"Exceptional Eye Appeal". "PQ for the Grade".

braddick

Is there a difference between these two discriptors? I've heard that 'PQ' pretty much means the coin is right on the verge of the next highest grade. IE: MS65PQ is an almost MS66.
Now, 'Exceptional Eye Appeal' does not mean that MS65 coin is close to an MS66, just that it has a lot of spunk/pizzaz/'bang-for-the-buck' appeal for the grade of MS65.
Does this sound right to you?
What does 'PQ' mean to you? What does 'Exceptional Eye Appeal' mean to you?

nwcs

PQ means outstanding eye appeal that may end up in the next grade to me. But it could also mean outstanding eye appeal but solid for the grade.

greghansen

"premium quality" & "exceptional eye appeal" mean pretty much the same to me. They're both subjective descriptions...both in the eye of the beholder...and neither subject to any objective standards of use that I am aware of. I tend to agree that if I were to describe a coin, the coin I called "PQ" would be marginally better than the coin with 'exceptional eye appeal'. I wouldn't trust/expect other collectors to necessarily feel the same way however.

Greg Hansen
Melbourne, FL

kieferscoins

PQ can even be for low grade coins. This bust quarter has not just alot of detail, but has a good contrast. I would consider it PQ. Anyone else thinks PQ can be for circulated coins also?

Cameron Kiefer

braddick

Hey! When am I going to buy that one Cameron?! You're holding out on me. (And, YES- That is definitely PQ even for a GD04).

Twowood

"Premium Quality?"...I guess that means whatever anyone wants it to mean! I can't find any such grading standard. Twowood

RotatedRainbows

Yes there is a difference, PQ means high end just missed the next grade i.e. fewer marks/nicks then expected. Exceptional eye appeal means better then average looks i.e. superior strike and/or luster but could still have more marks then average for the grade. So you could have a coin with strong strike and blazing luster that looks GREAT but still have more bag marks then you normally like to see for the grade, on the other hand you could have a coin that has average strike and luster with less then expected marks for the grade (just missed the next grade up) which would be considered PQ.

gmarguli

PQ can mean a lot of things. On early copper it can mean a nice smooth planchet. On early dollars, it can be a nice centered strike. However, mostly it indicates a coin that is above average in marks for the grade.

Exceptional Eye Appeal means that the coin is visually stunning. An MS65PQ coin can be ugly. While technically the coin might be mark free and near MS66 in grade, the coin could be toned in an unappealing manner.

MAULUMALL

braddick,Don't ya just love kids today.

Hoot

I tend to go with what Rotated Rainbows and Greg have to say, but in a market grade, exceptional eye appeal is one aspect of grade generation, so it's ambiguous. PQ can mean any aspect of the grading criteria that pushes the grade of a coin toward the upper end of the grade - strike, marks, lustre, toning, eye appeal. However, since eye appeal is but one aspect of a market graded coin, it can be affective within any grade. This is why NGC's policy of applying their * designation only to MS60 or above and PF60 or above coins confuses me. There are many coins in the circulated grades with exceptional eye appeal.

Hoot

gmarguli

This is why NGC's policy of applying their * designation only to MS60 or above and PF60 or above coins confuses me.

Actually, they restrict the * to MS63-69 grade coins.

I too think they should utilize the * designation for all coins. The NGC response that an eyeappealing VF20 coin will be graded instead VF25 wasn't too thrilling to me.

Outhaul

"PQ" is what the dealer sells you...Low end is what the same coin is when you try to sell it back to him. Just another overused and nebulous term in the coin racket.

Just my two-cents (U.S.)

Cheers,

Bob

BigD5

C;mon Bob......don't be soooo negative I had a beautiful rainbow toned Shield nickel graded ms/64 by NGC that had tremendous eye appeal, gorgeous color, but was hardly PQ for the grade on a technical basis. Two different terms, for sure. PQ doesn't impress me nearly as much as "exceptional eye appeal.
Every Tom, Dick and Harry thinks they have PQ material.......just look at some of the disappointing submission results sometimes.

airplanenut

...but on eBay they both mean absolutely nothing!

Outhaul

Darin,

You're absolutely correct...I would much rather be told my coin has exceptional eye appeal than for someone to say it was "PQ". PQ means absolutely nothing, zilch, nada, zero, the big goose egg, nyet...etc... Just like the chicken $hit sellers who try to be crafty and not place a grade on their coins when they sell them. Then, when you see they're asking MS-65 money for it and you look at it you see MS-63 and you ask them just what grade they'd call it at they start doing the Teaberry shuffle and become the "Wizard Of Uhh's". Instead they tell you it's:

Choice AU
PQ Gem
Choice Gem
High end UNC
Choice Gem PQ UNC

These grades and terminology don't show up anywhere other than in the sellers ads/auctions and are totally meaningless. These dealers have no clue on how to grade, not confident in their grading skills or jus trying to pull a fast one.

Cheers,

Bob

EVillageProwler

If (PQ = ``close to a higher grade'') AND (GRADE = (LUSTER,MARKS,STRIKE,EYE APPEAL))
then
PQ = (LUSTER,MARKS,STRIKE,EYE APPEAL)
Endif

EVP

coinguy1

braddick,

I believe that "PQ" and "exceptional eye appeal" are not the same thing.

A coin can have wonderful eye-appeal and still be low end (the opposite of PQ) for the grade. Perhaps it is in a 63 holder, barely made that grade and would have received a 62, were it not for the great eye appeal.

Conversely, there might be a different coin in a 63 holder, that is borderline MS64 but doesn't have quite enough eye-appeal to get there.

If used properly/precisely, those two terms are definitely not synonymous. The problem we run into is, that people often use those and other terms very loosely. "PQ" is so over-used by some, that it has become nearly meaningless.

Gilbert

hmmm,

Both are relatively subjective, and only have meaning if A and B agree on the same standard.

I too would prefer a "exceptional eye appeal" coin than a "PQ for the Grade" coin, in most instances.

Without trying to overanalyze this, and looking at it strictly as a collector, with a little well earned cynicism, "PQ for the Grade" has a different meaning for me than a PQ Coin.

To me, PQ For the Grade is a coin that has better than average qualities for the stated grade, and since I won't concede that I can always agree with the grade a coin is assigned, I can accept that depending on by whom and when a coin was graded, it very well could be PQ For the "assigned" Grade.

I expect a coin with "exceptional eye appeal" would be a visually pleasing coin, by virtue of luster, contrast or toning, to the majority of persons that would be interested in the particular series; a coin that stands out from the pack.

All and all, in my mind, a PQ coin has better "minted or preserved" characteristics, while the other is primarily visually stimulating, if that makes any sense.

michael

for me and some have said it better thanm me on here pq means a coin that is really high end for the grade and maybe could go to the next level it might be eye appealling or a real average or even ugly coin just that pq is a gradewise thing say for example you got a pq 81s in a 65 holder that to me means the coin is a 65 plus maybe a 66??

now to me exceptional eye aPPEAL IS JUST THAT PLEASEING REALLY P[-LEASING TO THE EYE AND ALSO not all excpetional eye appeaLING COINS are high end or pq for the grade it would be nice but not all the time
so you could have say a really great looking 65 1881s morgan in a holder and maybe it is not even 65!! maybe solid for the grade or high end but all the eye appeal thing means is thaT the coin is good looking really pleasingh to the eye maYBE because of deep mirrors nice toning frosty devices fully struck and a thousand other reasons

i mean i once had a poor 1 chain cent in a pcgs holder the coin was a monster excpetional eye appealling coin which means it was original had the outline of miss lib and the chain has no porisity chocolate brown and no edge bumps or problems the best eye appealling chian i haD EVER SEEN in a holder or raw vg or below yet only a poor 1 coin

sincerely michael

DrawTwo

The NGC response that an eyeappealing VF20 coin will be graded instead VF25 wasn't too thrilling to me.

So what do they do with a VF25 coin rather then give it a * designation? Call it EF?