1906 Prussia 20 Marks

DeutscherGeist

I really like these coins. I did buy a 10 mark one recently, but now I need a 20 Mark one.
Of course, the first coin I bought was graded.

I am too new in this hobby to know what is the difference between MS66 and MS63. AU from a BU. I need to look at a lot of coins. I am great at grading baseball cards, so I know I have the keen eyes to one day judge coins too.

This 20 Mark coin has .23 ounces of gold, so it sold for a little more than the gold value. I assume it was hard to determine the exact condition, so people played it safe and bid low?

Ideally, I would want to buy one of these coins at a show where an "expert" friend can check it for me before buying.

Prussian gold

ibzman350

Prussia and Gold........................two of my favorite things

Nice coin, I like..



Herb

dingding

MS63 link

DeutscherGeist

PCGS and NGC are the trusted sources of third party grading. I don't know about ANACS.

the MS63 coin went for just $20 above the non-slabbed one. Collectors on this board urged me to look for MS 66 when I was on the hunt for a 10 mark coin.

I am not sure of the degree of difference from an MS 63 and an MS 66.

IlikeZARcoins

The main elements of difference would be in the luster and hairmarks on the coin imo.

1jester

ANACS is an extremely trusted TPG when it comes to authenticity, moreover they're noted for conservative grading on most series.

MS63 is generally a low-end average uncirculated piece, with an average amount of scuffing, bag marks, etc. Lower uncirculated grades (60-62) are usually reserved for coins with unusually heavy bag marks, lack of luster, hits, stains, etc. A 64 grade will be much better than average, and a 65 will be really really nice, almost devoid of all marks and distracting features. A 66 will be almost perfect to the naked eye, with perhaps a few small identifiable marks, and this grade of coin will always have strong, nearly perfect luster and strike--basically, a really premium coin.

DeutscherGeist

jester,

Thanks for the input.

I guess one can safely say that MS 65 or 66 are really collector grade coins that will grace most collections. The MS 69 is ultra-premium and may sometimes look like a MS 66, so its probably not worth the extra premium in price.

So, I guess ANACS is not a bad grading company after all. I like TPG only because if I am buying from ebay, I want someone unbiased to tell me the coin's condition. This is all I would think a TPG service is really good for.