collection. That's the point about collections...people can do whatever they want. Saying they need an excuse is trying to impose your values or your desires on others.

The only LOGICAL comparison you could make, and you haven't done it directly, would be a special finish kennedy from a set. What would be missing then would be the comparison that the Lincoln is part of a year set and not a special set on its own. If it had gone out as a special set of its own, it likely would have been in higher demand.

And, saying that I favor the classic period is obviously you making something up to lend credence to your own point and not any points I may have made. I say that because you don't know me and don't know what I collect (which, btw, has classics AND a lot of moderns.....A LOT).

Using the liberty things as a comparison.....you make same mistakes again.
They are sold on their own. not a cent hidden in with a year set.
The mintage is ~55-65% of what the cent will end up being.
Precious metal content?
Part of established series and finishes are NOT 1-offs (cents are established but the finish is still a 1-off on it)
etc etc etc

Let me also say this....I don't care if these are worth a lot more down the road, or not.
I bought them because I wanted them, and I bought an extra or two in case they do go up.
So, at the end of the day, I just don't care.