GTG: 1937 Mercury Dime
bhartman35
Posts: 1,398
Hi, Everyone. Got my latest dime in the mail today. (Thanks, Al!):
If you haven't noticed, I'm single and miserable and I've got four albums of bitching about it that I would offer as proof.
-- Adam Duritz, of Counting Crows
My Ebay Auctions
-- Adam Duritz, of Counting Crows
My Ebay Auctions
0
Comments
<< <i>65fb >>
I agree.
MS63 SB
Pete
Louis Armstrong
TC71
I think the light reflecting off the slab made it harder to grade. I need to work on my technique.
-- Adam Duritz, of Counting Crows
My Ebay Auctions
GTG = Guess The Grade. I don't recall who the first person to use it was, but I think it's of recent mintage -- no pun intended.
-- Adam Duritz, of Counting Crows
My Ebay Auctions
<< <i>What does GTG mean, anyway
I don't know, got any flips?
i tend to grade way low from pix !
<< <i>Hi, Everyone. Got my latest dime in the mail today. (Thanks, Al!):
If the reverse picture is accurate that coin got a gift FB designation. The far right portion of the band is not split at all and usually that is where they look first. For sure the coin would not get FB at NGC. If I remember correctly coins starting with a 7 are bulk dealer submissions. Maybe the graders got tired of looking at all of the 37P's.
Outside of that the coin looks nice. Nice strike and nice luster. A couple of hits but thats no big deal on this date.
Ken
<< <i>If the reverse picture is accurate that coin got a gift FB designation. The far right portion of the band is not split at all and usually that is where they look first. For sure the coin would not get FB at NGC. If I remember correctly coins starting with a 7 are bulk dealer submissions. Maybe the graders got tired of looking at all of the 37P's.
Outside of that the coin looks nice. Nice strike and nice luster. A couple of hits but thats no big deal on this date.
Ken >>
Hi, Ken.
I think the image is the problem. The way the shadow falls on the right side makes it hard to tell. Under the loupe, it's a lot clearer. You can see the line going all the way right to left.
I know larger pics would help in grading, but I halved my image sizes so that I wouldn't overload people's bandwidth...
-- Adam Duritz, of Counting Crows
My Ebay Auctions
or can someone provide me a reason as to why this would be cut some slack?
Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
Ken
or am I the only one that smells a big pad of doodie
no way that got a 66
or someone has decided to employ a blind grader/graders
edit for spelling
Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
<< <i>its a nice merc, and I wouldnt dispute fb/nfb, but the obv looks extremely weak for it to hit 66
or can someone provide me a reason as to why this would be cut some slack? >>
pontiacinf:
I apologize. The weakness is in my picture taking skills, not in the coin. I think there's a little bit of a reflection in the slab that's making parts look week. Under the loupe, it's fully struck. (One of the first I've seen with all the letters fully-struck, to be honest.)
I'll try to post better reverse pictures later. I've gotta head over to CVS for a few mintues.
-- Adam Duritz, of Counting Crows
My Ebay Auctions
<< <i>
<< <i>its a nice merc, and I wouldnt dispute fb/nfb, but the obv looks extremely weak for it to hit 66
or can someone provide me a reason as to why this would be cut some slack? >>
pontiacinf:
I apologize. The weakness is in my picture taking skills, not in the coin. I think there's a little bit of a reflection in the slab that's making parts look week. Under the loupe, it's fully struck. (One of the first I've seen with all the letters fully-struck, to be honest.)
I'll try to post better reverse pictures later. I've gotta head over to CVS for a few mintues. >>
im sorry, but if I could get that detailed a pic of the label as you did, I would like to think I could do the same with the obv pic...I do not see a 66 coin there judging from the detail in mercs head, or should I say lack of. I know the charectoristics of a full step jeff, but I am clueless as to whats required for a fb merc- but that obv pic in my opinion cannot be made better via photography angles IMHO
Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
To be honest, I'm comparing a 65 and the 66 slabs side by side, and I can't tell the difference. Maybe they flipped a coin that day.
-- Adam Duritz, of Counting Crows
My Ebay Auctions
A nice coin however.....
Mercury Dimes are nice, maybe one of these days they will be on my radar.....
Am thinking about the 36-42 Proofs.....
What, specifically, distinguishes the higher grades? The PCGS prices go from $48 for 65 to $70 for 66 to $200 for 67. It'd be really neat if I could tell the difference!
-- Adam Duritz, of Counting Crows
My Ebay Auctions
<< <i>What, specifically, distinguishes the higher grades? ... It'd be really neat if I could tell the difference!
It would really be neat if the TPG's could tell the difference consistently
This coin is in a 50XXXXX series holder, and it's a Merc. That's the explanation.
BTW -- you guys are being a bit harsh, though. The coin has nice original mint luster and just a few ticks here and there. It's acceptable for a 66FB grade -- not an upgrade candidate, but acceptable for 66FB. However, the coin is just as acceptable for a 65FB and would be high-end for the grade. With common date coins like this it doesn't really matter, though. Agonizing over grading a coin like this is like trying to split a $3.87 TIP between two friends -- why bother, just have one pay a penny more.
<< <i>
<< <i>What, specifically, distinguishes the higher grades? ... It'd be really neat if I could tell the difference!
It would really be neat if the TPG's could tell the difference consistently
This coin is in a 50XXXXX series holder, and it's a Merc. That's the explanation.
BTW -- you guys are being a bit harsh, though. The coin has nice original mint luster and just a few ticks here and there. It's acceptable for a 66FB grade -- not an upgrade candidate, but acceptable for 66FB. However, the coin is just as acceptable for a 65FB and would be high-end for the grade. With common date coins like this it doesn't really matter, though. Agonizing over grading a coin like this is like trying to split a $3.87 TIP between two friends -- why bother, just have one pay a penny more. >>
no one was being harsh- If you saw the original pictures, which were changed last night, you would know why those comments were made.
it does now appear alot nicer now than the previous pics, but I am in no way capable of grading mercs.
thank you, please drive thru
Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
<<no one was being harsh- If you saw the original pictures, which were changed last night, you would know why those comments were made.>>
Got'cha. I didn't realize the pictures had changed. It would have been good if the original poster posted the "better" pictures in to a new post and had left the old pictures in the original post.
<< <i>With common date coins like this it doesn't really matter, though. Agonizing over grading a coin like this is like trying to split a $3.87 TIP between two friends -- why bother >>
I would make the friend pull out a Half Cent to match mine.
Mikes statement is very true about the common dates after 1934. Where the real agonizing starts is when you get before 1934. This 37P coin more than likely would not go above 65 if it was dated before 1934. Why ? No clue. Thats just the way it is.
Ken
<< <i><<no one was being harsh- If you saw the original pictures, which were changed last night, you would know why those comments were made.>>
Got'cha. I didn't realize the pictures had changed. It would have been good if the original poster posted the "better" pictures in to a new post and had left the old pictures in the original post. >>
Mike even with the old pictures it looked 66. The coin just did not look like it had FB. I still do not like the right side of the middle band but it does look acceptable I guess. Then again this is a coin after 1934 and we both know what happens after this date. Right ?
Ken
<< <i>This coin is in a 50XXXXX series holder, and it's a Merc. That's the explanation. >>
Was there something wrong with the 50XXXXX series holders? What's the deal with these holders? Were all the graders new that day?
<< <i>With common date coins like this it doesn't really matter, though. Agonizing over grading a coin like this is like trying to split a $3.87 TIP between two friends -- why bother, just have one pay a penny more. >>
While this Merc is common, I think you're underestimating the significance in the price hike between 65 and 66. MS-65 is $48 and MS-66 is $70, so there's about a 1/3 difference in value. I realize that $70 isn't real money for a coin dealer to spend on a coin, but as someone just getting into Mercs, it's not an insubstantial difference.
None of this is to say that I don't love the coin. I think it's a beauty. But part of my purpose in buying slabbed Mercs is to have points of reference for buying raw ones (which are much cheaper to come by). For reference purposes, I'd like to know what the technical grade looks like.
When I go home tonight, I'll have a look through the loupe and check out the nicks. That's a good starting point.
-- Adam Duritz, of Counting Crows
My Ebay Auctions
bhartman35, you're setting yourself up for many a disappointment.
I've had coins grade MS64, MS66, MS67 and it's the same coin. I've had coins that I couldn't cross at MS62, but cracked out graded MS63 and then MS64 on regrades. I've had coins get body bagged, then slabbed high grade MS. I've had a coin go from AU58 to MS64 on 4 successive submissions. I've crakced an MS67 (PCGS) that went to MS66, then MS65 and then MS64...and this downward spiral has also happened on many a coin. (all Mercs)
You will either collect coins or the numerical grade on the PCGS insert. Both are fun, but pick one or the other. Doing both is akin to the Biblical reference about a slave having two masters -- he will either love one or hate the other.
Enjoy collecting Mercs. Arguably, one of the most beautiful coins the U.S. has ever made
<< <i>You will either collect coins or the numerical grade on the PCGS insert. Both are fun, but pick one or the other. Doing both is akin to the Biblical reference about a slave having two masters -- he will either love one or hate the other. >>
I really don't intend to collect slabs, actually. I wanted the slabs for the (apparently naive) purpose of using them as measuring sticks for raw coins, which I think are somewhat more interesting to collect. (To me, it's sort of the difference between finding a gold dubloon lying on the beach and finding one on someone's mantle in a display case.) From the sounds of it, TPGs are just as ficle as the rest of us in grading, so maybe that was a fool's errand.
<< <i>Enjoy collecting Mercs. Arguably, one of the most beautiful coins the U.S. has ever made
Agreed!
-- Adam Duritz, of Counting Crows
My Ebay Auctions