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Which would you prefer, an AU-58 or an MS-61?

Forget about cost. Let's say someone offered you a key date coin in your favorite series and you had the choice of receiving either an AU-58 or an MS-61 example. Would you automatically take the higher number, that is technically Mint State, but a poor mint state, or would you take the AU-58, that has a slight rub but is otherwise a nicely struck example?

Comments

  • hmmmm I would take the AU58
  • mgoodm3mgoodm3 Posts: 17,497 ✭✭✭
    If it's a nice 58 I may.
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  • mrdqmrdq Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭
    not sure you CAN answer that without considering the money. If it's a low spread compared to the price or a large spread that would determine it for me.

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  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,427 ✭✭✭✭✭
    AU-58 if it is the "real deal." I'll pay equal or more for a great AU-58 than I will for an MS-61 in the early coin series.
    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • PrethenPrethen Posts: 3,447 ✭✭✭
    I think you should turn this into a poll. It's a perfect topic for that to see the overall statistics. I for one have to think about it for awhile. I agree that aesthetically the AU58 would probably look nicer but the greedier side of me says I could put up with a few bumps on a higher grade, higher value (in theory) coin.

    Now, that said, you're question is somewhat "loaded". If you're assuming we're in a coin collecting universe where mint state didn't matter, but overall aesthetics of the coin did, then the AU58 would probably win hands down (just my guess). What you're really asking is, "Hey, do you want this beautiful, lustrous, non-marked-up coin, that someone once handled versus this bruised-up, lustrous coin that someone pulled from a coin bag".
  • wam98wam98 Posts: 2,685
    58 usually looks nicer. 61 in a lot of series has a big price increase from AU to MS.

    Didn't answer your question though. I'd have to go with AU-58 for eye appeal. image
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  • ms70ms70 Posts: 13,946 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The better looking one. Probably the AU58

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  • AU58.
  • let's here it for

    AU58!!image
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  • As in all grades, there are very nice Au58's and very nice 61's. If I were to choose from an equally nice coin for the grade I would go with a 61. In most cases the price will be pretty close to the same.
    image
  • tsacchtsacch Posts: 2,929 ✭✭✭
    I will take the MS-61 if the cost is the same...........but hypothetical situations are kind of tough to answer when you cant judge the eye appeal of the coin first hand.

    Family, kids, coins, sports (playing not watching), jet skiing, wakeboarding, Big Air....no one ever got hurt in the air....its the sudden stop that hurts. I hate Hurricane Sandy. I hate FEMA and i hate the blasted insurance companies.
  • AuldFartteAuldFartte Posts: 4,597 ✭✭✭✭
    The 58 ... Eye appeal will probably be much better than a "baggy" 61.
    image

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  • marmacmarmac Posts: 1,423 ✭✭✭

    I like 58. My 1883-s is in 58, there is a little static in the fields and maybe some microscopic friction on the high points, with out all that "wear" it would be a 63.
  • pharmerpharmer Posts: 8,355
    58. I have a 1939 5c ddr-1 in 58 that looks like a 65, the fields are so clean, but cost 58 money instead of a couple thousand or more.
    Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

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  • CalGoldCalGold Posts: 2,609 ✭✭
    There is no basis on which to answer this question without more facts. Would I prefer an ms58 that looked like a heavily bag marked ms60 before it was circulated? Probably not. Would I prefer an ms 58 superslider that looked like an ms67 before it was lightly rubbed. and that has not been marked up, and still looks ms? Probaly. And then again, what's the price?

    CG
  • Of course, there are going to be times when you would prefer one over the other, so without a concrete example, it's hard to say. But I think the general thing I was trying to prove to myself, is that there are a lot of people who would prefer an AU-58 over an MS-61 generally speaking. And yet, as others mentioned, sometimes the 58 can be quite a bit cheaper than a 61. In a lot of series, I bet an all AU55-58 collection could be quite impressive, without spending the $ to do the same thing in a low Mint State. image
  • BochimanBochiman Posts: 25,284 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I saw some AU58 for the 1955 DDO Lincolns at FUN.
    I also saw some MS61s.

    Visually, they were not that far apart (all were NGC so it is more apples to apples comparison).

    Costwise, they were ~$300-$800 apart.

    In this case, I would take the MS61.

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  • shirohniichanshirohniichan Posts: 4,992 ✭✭✭


    << <i>The better looking one. Probably the AU58 >>



    Yea, verily.

    I picked up an 1875-S I/II trade dollar in PCGS MS-61 that looked better than a number of MS-62's I've seen, so there may be exceptions.
    image
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  • darktonedarktone Posts: 8,437 ✭✭✭
    MS61
  • fcloudfcloud Posts: 12,133 ✭✭✭✭
    I have an MS61FB 1927-D, and an MS61 1926-S in my mercury dime set. I have seen many AU 58 Mercury dimes and have even had a few here and there. My goals are not as lofty. I would take an MS61 over an AU58 on these tough dates even when the AU58 looks better. You can get some pretty good deals on MS61 coins with some work. It took about a week of negotiating on the 1926-S and even though the color dark, it is still a mint state coin. This is one of those situations where each person needs to figure out what is best for them. I have an AU 50 1926-S and this coins is a nice white example (I know it is much lower than 58) but given the choice I would go over each situation accordingly. At this point I have an AU50 1916-D and an AU55 1921. I am happy with those and may never update. My goal was to have an uncirculated set, and AU is just that AU.

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  • ARCOARCO Posts: 4,305 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I would probably choose the coin with the nicest eye appeal. AU58's while costing less, sometimes look like hell to boot. An AU58 that has nice eye appeal and with surfaces rivalling a MS64 or better is the best deal in numismatics in my opinion. AU 58 all day if the surfaces were nice like an MS64 or better.

    Tyler
  • jdimmickjdimmick Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    depends on the coin, but most likely Au-58. IMO, one of the most underrated grades if graded correctly and nice in several series. I love Au-58's, especially for Classic key-dates.

    Now on the other hand, I would not want a Franklin half, Jeferson Nickel, or washington quarter in 58?? Course I would want a 61 either.

    jim


  • 58 in most cases.
  • BaleyBaley Posts: 22,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Most 58s look better than most 61s, all else being equal.

    Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry

  • For my type set I'd prefer a *nice* AU-58 with good strike and slight rub any day of the week over an MS-61. On my non-powerball winning coin budget (c'mon 4-5-21-27-31 - 9), I'll have to go down to low grade circulated stuff anyway, so this is a really a no brainer when I'm looking for type coins in the $$ range that includes AU - MS62. I think a nice AU55-58 coin is gonna look a lot better next to an MS63+, especially if I have any sneaky market graded 63's technically AU58's.
    Varieties are the spice of a Type Set.

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  • clw54clw54 Posts: 3,816 ✭✭✭
    AU58
  • PutTogetherPutTogether Posts: 2,141 ✭✭✭
    almost every time I would choose the 58
  • image I love the well struck but lightly used....AU-58 for me!
    Mike
  • TrimeTrime Posts: 1,864 ✭✭✭
    For sure, I would have to look at the coin.
    Trime
  • In general:

    C/N/S I would usually prefer AU 58 over MS 61 - most of them have better eye appeal

    With gold, I have found that I prefer MS __ over AU anything. The luster seems to suffer just enough with AU to compenaste for hits &/or (most) strike issues



  • AU-58 all else being equal
  • Without any more imformation and considering they are both on the same level for the grade probably the AU 58.image
  • BAJJERFANBAJJERFAN Posts: 30,977 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Well a 58 can be a 61 with rub or a 63 with rub so it would depend I suppose. At least for the 86-o 93-o 94-o 96-o and 97-o Morgans a nice 58 is a better buy than ms62/63
  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,427 ✭✭✭✭✭
    By definition an AU-58 must have excellent eye appeal. It's only "sin" can be that there is a slight rub, which hardly detracts from the overall appearance of the coin.

    Some MS-61 graded coins in might also have a light rub, but usually the grade is due to a large number of marks that detract from the coin's appearance. To me AU-58 is usually more desirable, especially in the case of early coins that have original surfaces.

    Here's a PCGS AU-58 1795 half dime dime. I'll take this piece over a dipped out, dull MS-61 graded piece.

    imageimage
    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • ziggy29ziggy29 Posts: 18,668 ✭✭✭
    In the real world, what also needs to be kept in mind is that a superior 58 with superb eye appeal -- which looks nicer than a 61 by almost all accounts -- will probably sell for more than the 61 anyway, unless it's a coin that's a condition rarity in mint state.

    I've seen enough "moon money" coins these days to know that all too well.

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