Gold - grading question
SimpleCollector
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As I work on improving my gold type set, I am trying to understand grading better. The following three coins were all on a dealers website at one time, so the pics are the same quality. One of the coins was a 64, one a 63 and one a 64 CAC (#3). When I look at the coins, #3 seems to have the worst strike but maybe the best luster? By looking at the hair and eagle feathers, coin three seems to me to have the weakest strike, but I am not sure if luster sometimes softens the view of the strike.
Coin one seems to have a really good strike, but at the top of the eagle feathers(shoulder) it seems either some wear or lack of luster. Coin two seems second best on both strike and luster, but does have some marks in front of chin which were noted. Coin three, especially obverse seems to have a soft strike. Perhaps it’s the year?
Any observations or explanations on how luster and strike intermix to get a grade would be appreciated. It’s unclear to me why coin 3 has the highest grade and CAC.
Thanks,
Comments
Everyone’s entitled to and should place emphasis wherever they prefer. That said, I doubt that strike played a meaningful roll in the grading of those three coins. It likely came down to marks and luster. And while it might not be the case with the three dates above, in some instances, you’ll be doing yourself a disservice in comparing strikes of different dates in order to make a buying decision.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Coin 3 looks like the most attractive coin to me. I think it has the nicest overall look and I like the color and luster.
I like th3 look of obverse 3 the best. I am torn on whether I like the reverse of coin 1 or 3 the best. Overall, I like coin 3.
I'd take the 1893 out of the 3.
Buy slabbed material sight seen at a show and simply cherry-pick for best value.
You need able to discern between A and B coins. Sometimes a MS63 A coin the better deal than some B MS64 overpriced coin. Do not buy this material unless you know how grade / look at coins.
Agree with @MFeld , different dates, different strikes. On some Walkers you are unlikely to find a thumb on a 68.
Now there are numbers on the photos. Or did I somehow miss those the first time
I had the line up wrong when I first viewed them... judging from the photos I think I like the 1905 best followed by the 1893.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I have understood that strike doesn't play a very big role in overall grade until you get to the higher grades...66, 67, 68...
The numbers in lower left corner match obverse and reverse, and were there on the original post.
Thanks for the comments so far. I have taken away so far that I shouldn’t compare dissimilar years, which I know, but thought these pics were good to ask my question.
It also seems like marks(hits) and luster are the bigger driver of grade for gold in the examples I am looking at.
I am still trying to understand strike.
I was initially drawn to coin 3, and likely will add it to my set. The dealer is thought of highly and I have bought coins from them before, the coin has a green been, and I understand the price vs comparable coins. I will admit, I am not a good grader...eye appeal yes, but technical grading no...but I am trying to learn.
The only thing that initially held me back on coin 3 was what appeared to be softness in the strike on the obverse. As cougar said, I am trying to learn how to discern an A coin from a B coin.
Thanks again
Perhaps not with respect to just those specific grades, but in general, that’s my impression. And even at the upper grades, I don’t think strike typically plays a major role. I believe that many collectors place more emphasis on strike than the major grading companies do.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I like the 1907. I'm a little curious about the color - I have a 1901 $2.5 in 65 cac that looks similar - it is more yellow than anything else in my type set. Wonder if color is a factor for the bean.
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As others have mentioned, strike can vary from date to date and mint to mint. This is especially true on older dates and smaller branch mints. Even color is noticeable by mint in many instances.
That being said, there's no such thing as a bad piece of American classic gold!
Set your own conservative standards and stick to them. Grading is nothing more than opinion.
If you want well struck coins then only consider well struck coins regardless of what holders or stickers indicate.
They're all not too shabby..
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@Pedzola , thanks for posting your coin. It seems to have a very similar obverse to the coin #3 in the original post, and also a similar holder. I appreciate the insight and thoughts that was shared by everyone. I am hoping to improve my knowledge of gold grading, as I continue down this path.
The 1907 had the look, price, and holder that I was hoping to get as an upgrade for my type set. It is now en route. Here is the final dealer pic.
Nice coin, congrats.
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