Guess the grade of this buffalo nickel and guess which service graded it.

Take a stab at grading this buffalo nickel which has been slabbed, and guess who did it!
Collector of Buffalo Nickels and other 20th century United States Coinage
a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"
a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"
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Comments
I’ll bite, MS-63
Could be any service
Apart from the late die state, there also appears to be some friction, so I’m at AU 58.
Looks like an AU53 to me.... No idea of the TPG. Cheers, RickO
If I were a grading service I would decline to grade it as it is a problem coin and a very common date as well. Light wear, some damage and poor strike.
Environmental damage detail Au.50
"That's why I wander and follow La Vie Dansante"
AU-55. Very minimal wear.
Graded by BITS (Buffalo Iron Tail Service).
Pete
My first thought was 64
Ngc 62
65⭐
NGC MS64
MS61 whole lota die erosion. ANACS?
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
I agree with AU55, but not the grading service.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.
Wow... THIS is an interesting thread. We have guesses from AU50 to MS64.
My first thought was AU55 with a poor strike... not sure what's going on with the obverse surfaces... grading service...????
Interesting piece...
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Looks mint state to me so I would guess NGC 64. You see that dusty look in some early buffalos and it's not my favorite but others might like its character.
"Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.
P 62.
MS62 ANACS
MS67 graded by NNC
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Thanks for all the comments, so here is the whole slab

Its an ngc ms65 and has a caci sticker too!
Here is the obverse of the whole slab
a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"
and here is the reverse of the holder its one of those holders that you would want to get replaced right away

a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"
Quinn the Eskimo says it's not his cup of meat.
First impression: ED?
Is that the iIHERTY variety?
Who brained the buffalo?
Is a 63 worth 45 bucks? That's what I graded it - 45 bucks
Unacceptable. There is wear.
I quit!
Pete
Sure ain't no 65 in my opinion. I'd have given it a 62.
Bet it doesn't cross

Perhaps looks better out of the holder? Judging from the "iberty" alone, it doesn't even make VG. You certainly got a gift grade here, and CAC approved? Wow! NGC is way to lenient at times.
Almost makes me think it has to be a a typo error
a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"
or the finalizer knew who the submitter was and does not like him
but thats not very likely
a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"
I'll bet that coin is never cracked out.
Whenever I see planchet tumbling hits (for lack of a better term) not fully stuck out on the high points, I see a soft strike. Like here on the buffalos mid section. There may still be some circulation wear, but that story would be better told in hand by tipping it in light, so I defer to the pros who have done this. Not my series, but with the spots I went with MS-63 and mostly for dusty eye appeal. Can I see a 5? Its a weird situation. The die erosion would have to really be throwing some luster around that the photos dent show well, which may be what must be going on here.
I see initials scratched on the Buffalo
Back in 1989, before a certain former forum member started bragging about what he could do to Buffalo nickels, this was exceptional color....
Smells fishy. Does CAC keep photographic records? Can these slabs be opened and resealed?
LOL! The CAC God has spoken! You must like the coins he likes!
$25 coin.
Well, this was either a really bad idea, a super bad picture, a missing Buffalo, or a re-purposed CAC sticker.
At what point did CAC start CACing because I can’t see this happening?
Even in the 80s and 90s when LSD was still prevalent and designer drugs were just hitting the market. Maybe we could lean on @mfeld for a little clarification and scientific hypotheses.
Why not, I’m in the mood and will digress.
Need Glasses, Charlie?
Yikes. No way is that coin a 65 and CAC
Yikes
I think it’s silly to claim something fishy went on in the grading of a 125 dollar coin. I’ll also guess it looks much better in hand. Those photos do a decent job showing the color but make the rest of it look bad. In that die state it probably has super luster.
And I don’t think anyone has mentioned the beautiful label that ngc has put on the inside of the reverse of the slab.
Kind of says it all I think! -- “umismatic uarantee corporation of america”.
a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"
My first guess was AU55 due to wear before seeing the slab. Looking it it more, I would grade it lower as it has a scratches on the reverse.
Here's PCGS MS65 to compare:
CAC is confirmed:
@Zoins It must look much better in hand...
Not sure of the 65 grade on that one. The only thing I was sure of what that this coin wasn't AU. I would have graded it a 63. Then again, what do I know.
jom
On a random note, I own that coin. ANACS called that a 63 or 64 back in the day.
Beautiful coin! Since the OP coin is a 65 CAC, I wonder if your coin is under graded?
This one has never been sent in, but according to CAC most of the buffs in my collection are all C level to overgraded. (65 looks right though IMO)
Ah, the old grading from photos thing......
I'm pretty sure you could take a photo of this coin that made it look solidly MS. It looks much better in the slab shots. What people are seeing as wear is probably some mix of die erosion and poor strike. If those areas show unbroken luster, it isn't wear. The toning gives it a bit of a rough planchet / ED look. I would have guessed MS, but something lower than 65.
You weren't there.
I was.
The Forum wasn't even a gleam in @homerunhall's eye.
This has not been, at any time since I started collecting again in 1972, considered "exceptional" color.
If you mistyped and intended 1999, I was there and you weren't,
Neither of the two best nickel doctors around (BM and NC) would have let that out the door. Not to mention that no one would waste their time on working with such poor quality raw material with so little value if successful.
Most of us only have the photos to go on.
Have you seen this in hand? Or are you also grading from photos?
Perhaps that is die erosion and a poor strike, but if so, under market grading, I could see that as a MS55
Probably just basing it on who has seen it.
I am just wondering if he's in the same boat as us regarding grading from photos.