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Which series in what grades are most difficult to grade correctly?
TahoeDale
Posts: 1,785 ✭✭✭
On this forum, we have every series being collected in various grades. Most of us know a lot about "our series" but very little about all the others.
So, for those series where you "know" a lot, describe the difficult /hard to grade properly ones. It will help the rest of us when we venture into that arena, or know we need special help from a pro.
I'll start with a series that I have worked on for 5 years-Capped bust halves.
A MS 66 grade requires fully struck wing tips, and no apparent wear(weak strike) on the legend, hair curls, stars, drapery, and no serious hits on reverse shield. Luster is essential. Dark toning that hides the luster is a minus. Original color with luster is a plus and may make up for a few light hits. There will be 66's in PCGS and NGC slabs that do not meet the above criteria. Nothing wrong with owning the 65 plus coins, but do not pay 66 money for them.
So, for those series where you "know" a lot, describe the difficult /hard to grade properly ones. It will help the rest of us when we venture into that arena, or know we need special help from a pro.
I'll start with a series that I have worked on for 5 years-Capped bust halves.
A MS 66 grade requires fully struck wing tips, and no apparent wear(weak strike) on the legend, hair curls, stars, drapery, and no serious hits on reverse shield. Luster is essential. Dark toning that hides the luster is a minus. Original color with luster is a plus and may make up for a few light hits. There will be 66's in PCGS and NGC slabs that do not meet the above criteria. Nothing wrong with owning the 65 plus coins, but do not pay 66 money for them.
TahoeDale
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Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Joe.
Buffalo Nickels (Weak Strike vs, wear)
<< <i>I've heard that it takes a highly trained expert to distinguish a Modern PF70 from a PQ PF69 >>
That may be, but in the end who cares? One tiny imperfection separates the PF70 from a PF69, of which there are a multitude manufactured and presumably available.
The worst to me: 3 cent silvers in VF up to AU, and SLQ's in the VF-XF range.
The tiny 3 cent silvers and the half dimes are killers to grade... but not as difficult as what Uncle Joe mentioned...those 1920's mint marked Buffalos are unreal to grade correctly. Full horns ( in VF ) are almost non-existant in that time period...if I didn't collect AU 55 to MS 65, I wouldn't be able to tell what the grade was on alot of these mushy struck coins !
Heck, my 25-S in MS - a real space filler - is so poorly struck - ( yup, it was a Newbie Buy ) that I can't actually tell if its an S mint coin or a D mint coin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
<< <i>Incuse gold. >>
Seriously, how could anything be harder to grade?
>>>My Collection
Either I'm grading them too strict, or virtually every dealer is too easy on them.
Until I figure out which, I took a step back, and stopped buying.
42/92
The coin must have attractive cartwheel luster. Eye appeal is very important. Many Liberty Nickels have the infamous splotchy, "urine-colored" toning, which IMO, precludes an MS 66 grade. In MS 66, the eye appeal must get your attention, but often, it is not outstanding (not many Liberty Nickels blow you away with dazzling eye appeal; I think this should be a must for an MS 67 coin, though).
You may get a fully struck Liberty Nickel in this grade, but don't expect it. The most weakly struck devices are star #7 and on the reverse, the corn on the viewer's left. Sometimes, this corn has no kernel detail at all in MS 66. There may also be a few other stars which are softly struck.
Expect a noticeable contact mark or two for this grade, but nothing that grabs your attention when you first look at the coin. Often it's on one side or the other of the V on the reverse, and / or on Miss Liberty's cheek or neck.
I don't have a problem with a coin with the mentioned contact mark(s), nor do I have a problem with a coin that has a few flat stars or a weak left corn. However, if a coin has the contact marks, I'd stay from one which has softly struck areas other than star 7 and the left corn.
What can be confusing is that some of the later dates are not struck well, period. I have yet to see a 1911, or a 1912 from any mint with full hair detail. The 1907s I've seen in this grade also lack hair detail.
A word of caution: virtually every better date coin I've seen in a MS 66 holder IMO was overgraded. Every such coin IMO had too many contact marks on Miss Liberty's face and / or neck for the grade. It seems the type coins of this series must meet a higher standard for the grade than the scarcer dates.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
I've managed to get some understanding of short set Walkers, especially the common, well
struck dates. For these coins, 65 requires hand outline, naked eye clean fields, better that
average luster (toning is usually not a big positive) and no severe marks on the focal areas.
The 66 coin will have the above but better luster and fewer marks. Some coins will amazing
luster are given a little leeway in how visible the marks are. Likeways, a paticularly mark free
coin will be given a little leeway on how strong the luster is.
The early short set San Francisco dates are notoriously weakly struck and it is hard to grade
the 64-66 range for these. For 65, the separation between hand, skirt and branch should be
visible but the full outline is not required. For 66 you should have the outline. On the reverse
the eagle's breast feather detail will often be mushy or flat. 65 should show some breast
feather detail. 66 should have detail extend to the eagle's legs. Ofcourse, the same
requirements for the non-S dates apply to the S dates with respect to marks and luster.
The above is my understanding of how PCGS grades the short set Walker. I welcome any
corrections.
Please check out my eBay auctions!
My WLH Short Set Registry Collection
<< <i>Incuse Gold... really tough, but if you know how the services grade them, you can make some good money at it >>
Totally agree! once I spent the time with these coins to figure them out I have done pretty well with them.
mass colonial 1787 1788 half and large cents in choice to gem mintstate grades
state colonial copper coinage in higher circulated grades to uncirculated grades
My 1866 Philly Mint Set