Could a coin jingling in your pocket grade MS-65?

Barry

Interesting story in the latest Coin World about a Mule cent-dime. Story goes a woman dropped her purse, and a "dime" rolled out, and she noted the odd color. Long story, short, it's a mule, graded MS-65RED by PCGS. How likely is it a "regular" coin that's been in circulation comes back MS anything? Another example of a rare coin's special grading scale?

Russ

One of the Sac mules that's graded MS67 by NGC came from a stamp machine at the post office.

Russ, NCNE

fivecents

Yes it could. I guess it all depends on how long it jingles. The MS 65 grade falls inbetween a Beat up MS60 and a perfect MS70 on the grading scale, so MS65 can have multiple hits.

Paul

FatMan

Just another example of market grading winning out over technical grading. IMHO

Jeez, all I have to do is look at my coins the wrong way and PCGS knocks the grade below 65

Flash

Link to article on mule dime

darktone

Uncirculated is a grade given to a coin- it does not mean that the coin has never seen light circulation. This is a very big misconception to new collectors from the posts I have seen here and in the coin papers. Most every mint state nineteenth century coin has seen some circulation to some extent. mike

relayer

I submitted to PCGS a statehood quarter I got in in change and it came back MS-67

itsnotjustme

What a coin goes through between the mint and being placed into the stamp machine is much more damaging to the coin than the actual drop through the coin return. Many coins are probably 68/69/70 as they are ejected from the dies, but when they land, run through the riddler to removed off size pieces, are landed on by other coins, moved around, counted, sorted, transported, rolled, etc. they drop to the typical 63-66 found in "uncirculated" rolls.

Powertrip

Slightly OT, but before going to lunch (and inspecting my change for the drive-thru, as I have now developed a habit of) I was suprised to find a '58 Lincoln in relatively good shape. In fact, it looked like a new coin compared to the others.

I get my lunch and another handful of change. Looking through that, I find a '52 Nickel, also in great shape, but nothing worth grading. Judging from today, I'd say it's possible that a "regular" coin could be found in MS condition, but it might only be in circulation every 10 years or so and then lay dormant once again.

-Chris

CapAnson

Mint state just means the same condition of wear as when it left the mint.. If it's handled by 200 people in regular circulation, and still retains no wear (though it wouldn't) it's still mint state, I think people confuse "MS" with "uncirculated", which is more of a description rather than a technical grade.

nwcs

Why is it so hard to believe? Anything could happen while the coin was in there. If saying that anything in circulation can't be MS then if you get a roll of coins at the store they are all not MS because they entered circulation!