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Gold Coin grade comparison
jesbroken
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@joebbe21 and @JimTyler kindly offered their coins to view. I just would like to have comparison grades by the forum as the 1885 S was graded MS66 and the 1857 S was graded MS62. I'm not a gold specialist in any way, but this seems unsettling as to the grade separation. Your opinions.
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.....Mark Twain
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That’s one heck of a hit on the lip of the 85 Now the 57 is fairly dinged up lot of chatter in the fields. Graded fairly. I am with you on the 85’s grade. Maybe high? 😉
🎶 shout shout, let it all out 🎶
$5 vs. $20
However, $5 looks a bit on the low side of 65 and $20 looks a bit on the high side of 62.
Well, just Love coins, period.
That 85-S was part of a very long Guess the Grade Poll and thread. It seems many feel it is overgraded by about 3 grades.
Successful BST with BustDMs , Pnies20, lkeigwin, pursuitofliberty, Bullsitter, felinfoel, SPalladino (CBH's - 35 Die Marriage's)
$5 Type Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/type-sets/half-eagle-type-set-circulation-strikes-1795-1929/album/344192
CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572
For my part, I would have no problem with a 1 point variance, but not much more. Disregarding the lip scar on the 85S, it appears to me that the scratches are quite equally spread on either coin. It just amazes me that a 4 point spread is even possible by any standards, but then that's Just my opinion.
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.....Mark Twain
Pictures can be deceptive.... I can understand the discussion, however, to truly understand, the coins must be in hand to evaluate. Cheers, RickO
Hmmmm. I think it was all said in the other thread. If the top coin is over-graded, any further comparison is basically meaningless.
The bottom coin has plenty of field chatter and bagmarks. Luster is nice, but 62/63 seems about right. The top coin has plenty of chatter too. I certainly don't see it as a 66 from these photos, but coins can do funny things when photographed in different ways. Some coins just aren't very photogenic and some look better in photos than they do in-hand.
Gold tends to be graded a little differently. Luster and detail count for a bit more, and hits for a bit less. It's a soft material, and it abrades easily.
For the record, you really don't have to look all that hard to find coins that don't seem to match the grade on the holder. Every TPG has them.
I have found wide variations in gold coin grading, and it almost seems like each date and mint mark is graded independently from the entire series. Also, luster plays a big role, and seems to override number and quantity of bag marks in certain cases. This can work in your favor however. I've found some outstanding MS 63 coins out there, that have the look of gem.
Here's another case in point: The 98-s looks clearly better. The 97-s has the same grade, and gets the sticker? Both photos are taken in similar light, same gear etc. by GC...In this case, I have to believe the "slightly" better luster on the 1897-s is what won the sticker? For my money, I'll take the 1898-s all day long.
Yeah the 98 is much nicer than the 97. Thats why i buy coins and not labels
The 85-S is overgraded by at least a point in my opinion. The 97-S has a more accurate grade and I could even see it at the lower end of 63.