Understanding UNC.

Coin Finder

Does PCGS grade the high profile coins like 1913 Liberty Nickels and the 1933 Gold piece and 1804 Dollars etc, with the same standard as the not so famous rarities or common coins???

homerunhall

There is some misunderstanding about all three of the ultra rarities you mention.

First...1913 Liberty nickels...at least the four I've seen...have a Matte like surface. They do not look like the brilliant surface 1883 to 1912 proofs. I am personally very comfortable with the grades of the two 1913 Liberty nickels PCGS has graded.

1804 dollars look weird too...The grades we have given seem mostly OK to me, though I have my personal preferences.

The 1933 $20 is another story. This coin was reviewed by PCGS graders, myself included, in the Beverly Hills office of Sotheby's. We took our own lights and therefore had ideal lighting conditions. The coin is a no question MS65 in my mind....great creamy luster, like all late date Saints, and minimal marks. At every coin show I go to I have dealers show me 20 or 30 Saints in PCGS 64 holders that are complaining to me should be in MS65 holders and they are never as nice as the 1933. I do not understand why there are some people who gripe about this coin and say it is not a MS65. In my opinion, they either have some wierd agenda or are clueless when it comes to grading Saints.

To answer your question, I believe that people get really wierd about the grades of ultra rarities. The rule in the coin market is that ownership usually ads a point to a person's grading opinion. For ultra rarities, I believe the rule is that ownership adds a point or two...and non-ownership subtracts a point or two. These are very high profile coins and people seem to get very emotional about them. I believe we just try to grade them according to PCGS standards. That said, I believe we look at ultra rarities very carefully and definitely try to grade them as high as we can based on our standards.