I've been around, Mark. I haven't been collecting anything for a while. I've been following the thread and following barbers though. I'm just watching for now.
<< <i>Cary - Good to hear from you. Any newps, barber or non-barber? >>
Hey Vern, ALWAYS great hearing from you. I've recently scaled back my purchases to some extent as my wife and I welcomed a son into the world 3½ months ago. I'm pecking away at a couple of sets right now. I'm "returning to my roots" in a manner of speaking as nickels were my very first interest in this hobby back when I was a youngster. I'm doing an Everyman Set of Buffalo Nickels to honor my late grandfather who got me started in this hobby. I'm also working on a high grade Classic Set of Jefferson Nickels as a tribute to my father who challenged me as a young teenager to try to put together a complete set out of circulation (a feat that I did complete after 6 years of fairly serious and regular roll searching). Once I finish these two sets I'm not sure what I'll pursue next.
My current coin collecting interests are: (1) British coins 1838-1970 in XF-AU-UNC, (2) silver type coins in XF-AU with that classic medium gray coloration and exceptional eye appeal.
Here is a coin courtesy of Darrell, "amwldcoin" from a couple months back .. Darrell's pix as well - Worked out a trade (sort of ) for this one .. A lovely addition and the nicest AU I have personally seen for this date:
Scott!! I forgot to tell you I charge $100 for my pics! Man I wish you hadn't posted those pics. I am still second guessing myself on letting that one go!
CARY! QUIT BEING A STRANGER!
Walkerguy...lottsa nice quarters!
Vern! I reserve my opinion on that 96-S until I can see it in hand. Very surprised it was only graded 40. Makes me suspicious!
<< <i>I've been around, Mark. I haven't been collecting anything for a while. I've been following the thread and following barbers though. I'm just watching for now. >>
If you are watchin I say you will be turning your nose up at that gunpowder and grabbing up a few nice Barbers again like you are known for!
Greg - I'm an admirer of the overall look on the Barber quarters you are posting. Awesome coins!
Scott - That is a sweet looking 00o half. I really like the color on that one. Nice pics Darrell (as always).
I got to spend a couple of hours at one of the bigger local coin shows in Northern Virginia today. Didn't get to see a ton of new exciting quarters, which are always my priority, but I did find a nice original 1907 PC40 that I took home (for a sweet price, which is always nice). I also came across this gorgeous dime, which I fell in love with. I could see myself getting into Barber dimes down the road if I ever "finish" my quarter set, but I don't really look for them much now and I never would've expected to buy a raw one today. That's part the fun of a Saturday at a coin show, though!
I would welcome any comments from the gallery as always on this one, but especially as to the toning and originality of the coin. I bought it with the intention of submitting it to our hosts, but would rather just put it in a nice album if it would like receive a "details" grade for questionable color or for a prior cleaning. I have spent some time with it this evening but can't make up my mind on this one. Maybe it's obvious and I am just biased or a victim of my own wishful thinking (would not be the first time). Luster is excellent and the surfaces are nice overall, with no hairlines or sign of being cleaned, just some rub on the cheek and a light scratch on the reverse just to the right of "E" in DIME . These pics aren't great but they are the best I could come up with for now. I think I grade AU58 for now……all are welcome to shred this opinion though
1900P Barber Dime: [/URL]
[/URL]
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
Thanks for the opinions on the dime guys. Much appreciated as always.
Just picked up a recent PCGS submission from the post office today. These were all raw Barber quarters that I had purchased within the past 18 months. I don't want to clog up the thread with too many pics, so Ill just include the three that I have added to my set already. Feel free to dissect the grades freely as well as my opinions, as I clearly need assistance with my grading skills!
1. 1898 P - AU-55 An excellent original example of a pretty common date. Lots of luster left on top of totally problem free surfaces. Almost no surface flaws at all to be found on either side of this one. Ebay purchase in a no reserve auction in May '13. I agree with the 55 grade (a bit too much wear to the high points for a 58 in my opinion), and am very pleased to add the coin to my everyman set. [/URL]
[/URL]
2. 1898 S - AU-50 Purchased in Baltimore (unfortunately I did not make note of the dealer's name) in November '12 and has been in my raw album for about a year. The coin is appealing to me and the 98s is a pretty tough date in XF/AU as we know. I graded this coin XF-45 at the time of purchase and to be honest I still grade it XF-45, as I don't think there's enough luster left for an AU grade. Perhaps I am being too stringent in this case, and I'll certainly take the AU-50 grade. The color on the obverse is a bit different and to me suggests an old cleaning of some type, but there are no hairlines or signs of an any abrasive cleaning. The line going across the obverse side isn't a scratch but rather a line (almost like it was drawn there…..though I don't think it was). A nice coin and a raw purchase that turned out very well in terms of expected grade versus PCGS' assigned grade. [/URL]
[/URL]
3. 1908 D - AU-55 Purchased in July '13 from Ira Metzler at the Annandale, VA coin show. He simply had "AU" written on his 2x2 and after spending some time talking with him and examining the coin for a while, I bought it thinking that it was a 50 with a shot at 53. I like the color a lot and the original look, but was again very pleasantly surprised to see the grade that came back. In my opinion there is a bit too much going on in the obverse field to the right of Liberty for a 55 grade, but the folks at PCGS certainly know a heck of a lot more about grading than I do. [/URL]
[/URL]
The submission wasn't all roses, though, as another 98s that I had submitted came back VF-30. I was absolutely positive that it would come back XF-40. Overall, though, I was really pleased with PCGS' service as always and I came away from this particular experience pleased with the results overall………..and I also realized that although I am getting better I continue to have a long way to go as a grader.
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
Nice coins! I'd not so much say that YOU have a long way to go as a grader, but rather, as has been discussed at length previously, PC seems to be all over the map grading quarters and halves.
I think you did quite well with the grades you received. I agree with you that the PCGS grades on the 98-S and 08-D were generous. Thanks for posting the coins.
I have told many others my view of professional grading. To grade coins at PCGS or NGC, you need to have a great deal of knowledge and information about a lot of coins. They need to know a little bit about a lot of things. I am sure each has their own niche or area of expertise themselves.
"We" (I use that term loosely referring to collectors in general who collect one or two specific things. It could be Barber Quarters or it could be World War I ammunition) .. As such, we are much more the "experts" on the series at hand. PCGS graders (I assume) are bombarded with moderns and Morgans all day long .. deciding if a 2000 Library of Congress commemorative coin grades MS68 or MS69 ... I would say they see very few circulated Barber Quarters - relatively speaking and in real numbers... Less than 1% of all things they see .. I would say it wouldn't be unusual to go days or weeks without seeing a single one... We all know they spend very little time on each coin .. time is money ..etc.
They do a great job overall .. would anyone here be able to complete a 5 day work week grading anything from Jefferson nickles to gold eagles to proof two cent pieces to tokens, medals, patterns and foreign coins?
I believe you are best to rely on your own skills ... chances are when the time comes to sell, the market will price the coins for you (there are isolated examples where the holder is all someone sees, but generally speaking people pay up for quality and not so much for dreck)
Just my opinion. Flame if you like - It's just the way I perceive it and is based on nothing but common sense ...to me anyway
Here is an interesting follow up to your question on professionally graded Barber Quarters.
The link will lead to a home video I shot of 5 Barber Quarters: 1892-S, 1894, 1898-S, 1899-S, 1900-S - All VF graded coins (2 of these are lock XF40 and even 45 in at least one example. Read on). Clicking the link will prompt you to open a windows media player which will play the video clip.
About 18 months ago, I started a thread on the BST where I was selling several recently graded Barber Quarters I had just received back from PCGS. They all sold very quickly (within a day) by the way. Included in the batch were an 1899-S and a 1900-S, both were graded VF-35 by PCGS. Each in my opinion are strong XF40 and the 99-S should have graded 45 in my humble opinion. I consider myself a huge proponent of conservative grading. I would much prefer they be very strict and when in doubt, go the grade lower. The people who viewed this video and purchased these coins also agreed with my opinions of the grades of most of the coins.
My opinions on the grades:
The 1892-S is a borderline 30/35 in my opinion but it is very close so I agree withe the 35 grade overall.The 1894 included in this video graded VF35 and to me that coin is/was the definition of a true 35 - an "almost" XF (Log Potato once owned this coin. He could chime in with his in-hand opinion of it if he likes). The 1898-S in the video was graded VF-30 (currently in the Thomba registry set - you're welcome Patches (Steve) ... Patches has purchased several of my castoffs and I believe he has been elated with every one (how's that 96-O doing ?). Overall, PCGS did a good job grading this small group of beautiful coins. I feel they were not just a little strict on the 99-S and 1900-S, but they got those two wrong. But they weren't so far wrong that it was off the charts. I feel it fell within acceptable range of accuracy and if anything, they erred on the side of caution and were conservative which I appreciate.
I have heard recent rants about coins coming back under graded very recently and I have heard others, like JT, say they have over graded their coins. In golf we call this a two way miss. Professional golfers usually miss one way (left or right). When you miss two ways, you 're in big trouble. That means you are are all over the place (army golf: left-right-left-right) ... This means you don't know where the ball is going and you likely have no idea how to fix it.
The two way miss is far worse in golf, and in my opinion, far worse in grading as it ties to inconsistency. And the one thing anyone could ask for is consistency and "reasonable" accuracy.
The below link may or may not work - It is almost impossible to get media into this ancient script - if it is NOT working and anyone is interested, just PM me your email address and I will email you the media player "movie"
All - Thanks for the opinions and insight. Much appreciated.
Scott - Link to Youtube video worked great. Thanks very much for posting! Excellent and valuable reference point. You also managed to describe my golf game perfectly btw.
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
And as has always been, currently is, and always will be ..... grading is subjective and merely opinions offered by knowledgeable people:
If you asked my opinion, looking at PCGS/Photograde, the barber quarter shown in the 35 grade actually looks "nicer" than the 40 to my eye. They look very similar but if I had to pick one based solely off those images with no other info about them, I would select the 35. And we all know what it is like to buy coins from images ... we have all experienced surprises (good and bad) if you have purchased coins from images for any length of time.
VF/XF (VF30-35 in today's world): OBVERSE: LIBERTY will be complete. In coins of Obverse I (1892-1900), there will be a complete band under LIBERTY. In coins of Obverse II (1900-1916) the band under LIBERTY will show under the LIB and TY.
REVERSE: The eagle’s feathers will be about 3/4 complete. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- XF 40: OBVERSE: TYPE I: The band under LIBERTY is complete and the laurel wreath and forehead show three-dimensionality. TYPE II: The band under LIBERTY will be almost complete but may be absent under the ER. The laurel wreath will show sharp detail and separation between the leaves and Liberty’s hair.
REVERSE: The top feathers of the eagle’s left wing will be complete or nearly so (both hubs). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XF 45: OBVERSE: TYPE I: All obverse details will show considerable three-dimensionality but the coin will have a little too much wear for an AU. Some hair detail will show over the forehead. TYPE II: Forehead detail will be shallower than in Type I, but the laurel wreath will be sharp.
REVERSE: The top feathers of each wing will be complete but lack detail (both hubs). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AU 50: OBVERSE: BOTH TYPES: Rub will show on the hair above the forehead and Liberty’s cheek. Unless heavily toned, the coin will have luster among the stars and, lightly, in other areas. TYPE II obverses have shallower hair detail over the forehead than TYPE I.
REVERSE: There should be luster throughout unless hidden by toning. The top feathers must be complete and three-dimensional (both types).
Clearly this is nothing but a guide as there are other factors that could intervene ... And welcome to the Wonderful world of Net Grading
In the end, all that matters is the person shelling out the cash like the coin. The coin should meet the collector's esoteric desires and meet the standards of quality and eye appeal for the person buying the coin.
Walkerguy - Some really nice orig qtrs. Thanks for putting up the pics.
Scott - Glad you and Darrell worked at deal on that 1900-O half. Saw it in hand in Balt, and it is a beauty.
Cary - Congrats on the addition to the family. And good luck on the Buff and Jeff collections. I'm sure they'll be stellar. Your barbers were.
JT - 1900 dime, probablly retoning from a dip many years ago. Neat rev clash, I'd guess 50/50 on PCGS grading it (at least in the first submission).
Darrell - "What kind of nut?" Congrats on your amazing half collections.
JT - I'd say you did very well on your PCGS submmission. And trying to outguess the PCGS graders (and understand them for that matter), is an exercise in futility.
Scott - Excellent posts on grading and TPG's..
Pics for tonight, a newp just recd yesterday, PC62:
Vern l It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
I got my 1899-P half. I really like it. Nice golden/orange toning with splashes of blue thrown in, that surrounds the mint luster. These are taken in sunlight.
Appears to be a Nice, Lustrous, creamy coin Kevin ... Your photo skills are about on par with mine
John - I like your coins and description - Nice 98-S - looks XF to me too but all that matters is it is nice .. the number is secondary .. That coin rapidly gets scarcer from about 53 to MS. I just received my only win from the recent Heritage sale - Lot #4652: 1898-S 25c PCGSAU58 .. Love that date .. Based on the pictures (may be different in hand) I like the 1898 quarter the most of the recent ones you posted .. just appears to have an easy, delicate subtle look with original luster and light and delicate toning .. Similarly that is how I describe the 1898-P/55 quarter in my own set; perhaps they are from the same die pair
Darrell - Congrats on publishing your Barber Mega-Project you've been working on for years .. Hire an author and publish, "The Barber Nut Authoritative Reference of Barber Half Dollars. A Complete Photograde of the Barber Half Dollar Series" for the grading of Barber Halves. You don't have just one coin to reference ... you have 73 examples. As in mean-median-mode .. throw out the high, throw out the low and after looking at 73 coins, you SHOULD know what a Barber Half in VF-30 SHOULD look like. What a great accomplishment
Scott: ...Hope your new 98-S Barber Quarter meets your expectations. In my opinion real AU 58's are one of the 10 most difficult AU's to find. I've attached my AU 58 CAC that I have owned for a bit for comparison when you receive yours. I'm sorry for the poor images.
Vern - Thanks for the opinions. You guys are 100% right re: trying to predict PCGS results. Certainly this experienced has helped sharpen my mindset regarding future TPG submissions. Also, I really like your new 93s fwiw. Sweet coin!
Scott - Thanks and I agree that the 98 that I posted is by far the nicest of that lot. I am normally am very wary about bidding on "shiny" raw coins with off of eBay with the expectation that they could possibly be original, but in this case the seller had excellent pictures and I thought it after careful inspection that it was likely a nice original AU 55-58. The coin ended up definitely being a 55 but exceeded my expectations nonetheless. Also, your new 98s is absolutely awesome to my eyes. And I mean awesome. I figured that a forum member was the winning bidder on that one. I am a sucker for the color on that beauty. Congrats and I hope the coin meets your expectations. Between the 98s and your relatively new 06o, you have knocked out some really tough dates in awesome style imo. And thats just with quarters…...
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
Craig - I actually had received the 98-S/58 quarter the day I posted the reply to JTs thread .. My scatterbrained, ADD brain ran multiple thoughts together in one run on sentence and one paragraph. I was referencing JTs 1898 quarter in that same thought.
I like the new 98-S although I am certain it has been dipped before and has re-toned .. My other 98-S, a 55, has a far different look - depth of aged toning is easily confirmed over very thick, aged original surfaces. Dirt is buried deeply into the cracks and crevices further attesting to the coins originality. A small dirt spot on the cheek may be a detraction for some collectors. Luster is there albeit muted; there is a nice light and delicate "wet" bronze/gold luster to the devices.
HLRC was selling a 98-S in 63 a couple months ago.. I almost bought it several times.. I wasn't thrilled with its appearance based on the image .. As time has passed I feel I should have pulled the trigger. If anyone bought that coin I'd love to hear your opinion or see a new image
This recent eBay newp arrived in the mail yesterday. Was happy to snag it at what I consider to be a bargain price. First center mint mark specimen Ive ever owned. I grade nice, original, honestly circulated G-4. Happy to have one of these in my collection at any grade.
[/URL]
[/URL]
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
Comments
Hoard the keys
A better date, period:
Justin- where ya been?
Hoard the keys
Hoard the keys
<< <i>Cary - Good to hear from you. Any newps, barber or non-barber? >>
Hey Vern,
ALWAYS great hearing from you. I've recently scaled back my purchases to some extent as my wife and I welcomed a son into the world 3½ months ago. I'm pecking away at a couple of sets right now. I'm "returning to my roots" in a manner of speaking as nickels were my very first interest in this hobby back when I was a youngster. I'm doing an Everyman Set of Buffalo Nickels to honor my late grandfather who got me started in this hobby. I'm also working on a high grade Classic Set of Jefferson Nickels as a tribute to my father who challenged me as a young teenager to try to put together a complete set out of circulation (a feat that I did complete after 6 years of fairly serious and regular roll searching). Once I finish these two sets I'm not sure what I'll pursue next.
CARY! QUIT BEING A STRANGER!
Walkerguy...lottsa nice quarters!
Vern! I reserve my opinion on that 96-S until I can see it in hand. Very surprised it was only graded 40. Makes me suspicious!
<< <i>I've been around, Mark. I haven't been collecting anything for a while. I've been following the thread and following barbers though. I'm just watching for now.
Scott - That is a sweet looking 00o half. I really like the color on that one. Nice pics Darrell (as always).
I got to spend a couple of hours at one of the bigger local coin shows in Northern Virginia today. Didn't get to see a ton of new exciting quarters, which are always my priority, but I did find a nice original 1907 PC40 that I took home (for a sweet price, which is always nice). I also came across this gorgeous dime, which I fell in love with. I could see myself getting into Barber dimes down the road if I ever "finish" my quarter set, but I don't really look for them much now and I never would've expected to buy a raw one today. That's part the fun of a Saturday at a coin show, though!
I would welcome any comments from the gallery as always on this one, but especially as to the toning and originality of the coin. I bought it with the intention of submitting it to our hosts, but would rather just put it in a nice album if it would like receive a "details" grade for questionable color or for a prior cleaning. I have spent some time with it this evening but can't make up my mind on this one. Maybe it's obvious and I am just biased or a victim of my own wishful thinking (would not be the first time). Luster is excellent and the surfaces are nice overall, with no hairlines or sign of being cleaned, just some rub on the cheek and a light scratch on the reverse just to the right of "E" in DIME . These pics aren't great but they are the best I could come up with for now. I think I grade AU58 for now……all are welcome to shred this opinion though
1900P Barber Dime:
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
What kind of nut am I?
Hoard the keys
Just picked up a recent PCGS submission from the post office today. These were all raw Barber quarters that I had purchased within the past 18 months. I don't want to clog up the thread with too many pics, so Ill just include the three that I have added to my set already. Feel free to dissect the grades freely as well as my opinions, as I clearly need assistance with my grading skills!
1. 1898 P - AU-55 An excellent original example of a pretty common date. Lots of luster left on top of totally problem free surfaces. Almost no surface flaws at all to be found on either side of this one. Ebay purchase in a no reserve auction in May '13. I agree with the 55 grade (a bit too much wear to the high points for a 58 in my opinion), and am very pleased to add the coin to my everyman set.
2. 1898 S - AU-50 Purchased in Baltimore (unfortunately I did not make note of the dealer's name) in November '12 and has been in my raw album for about a year. The coin is appealing to me and the 98s is a pretty tough date in XF/AU as we know. I graded this coin XF-45 at the time of purchase and to be honest I still grade it XF-45, as I don't think there's enough luster left for an AU grade. Perhaps I am being too stringent in this case, and I'll certainly take the AU-50 grade. The color on the obverse is a bit different and to me suggests an old cleaning of some type, but there are no hairlines or signs of an any abrasive cleaning. The line going across the obverse side isn't a scratch but rather a line (almost like it was drawn there…..though I don't think it was). A nice coin and a raw purchase that turned out very well in terms of expected grade versus PCGS' assigned grade.
3. 1908 D - AU-55 Purchased in July '13 from Ira Metzler at the Annandale, VA coin show. He simply had "AU" written on his 2x2 and after spending some time talking with him and examining the coin for a while, I bought it thinking that it was a 50 with a shot at 53. I like the color a lot and the original look, but was again very pleasantly surprised to see the grade that came back. In my opinion there is a bit too much going on in the obverse field to the right of Liberty for a 55 grade, but the folks at PCGS certainly know a heck of a lot more about grading than I do.
The submission wasn't all roses, though, as another 98s that I had submitted came back VF-30. I was absolutely positive that it would come back XF-40. Overall, though, I was really pleased with PCGS' service as always and I came away from this particular experience pleased with the results overall………..and I also realized that although I am getting better I continue to have a long way to go as a grader.
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
I'd not so much say that YOU have a long way to go as a grader, but rather, as has been discussed at length previously,
PC seems to be all over the map grading quarters and halves.
I think you did quite well with the grades you received. I agree with you that the PCGS grades on the 98-S and 08-D were generous.
Thanks for posting the coins.
Doug
I have told many others my view of professional grading. To grade coins at PCGS or NGC, you need to have a great deal of knowledge and information about a lot of coins. They need to know a little bit about a lot of things. I am sure each has their own niche or area of expertise themselves.
"We" (I use that term loosely referring to collectors in general who collect one or two specific things. It could be Barber Quarters or it could be World War I ammunition) .. As such, we are much more the "experts" on the series at hand. PCGS graders (I assume) are bombarded with moderns and Morgans all day long .. deciding if a 2000 Library of Congress commemorative coin grades MS68 or MS69 ... I would say they see very few circulated Barber Quarters - relatively speaking and in real numbers... Less than 1% of all things they see .. I would say it wouldn't be unusual to go days or weeks without seeing a single one... We all know they spend very little time on each coin .. time is money ..etc.
They do a great job overall .. would anyone here be able to complete a 5 day work week grading anything from Jefferson nickles to gold eagles to proof two cent pieces to tokens, medals, patterns and foreign coins?
I believe you are best to rely on your own skills ... chances are when the time comes to sell, the market will price the coins for you (there are isolated examples where the holder is all someone sees, but generally speaking people pay up for quality and not so much for dreck)
Just my opinion. Flame if you like - It's just the way I perceive it and is based on nothing but common sense ...to me anyway
Hoard the keys
Paesan.
PS Not easy to find a pair of raw 98-S quarters and get them slabbed.
Here is an interesting follow up to your question on professionally graded Barber Quarters.
The link will lead to a home video I shot of 5 Barber Quarters: 1892-S, 1894, 1898-S, 1899-S, 1900-S - All VF graded coins (2 of these are lock XF40 and even 45 in at least one example. Read on). Clicking the link will prompt you to open a windows media player which will play the video clip.
About 18 months ago, I started a thread on the BST where I was selling several recently graded Barber Quarters I had just received back from PCGS. They all sold very quickly (within a day) by the way. Included in the batch were an 1899-S and a 1900-S, both were graded VF-35 by PCGS. Each in my opinion are strong XF40 and the 99-S should have graded 45 in my humble opinion. I consider myself a huge proponent of conservative grading. I would much prefer they be very strict and when in doubt, go the grade lower. The people who viewed this video and purchased these coins also agreed with my opinions of the grades of most of the coins.
My opinions on the grades:
The 1892-S is a borderline 30/35 in my opinion but it is very close so I agree withe the 35 grade overall.The 1894 included in this video graded VF35 and to me that coin is/was the definition of a true 35 - an "almost" XF (Log Potato once owned this coin. He could chime in with his in-hand opinion of it if he likes). The 1898-S in the video was graded VF-30 (currently in the Thomba registry set - you're welcome Patches (Steve) ... Patches has purchased several of my castoffs and I believe he has been elated with every one (how's that 96-O doing ?). Overall, PCGS did a good job grading this small group of beautiful coins. I feel they were not just a little strict on the 99-S and 1900-S, but they got those two wrong. But they weren't so far wrong that it was off the charts. I feel it fell within acceptable range of accuracy and if anything, they erred on the side of caution and were conservative which I appreciate.
I have heard recent rants about coins coming back under graded very recently and I have heard others, like JT, say they have over graded their coins. In golf we call this a two way miss. Professional golfers usually miss one way (left or right). When you miss two ways, you 're in big trouble. That means you are are all over the place (army golf: left-right-left-right) ... This means you don't know where the ball is going and you likely have no idea how to fix it.
The two way miss is far worse in golf, and in my opinion, far worse in grading as it ties to inconsistency. And the one thing anyone could ask for is consistency and "reasonable" accuracy.
The below link may or may not work - It is almost impossible to get media into this ancient script - if it is NOT working and anyone is interested, just PM me your email address and I will email you the media player "movie"
Happy Holidays/Merry XMas
Fixed Link - Barber Quarters via You Tube
Hoard the keys
That's what I was afraid of .. When I ran the link in preview it worked but probably because I was signed in
There appears to be no way to copy media to this forum
I cant save the media to my or desktop or a folder .. I will keep trying .. If you PM your email address I can send it via email for now anyway
I am publishing it on YouTube .. Hopefully this link works:
Barber Quarters
Hoard the keys
Scott - Link to Youtube video worked great. Thanks very much for posting! Excellent and valuable reference point. You also managed to describe my golf game perfectly btw.
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
If you asked my opinion, looking at PCGS/Photograde, the barber quarter shown in the 35 grade actually looks "nicer" than the 40 to my eye. They look very similar but if I had to pick one based solely off those images with no other info about them, I would select the 35. And we all know what it is like to buy coins from images ... we have all experienced surprises (good and bad) if you have purchased coins from images for any length of time.
Photograde for Barber Quarters
David Lawrence's blog/book "The Complete Guide to Barber Quarters" will tell you a coin's grade:
David Lawrence
VF/XF (VF30-35 in today's world):
OBVERSE: LIBERTY will be complete. In coins of Obverse I (1892-1900), there will be a complete band under LIBERTY. In coins of Obverse II (1900-1916) the band under LIBERTY will show under the LIB and TY.
REVERSE: The eagle’s feathers will be about 3/4 complete.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XF 40:
OBVERSE: TYPE I: The band under LIBERTY is complete and the laurel wreath and forehead show three-dimensionality. TYPE II: The band under LIBERTY will be almost complete but may be absent under the ER. The laurel wreath will show sharp detail and separation between the leaves and Liberty’s hair.
REVERSE: The top feathers of the eagle’s left wing will be complete or nearly so (both hubs).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XF 45:
OBVERSE: TYPE I: All obverse details will show considerable three-dimensionality but the coin will have a little too much wear for an AU. Some hair detail will show over the forehead. TYPE II: Forehead detail will be shallower than in Type I, but the laurel wreath will be sharp.
REVERSE: The top feathers of each wing will be complete but lack detail (both hubs).
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AU 50:
OBVERSE: BOTH TYPES: Rub will show on the hair above the forehead and Liberty’s cheek. Unless heavily toned, the coin will have luster among the stars and, lightly, in other areas. TYPE II obverses have shallower hair detail over the forehead than TYPE I.
REVERSE: There should be luster throughout unless hidden by toning. The top feathers must be complete and three-dimensional (both types).
Clearly this is nothing but a guide as there are other factors that could intervene ... And welcome to the Wonderful world of Net Grading
In the end, all that matters is the person shelling out the cash like the coin. The coin should meet the collector's esoteric desires and meet the standards of quality and eye appeal for the person buying the coin.
Scott - Glad you and Darrell worked at deal on that 1900-O half. Saw it in hand in Balt, and it is a beauty.
Cary - Congrats on the addition to the family. And good luck on the Buff and Jeff collections. I'm sure they'll be stellar. Your barbers were.
JT - 1900 dime, probablly retoning from a dip many years ago. Neat rev clash, I'd guess 50/50 on PCGS grading it (at least in the first submission).
Darrell - "What kind of nut?" Congrats on your amazing half collections.
JT - I'd say you did very well on your PCGS submmission. And trying to outguess the PCGS graders (and understand them for that matter), is an exercise in futility.
Scott - Excellent posts on grading and TPG's..
Pics for tonight, a newp just recd yesterday, PC62:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Nice golden/orange toning with splashes of blue thrown in, that surrounds the mint luster.
These are taken in sunlight.
John - I like your coins and description - Nice 98-S - looks XF to me too but all that matters is it is nice .. the number is secondary .. That coin rapidly gets scarcer from about 53 to MS. I just received my only win from the recent Heritage sale - Lot #4652: 1898-S 25c PCGSAU58 .. Love that date .. Based on the pictures (may be different in hand) I like the 1898 quarter the most of the recent ones you posted .. just appears to have an easy, delicate subtle look with original luster and light and delicate toning .. Similarly that is how I describe the 1898-P/55 quarter in my own set; perhaps they are from the same die pair
Darrell - Congrats on publishing your Barber Mega-Project you've been working on for years .. Hire an author and publish, "The Barber Nut Authoritative Reference of Barber Half Dollars. A Complete Photograde of the Barber Half Dollar Series" for the grading of Barber Halves. You don't have just one coin to reference ... you have 73 examples. As in mean-median-mode .. throw out the high, throw out the low and after looking at 73 coins, you SHOULD know what a Barber Half in VF-30 SHOULD look like. What a great accomplishment
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Craig
Craig - Nice 98-S, agree it's a very tough date in 58 (and MS as well).
Pics for tonight, from Scott's collection, PC55:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore...
<< <i>Beautiful Barbers...may I play show and tell too? >>
Why sure!! The more the merrier... Welcome to the Mega Thread
Hoard the keys
1892-O 25C FS-901
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore...
I hate to wait - Love the name - I have posted your image here for the viewers convenience - welcome to the forum !
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore...
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore...
Vern - Thanks for the opinions. You guys are 100% right re: trying to predict PCGS results. Certainly this experienced has helped sharpen my mindset regarding future TPG submissions. Also, I really like your new 93s fwiw. Sweet coin!
Scott - Thanks and I agree that the 98 that I posted is by far the nicest of that lot. I am normally am very wary about bidding on "shiny" raw coins with off of eBay with the expectation that they could possibly be original, but in this case the seller had excellent pictures and I thought it after careful inspection that it was likely a nice original AU 55-58. The coin ended up definitely being a 55 but exceeded my expectations nonetheless.
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
I was referencing JTs 1898 quarter in that same thought.
I like the new 98-S although I am certain it has been dipped before and has re-toned .. My other 98-S, a 55, has a far different look - depth of aged toning is easily confirmed over very thick, aged original surfaces. Dirt is buried deeply into the cracks and crevices further attesting to the coins originality. A small dirt spot on the cheek may be a detraction for some collectors. Luster is there albeit muted; there is a nice light and delicate "wet" bronze/gold luster to the devices.
HLRC was selling a 98-S in 63 a couple months ago.. I almost bought it several times.. I wasn't thrilled with its appearance based on the image .. As time has passed I feel I should have pulled the trigger. If anyone bought that coin I'd love to hear your opinion or see a new image
Pics for tonight, another beauty from the Iowa collection, PC58:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
Pics for today, a rare coin from the Paesan collection, PC58:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
Hoard the keys
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Craig
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.