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My Gettysburg Making the TPG Rounds

Some of you may remember the Gettysburg below I bought in a lot on ebay. I first sent it to PCGS, the graded it Genuine (Altered Surfaces)
ANACS just graded it MS63. Now for the sake of educating myself and for the hell of it, I am gonna send it down to Florida for the Trifecta.

I love PCGS and have been sending coins to them for many years. But, it seems that now they have gotten to the point where they won't always slab problem free coins for me. I have had three odd cases lately of "Altered Surfaces" on coins that where I cannot figure out what they are referring to and neither can life long dealer friends of mine.

Hopefully this spell will pass soon and they will go back the their standards from a few years ago.


image

Comments

  • RYKRYK Posts: 35,797 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Based on the photo, I like it. If you are looking to sell it, I think it is marketable. The photo will help sell the coin more than the plastic that surrounds it. If you are looking to keep it, who cares?


  • << <i>Based on the photo, I like it. If you are looking to sell it, I think it is marketable. The photo will help sell the coin more than the plastic that surrounds it. If you are looking to keep it, who cares? >>

    image


    Exactly. Do you have any idea as to why the altered surface????
  • Here are the other two "Altered Surfaces"

    image
    image


  • << <i>

    << <i>Based on the photo, I like it. If you are looking to sell it, I think it is marketable. The photo will help sell the coin more than the plastic that surrounds it. If you are looking to keep it, who cares? >>

    image


    Exactly. Do you have any idea as to why the altered surface???? >>



    I have no idea whatsoever.
  • rld14rld14 Posts: 2,390 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Here are the other two "Altered Surfaces"

    image
    image >>



    I LOVE that coin, awesome die cracks!
    Bear's "Growl of Approval" award 10/09 & 3/10 | "YOU SUCK" - PonyExpress8|"F the doctors!" - homerunhall | I hate my car
  • RYKRYK Posts: 35,797 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The bust quarter looks like it has been cleaned and retoned, but perhaps there is some "environmental damage"? I think that many folks would like the look of that one.

    The Walker is blast white and looks like everything else that is blast white from the image. Perhaps a strong light, a loupe, and tilting the coin will answer the question.
  • GoldbullyGoldbully Posts: 17,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I think I may have been lucky wirh mine.....

    image


  • << <i>I think I may have been lucky wirh mine.. >>



    So what you are saying is, I should dip mine, then resubmit? image
  • RYKRYK Posts: 35,797 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>I think I may have been lucky wirh mine.. >>



    So what you are saying is, I should dip mine, then resubmit? image >>



    There could be issues that we are not seeing on the photograph and dipping will remove the color that makes it attractive. If it bothers you so much, sell it to someone on the BST, as is, and be done with it. There is no reason to torment yourself over it. image


  • << <i>

    << <i>

    << <i>I think I may have been lucky wirh mine.. >>



    So what you are saying is, I should dip mine, then resubmit? image >>



    There could be issues that we are not seeing on the photograph and dipping will remove the color that makes it attractive. If it bothers you so much, sell it to someone on the BST, as is, and be done with it. There is no reason to torment yourself over it. image >>



    I am not going to dip it. I was kidding. I am sending it to NGC just so I can see how many different grades I can get on the same coin.
  • Dont know about the altered surfaces but if they are not how can that be a 63? That coin is clean as a whistle. 65 at least. This whole excercise points up the folly of grading services doesnt it? Constantly changing standards, same coin gets different grades every time its sent in etc etc etc.


  • << <i>Dont know about the altered surfaces but if they are not how can that be a 63? That coin is clean as a whistle. 65 at least. This whole excercise points up the folly of grading services doesnt it? Constantly changing standards, same coin gets different grades every time its sent in etc etc etc. >>



    Exactly man. Something has to come along in grading that will make a coin the same grade every single time. Like a computer grading it after having the surface scanned by a laser. Otherwise, its all really kind of meaningless when the same coin can get different grades over and over again.
  • RYKRYK Posts: 35,797 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Dont know about the altered surfaces but if they are not how can that be a 63? That coin is clean as a whistle. 65 at least. This whole excercise points up the folly of grading services doesnt it? Constantly changing standards, same coin gets different grades every time its sent in etc etc etc. >>


    Maybe the coin was netted down to 63 by ANACS for whatever the problem that PCGS saw that the OP did not.


  • << <i>

    << <i>Dont know about the altered surfaces but if they are not how can that be a 63? That coin is clean as a whistle. 65 at least. This whole excercise points up the folly of grading services doesnt it? Constantly changing standards, same coin gets different grades every time its sent in etc etc etc. >>


    Maybe the coin was netted down to 63 by ANACS for whatever the problem that PCGS saw that the OP did not. >>



    Doesnt work that way. It would then receive a details grade. MS60 Details "Whizzed" or something like that.

    The coin the other poster provided is also a MS63 and looks about the same.
  • RYKRYK Posts: 35,797 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>

    << <i>Dont know about the altered surfaces but if they are not how can that be a 63? That coin is clean as a whistle. 65 at least. This whole excercise points up the folly of grading services doesnt it? Constantly changing standards, same coin gets different grades every time its sent in etc etc etc. >>


    Maybe the coin was netted down to 63 by ANACS for whatever the problem that PCGS saw that the OP did not. >>



    Doesnt work that way. It would then receive a details grade. MS60 Details "Whizzed" or something like that.

    The coin the other poster provided is also a MS63 and looks about the same. >>



    Yes it does. There are coins on the margins that are net graded all the time. Some would argue that all coins are essentially net graded.

    Edit: So you are going to compare photos, and say that the grades are about the same? image


  • << <i>

    << <i>

    << <i>

    << <i>Dont know about the altered surfaces but if they are not how can that be a 63? That coin is clean as a whistle. 65 at least. This whole excercise points up the folly of grading services doesnt it? Constantly changing standards, same coin gets different grades every time its sent in etc etc etc. >>


    Maybe the coin was netted down to 63 by ANACS for whatever the problem that PCGS saw that the OP did not. >>



    Doesnt work that way. It would then receive a details grade. MS60 Details "Whizzed" or something like that.

    The coin the other poster provided is also a MS63 and looks about the same. >>



    Yes it does. There are coins on the margins that are net graded all the time. Some would argue that all coins are essentially net graded.

    Edit: So you are going to compare photos, and say that the grades are about the same? image >>



    Well I guess it depends on what exactly PCGS is calling an altered surface. To me that means whizzed, and if it was whizzed, I dont think there would be a net grade. I think it would be a details grade.

    I would say that in luster and contact marks my coin is about the same as the white one posted. Interestingly both are graded MS63
  • WoodenJeffersonWoodenJefferson Posts: 6,491 ✭✭✭✭
    I just wonder how many times this particular Gettysburg has been submitted previous to your ownership?
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  • ColonialCoinUnionColonialCoinUnion Posts: 10,087 ✭✭✭


    << <i>I just wonder how many times this particular Gettysburg has been submitted previous to your ownership? >>



    People always seem to forget this about any coin they acquire, be it currently raw or slabbed, purchased at auction, privately, etc.
  • DropdaflagDropdaflag Posts: 807 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Could be luster? I have been told by several dealers/members that Luster is the number ! thing the TPGS look at. Pictures do not always show luster correctly, but the bright white one looks like it has more. IMHO.
  • DUIGUYDUIGUY Posts: 7,252 ✭✭✭
    i've never felt the need to send anything i collect to pcgs ngc or anacs or cac. image don't mean they do not exist, don't mean they can't play an important roll.
    “A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly."



    - Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106-43 BC

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