Any recommendations on grading AU-UNC Peace dollars?

JamesM

I still find coins in MS-XX holders that look AU and many the other way around.
Am I missing some information on what to look for?
I know to look for brakes in luster, marks in the field and not to give too much credit to high point details due to week strikes.

But I still get confused when I look at coins in TPG plastic.

fcloud

You should look at the rims, too.

I have a bunch of Mercury dime varieties in which I thought AU coins should have gone MS. Somethimes all it takes in a hairline in the right location.

crypto79

the fields are the missing link on Peace dollars. You want unbroken/discolored frost/luster in the fields. High point wear is tricky because of weak strikes and the fact that the rub marks can often be dipped off but the flow lines in the fields are very fragile. Here are two peace dollars that both look UNC in hand but next to each other you can see the difference.

BryceM

For me, peace dollars can be tricky for a few reasons. I think crypto is right on about the flow-lines. Luster is highly variable in the different series and looks completely different on the high-relief 1921. Weak strike is more of less universal on San Fransisco issues and can be a problem on some Philly and a few Denver issues too. I'm guessing you're confusing wear with weak strike. One clue here is on the eagle's feathers. Poorly struck coins will show very weak detail over the entire eagle's body. There are some VERY nice 58s out there. Some of them could be mistaken for 64s or even weak 65s.

Making the call between AU/MS is often harder for me than specifying a specific number grade. The best idea is to look at lots of graded coins in lots of different issues. You'll start to see some patterns to watch for.