MS State Quarters Grading????

silverandvinyl

What would qualify a State Quarter to be MS67 or 68? Are the grading companies a little more relaxed with the State Quarters considering the shape they are in when they leave the mint?I've been trying to separate them by the amount of dings they have on them( 1..2..3..etc).I do not know what to have graded.I would like to grade about 2 or 3 from each series.

itsnotjustme

What works best is to have several graded examples to compare to. Last time I was selecting quarters to grade I had two MS67 and one MS68 example sitting beside me. I would go through the mint sets on put stickers by the coins I thought may deserve to be graded. Then before cutting the sets, I looked again. All the while I would glance at my 67 and 68 examples to remind myself the level of distractions allowed.

Don't forget, it's more than hits....

Strike
Luster
Eye Appeal
Contact Marks

silverandvinyl

Thanks for the info Brian.

cladking

I don't think they get much leeway and that's why the pops are so low. Certainly
in MS-67 and higher they can't have any big marks on them. Some of these have
proven much easier to find in mint sets. The quality varies a lot over the years, but
these are well struck so it just leaves you to find one without a lot of marking.

While they are struck with new dies under higher pressure there are still many exa-
mples in mint sets with less than perfect strikes so look at this too. There is a ten-
dency for the very clean coins to also be among the best strikes.

nolimitz

As a side question, Why are the higher grade pop's so much more numerous in the P mint marks. Is Denver mint that much worse in production? Thanks
Pete

sinin1

where are you going to send them?


it would be much cheaper for you to buy some off of eBay in the following grades and compare them yourself MS65 MS66 MS67 the 68's and 69's start getting more expensive - occassionally you will get a 68 for under $25



compare strike, tone, eye appeal and surface condition (nicks and scratches)

a weakly struck, toneless quarter with no marks probably will not grade more than 66.

good luck in your gold digging - if you hit a 69 or some 68's (depending on state/mm) it will pay for many losers (66's, 67's which are not worth slabbing cost usually)

cladking

<< <i>As a side question, Why are the higher grade pop's so much more numerous in the P mint marks. Is Denver mint that much worse in production? Thanks
Pete >>



The Denver mint is usually considered to make better quality than the Philly mint especially
in the clads. Most years there is a much higher median grade for the Denvers and this is why
they are percieved to be superior. In actuality this discrepancy is largely at grades below the
finest quality. At the top of the scale there is much less difference and Philly often makes more
superb gems.

jcping

I believe the order is Contact Marks, Eye Appeal, Luster and Strike.
If the coin has good eye appealing, then its luster must be good and surface must be clean.

mdwoods

Number one for state quarters is lack of marks. Then luster, (those two sorta add up to eye appeal), then strike.