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What the..?

As I was looking though a numismatic book by the person who writes the "My two cents" column in the coins magazine (Elderly man, don't remember his name, the title of the book was 1,001 Questions & Answers to Numismatic questions), I looked at the ANA grading standards. They did not include the grade AU-58 at all in their grading database...surprising. So, thinking it might be an error, I looked at the redbook and looked at the ANA grading standards there. Again, ANA did not consider "AU-58" a grade. With theirs, it went from AU-55 straight to MS/UNC.

So, what's with this? I was just curious because my 1908 (No mintmark) indian $5 gold piece came back from ANACS AU-58, with no problems.

Thanks.

PS: Also I noticed everyone on the boards here considers AU-58 a grade...and it seems most(if not all) TPG's consider it one too?

Comments

  • mhammermanmhammerman Posts: 3,769 ✭✭✭
    Have noticed the same thing myself and just wrote it off to limits they might have for printing information. It would be nice to be able to understand the grading limitations from 55 to 58 but you can interpolate the value/sales prices but it is difficult to know how to make the cut between the two.


  • << <i>Have noticed the same thing myself and just wrote it off to limits they might have for printing information. It would be nice to be able to understand the grading limitations from 55 to 58 but you can interpolate the value/sales prices but it is difficult to know how to make the cut between the two. >>




    Yeah, and damn, it was a pain in the a$$ to find ANY grading book that listed the grade AU-58. None of them did..so I couldn't find out the value of my $5 1908 indian head. One of the recent magazines said only $215 at AU-55 (But mine is AU-58!), yet the redbook did not have the grade either, but AU-55 was a whopping $250. I kind of wish they would've made the grade on it AU-55 for the ease of confusion, or UNC since it's so close..
  • AU58 is one of those in between grades, and I think the ANA Grading Guide is more of a basic guide to grading...
    -George
    42/92
  • I think that grade indicates 58 on the scale of 70 or just slightly under mint state. There are a few sites that list every number from 1 to 70 - including 58. I'd bet you have what would otherwise be a Mint State coin but it must have a couple of circ marks or very slight rub.


  • << <i>I think that grade indicates 58 on the scale of 70 or just slightly under mint state. There are a few sites that list every number from 1 to 70 - including 58. I'd bet you have what would otherwise be a Mint State coin but it must have a couple of circ marks or very slight rub. >>




    I bought the coin from a very reputable coin shop in las vegas, NV. The biggest coin store in las vegas, althogh I forget the name of the place, it was right next to Einsteins bagels. (We ate there...since I'm interested in theortical physics and space/time, I like Einstiens work and Stephen Hawkings, so I casually asked the owner of the store if Einstein ever owned it...Einstein must've been a popular name in germany..?) One of the staff people there was a former PCGS grader. They graded the coin AU-55, not AU-58.
  • mhammermanmhammerman Posts: 3,769 ✭✭✭
    According to my little prognostication device, I would ty and buy the $5 Indian @ ms61 at a little under $360 so $250 for a 55 does seem kinda steep.
  • mhammermanmhammerman Posts: 3,769 ✭✭✭
    sorry, i just sent a reply off into space somewhere. I would say that $250 for a nice AU58 is not a stretch at all if it is a nice coin. Just over 2x melt for something pretty. My favorite coin in my collection is an au58 1915 and I have much higher grades on some of them. I paid a little more that $250 for it but it is a sweetie.


  • << <i>sorry, i just sent a reply off into space somewhere. I would say that $250 for a nice AU58 is not a stretch at all if it is a nice coin. Just over 2x melt for something pretty. My favorite coin in my collection is an au58 1915 and I have much higher grades on some of them. I paid a little more that $250 for it but it is a sweetie. >>




    250 dollars was the price I saw in the redbook. I paid either $240 or $244 for it.. (Thats including taxes and everything. It was less without taxes but damn the taxes really add on). They graded it AU-55, I got it back from ANACS as AU-58.
  • Here is a link to one of the sites that prices AU-58

    1908 $5 Indian Prices
  • Conder101Conder101 Posts: 10,536
    What edition is your ANA guide? the earlier ones do not have as many grades as the later ones. Also the 1001 questions book is an old one. If it dates back to close to the time of the beginning of ANACS then that might explain the problem.

    When the ANA grading standards were published in 1978 there were only two grades of AU and three of MS. 50, 55, 60, 65, & 70. MS-63 and 67 were not added until 1980. The rest of the MS grades and AU-58 were not added until 1987. I not sure that AU-53 has ever been an official grade.

    And I think the author of 1001 questions is Alan Herbert.

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