Jefferson Steps queston

Craton

I used to know a formula for counting steps but don't know it any longer. What says you about the steps on this 39-S Jefferson?

stephunter

Reverse of 38 is a little tougher for me to describe using the quadrant method of determining the steps. I sent in a 38 recently that looked a lot like yours and it came back 5 steps with Ngc. Bought it at a coin show as bu for 15.00, came back in a MS65 FS holder. Nice little profit.

Shamika

It's a nice Jeffy, but it's not FS. In fact, I only see two steps that could even be considered complete.

Craton

<< <i>It's a nice Jeffy, but it's not FS. In fact, I only see two steps that could even be considered complete. >>



It's not slabbed as a FS coin. I didn't think that you counted the steps by if they were complete or not. I thought that you counted the steps under the pillars and then added them all up and devide by 4 ........ is this the way steps are counted or did I just make it up?

stephunter

"It's not slabbed as a FS coin. I didn't think that you counted the steps by if they were complete or not. I thought that you counted the steps under the pillars and then added them all up and devide by 4 ........ is this the way steps are counted or did I just make it up?"

The method by which different services grade "full steps" varies a little. My experience is that both Ngc and Pcgs require the steps to be full and uninterupted all the way accross without any bridging on the steps. The reverese of 38 like your coin does not have the same striking charactoristics as the reverse of 40 style, so "full" for a 38 is judged a little different. This is my experience. I think anacs is now using the same standard as ngc and pcgs. If you look at "5 step" coins in older anacs holders you will see that many have bridges or nicks that seperate the steps. I recently (6 monthes ago) send in about 10 59-D Jeffersons to anacs that were very close, but each had a minor bridge. None of these came back with a 5 step designation. Expensive little experiment.

If your coin is in an older Ngc holder (over a year old) then it might get a 5 step designation in my opinion as up until about a year ago they only certified 6 step coins as full steps. Now they designate 5 or 6 step.

seanq

Looks like steps of 1938. I don't think it will go Full Steps at PCGS because of a slight miss under the third pillar, which is where most FS designations go to die.

The way the FSNC club counts the steps (a method which dates back to the original PAK club) is to count the steps under each pillar - you give the step count by listing them left to right - for example "6-6-4-5". To determine the number of "full steps" you add the four values and divide the total by four. If you get more than 5, you have a full step coin. By this method you don't need to have five steps all the way across, just an average of five or better. To use my earlier example, a coin with a step count of "6-6-4-5" would have 5.25 steps with 4 complete steps.

SEGS actually puts the old style step count ontheir holders. NGC and PCGS ask that each step be complete no nicks or flat areas bridging the steps.


Sean Reynolds

Craton

<< <i>Looks like steps of 1938. I don't think it will go Full Steps at PCGS because of a slight miss under the third pillar, which is where most FS designations go to die.

The way the FSNC club counts the steps (a method which dates back to the original PAK club) is to count the steps under each pillar - you give the step count by listing them left to right - for example "6-6-4-5". To determine the number of "full steps" you add the four values and divide the total by four. If you get more than 5, you have a full step coin. By this method you don't need to have five steps all the way across, just an average of five or better. To use my earlier example, a coin with a step count of "6-6-4-5" would have 5.25 steps with 4 complete steps.

SEGS actually puts the old style step count ontheir holders. NGC and PCGS ask that each step be complete no nicks or flat areas bridging the steps.


Sean Reynolds >>



You know Sean, you are actually the one that taught me the averaging way of counting steps. It was so long ago though that I wasn't sure if I had it right. If I remember correctly, this is actually the same coin that I shared with you when you taught me how to count them
This time though it's listed on ebay.

badger

Is bridging the same as a nick in the step? Can a step have a ding and it still be a full step?

stephunter

"Is bridging the same as a nick in the step? Can a step have a ding and it still be a full step?"

Bridging is when two steps merge together at some point. A nick on the steps is ok if it does not seperate the step. It has to be a pretty small nick (more like a tic) to still garner the full step designation. I have a nice 53-S Jefferson that is one nick away from being a $4,000 coin, but there are many others like mine.

stephunter

Badger,

Holy cow! Nice proof set.

badger

Stephunter,

Thanks for the comment on the proofs. I'm thinking of doing some MS sets, but still learning on the non-proofs.

keets

MS65 Reverse of 1938/non-Full Step at PCGS/NGC with a count of 6-5-3-5. nice coin with the usual weakness at the third pillar and given a Five Step count by ANACS and a Five Step count with a note to indicate the bridge at SEGS.

depending on the lighting, the coin might have the fourth step at the third pillar. the steps are actually struck very good for the Reverse.

al h.