AU58 vs MS64

shuckins

I have recently dabbled in the coin grading and selling world and for reasons unknown to me the au58's got more bids and sold for more than the ms63's & 64's. When sending coins in for grading,if they look like ms63 or 64,maybe I should rough them up a bit? What would be the best way? (I am only halfway serious) Looking from a sellers angle, (not talking rare coins: 58 Washingtons),would this be feasable or sane?

Stuart

I have been told that this raw 1857 Seated Liberty Half may be an AU-58 coin because of some very minor "wipe marks" in the fields...

shuckins

wipe marks......

JrGMan2004

Stuart... you just take every chance you get to show off that coin, don't you? And that Proof Morgan with your signature toning... tsk, tsk...

Stuart

Shuckins: I was told that light hairline scratches in the field of an otherwise choice uncirculated coin can net grade it down from MS-63 to AU-58. I personally think that the third party grading services overly penalize a coin with light hairlines (even more harshly on proofs).

They are relatively forgiving for contact marks (bagmarks & kegmarks) on the larger silver coins, but are very strict on hairlines because technically speaking they most likely occurred after being released for circulation (i.e. circulation marks). However, polishing lines can be even more distracting on a coin, but are considered acceptable since they were on the coin as struck.

The difference of course is that polishing marks are raised lines, and hairlines are scratches into the coin's surface.

JrGMan2004: Sorry if my excitement for some of my new coins has caused me to over-indulge the forum with their photos...