Which is better, 68 Ultra or 67 DCAM?

CarlWohlforth

Why make it hypothetical? Lets look at an example.

NGC PF 68 Ultra

PCGS PR 67 DCAM

These are on TeleTrade right now. As I type the PCGS coin is at $650, the NGC at $260.

If the NGC registry really did weigh coins by market value do you think they would take into account the difference in value between PCGS and NGC coins?

Which coin would you prefer? Judging by these scans I choose the PCGS coin. However my NGC Roosey set would be improved if I buy the NGC coin.

Russ

Can't view. It's telling me I need to download something. Must be because I don't have their deja whatever plugin.

Russ, NCNE

bigt

PCGS coin looks much better to me Carl, IMOP

Regards,
Tim

CarlWohlforth

Try this:

NGC

PCGS

littlewicher

The NGC coin's reverse looks too weak to be designated UCAM. I'm almost positive it wouldn't cross to PCGS as a DCAM.

andy007

The PCGS coin looks nicer, but not over $600 nice, sorry. Maybe for a CAM 1950-52, but not for a DCAM 1955.

Russ

Assuming the scans are representative of the coins (not always the case with Teletrade), hands down the PCGS coin is more cameo'd. Although, even with it, the reverse seems to be a bit weak for the DCAM designation. But, it's a series I don't collect, so I could be full of crap.

Russ, NCNE

braddick

I would think the value is with the NGC coin, but Teletrade scans are tough to read.
(I do like that shadow affect the PCGS coin is giving off on the portrait!)

Bear

Russ - Even if you did collect FDR Dimes, how do you know you wouldnt still be full of C. Bear

DAM

Down Bear!

Here, have a poptart.

braddick

<< <i>Down Bear! Here, have a poptart. >>



He did and the filling was way too hot! Like molten lava. That's what got him in the groooowwwlll mood he's in now!

Bear

Poptarts are good. They act as a sort of sedative on bears. I like poptarts. Bear

littlewicher

I had a night craving, so I just ate a poptart. I have to watch my weight though, I don't want to get over 125 pounds.

RGL

PCGS coin strikes me as clearly superior in terms of heavier cameo contrast, but again, is it worth the price differential? It depends how addicted you are to the series and accompanying registry, I guess ... We all have spent some good coin on coins that likely would make other people chuckle at us as fools. It's all in the eye of the (outside) beholder and buyer and their often differing opinions on the relative worth of what is in the holder ...

Android

I agree that the PCGS coin looks nicer.

Andy

goyankeez

Although it's hard to tell from the picture, the PCGS coin looks like solid DCAM with nice uniform frost. On the NGC coin, the obverse frosting is much lighter and there is fading on the front of the neck. The torch on the reverse is very weakly frosted. Maybe a DCAM obverse, probably a CAM reverse. Net CAM. Again, hard to tell from pictures.

A 1955 DCAM with that sort of frosting (thick on both sides) will command a very high premium to this NGC coin and a PCGS CAM of the same grade. I can't tell what the final price was, but $650 right now seems like a bargain. 1955 is rare for DCAMs, with pop of 16/5. Not until 1960 for Roosevelts do you see more common DCAMs (pops of 100+). Although you may commonly see Roosevelts in CAM from the mid to late '50s, many DCAMs are tucked away or are in Registry sets.

CarlWohlforth

The Ultra sold for $450, the DCAM didn't reach reserve. I didn't see the final price, the last I looked before I left for a football party was the $650 mentioned above. PCGS '55s dimes in 67 DCAM have sold for $725 and $800 in the past month. (prices mentioned don't include the buyers fee or shipping.)

So this points out a major flaw in the NGC registry game. The more expensive, nicer coin has a lower grade. The registry is all about ranking sets. In the NGC registry the 68 Ultra brings lots more points so would really boost a set. It could be possible to have a much higher ranked set with coins that don't look as good.

Now I'm sure the same thing can be said here in the PCGS registry, that is that some 67 DCAM might be nicer than some 68 DCAM. But I can't find an example in my collection, nor on the web.

No, I didn't buy the Ultra to boost my Roosey set. I've heard you should buy the coin, not the holder As goyankeez points out proofs from the 50s with really deep contrast do get and deserve a strong premium to ones with lesser contrast. Even Rooseys.

leothelyon

Hi everyone
I'll usually put the pics of coins of interest on my desktop and play with the pics using my photo software
to examine the coin in other views. Add or subtract a little brightness or contrast, move the gamma around or make a negative pic. With these two coins, it's obvious the light source settings used for the pics are at different angles. I'm not going to say which is which but one pic shows the light source from slightly above and behind the head, about 2:00 and it is easy to see the triple shadow of the profile outline on R's face. In the other pic, the light source is 7:00 directly below and slightly to the left of R's jaw. Check where the shadows appear, in the ear and hair. For the reverse, one is 5:00 the other may be from a higher angle, closer to the angle of the camera.

Leo

CarlWohlforth

Very interesting! My assumption was that two images from the same source (TeleTrade) would be a very fair comparison. I wonder what their set up is?

leothelyon

Hi Carl
I imagine the platform and the camera are stationary. While a series of small floodlights are in position around the platform, perhaps at 2 levels and controled by a switchboard. There may also be a moniter
connected to the camera for easy viewing and for the selection of the best lighting before the click.
Sounds like another great topic! But I'll refrain from doing so.

Leo

pontiacinf

68 ultra rev is weak...i like the 67

pontiacinf

TTT