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Is there a grade you avoid collecting?
Hallco
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I know it depends on the individual coin and there will always be exceptions for fantastic eye appeal...but for some reason I really struggle with the XF/AU grades. And to be fair, this is for the coins I tend to like most(Buffalo Nickels, Mercury Dimes, Walking Liberty Halves and Morgan & Peace Dollars), Give me a nice, evenly worn F-VF or a barely circulated slider 58 with tons of luster all day long. Feel free to try and change my mind if you'd like!! 
Anyone else have hang ups with certain grades?
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For some reason I do not prefer MS63.
Funny..me also.
I used to collect all grades, while focusing on quality for the grade, but Bill Jones made a comment on the Boards a while back that he collects on vf or better and ever since then I have tried to follow that rule. Having said that, I own a most appealing Wreath Cent in G-4 CAC and I still love it...though I would prefer a vf.
Tom
"Add" me to that.
MS60
When I get a customer asking for MS60 coins, I feel I need to explain that it is merely a catalog entry and not many coins are actually graded MS60. It is, by definition, the bottom of thee barrel Mint State coin.
AU 50 and MS 60.
I don't collect anything below mint state 63.
It's just my personal preference.
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Agreed. I prefer a really nice 58 to the average 60. Some 58's if not for a touch of wear could go well over 60.
I don't collect coins that are known to exist in MS70, 69, or 68.
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For me it varies by the series and also I want nice for the grade coins. It really irritates me to see low grade sliders like G's that really aren't, VG's that really aren't etc.
That's the way to go for walkers.
I avoid lowballs. Some love them, just not something that interests me except in extreme rarities.
I usually don't collect Morgans above 64.
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Cause I can't afford them. LMAO
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I don’t really avoid any grades. For some series a details holder is perfectly fine
Not particularly, at some point, you'll find a coin in every known grade that has eye appeal. Although AU50 seems like one I'd perhaps not care for.
Also the plus grading annoys me, I just want a regular grade like before....
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Dang! XF45-AU58 is my favorite Grade if they are nice original coins!
Uncirculated.
Anything sub-VF just doesn't have enough detail for me. I'd rather not own the type if it's only available in < VF.
AU53. "Not Very Choice AU" -- somehow it costs a premium to buy but does not warrant one when selling. And it's often -- not always, but often -- a way to denote a coin with nice technical attributes like good luster, little actual wear, whatever, but something doggy about it anyway.
I would have thought there would've been a lot of MS62's in the replies, since that grade is usually saved for a mint state coin with distracting marks or spots that keep it from grading higher.
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I stay away from plus (+) grades. They are really debatable especially when they don't always end up getting a CAC which are believed to be given to "A" and "B" coins. And why spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars more for a fraction of a grade?
I don’t generally like coins below Fine, but really it depends on the coin & series. In my type set I have just about everything from F12 to MS68. Call me strange but I usually try to spend roughly the same amount for each coin. Moderns are pretty nice and the 18th century stuff is well-loved.
I suppose if you gave me a chain cent or 1792 half disme in VG I wouldn’t throw a fit.
60, 61 and 62
Depending on the degree of their rarity .... I may not have much choice on those Busties but the very Fine but generally I like AU58 and >69
MS60 is a problematic grade - there always seems to be a good reason why those coins are stuck in limbo.
That said, in my quest to put together a high end Everyman set, I've found that the best place to look for premium 58s is often among the 'junk unc' 61s and 62s.
I do not prefer 53 and 60. Have a few, but would love to replace them with nicer coins
60 and 70.
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Yeah, 53 is usually the kiss of death.
CAC or +
Those are for ME to get AFTER I buy the coin.
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Only the grades I can't afford.
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I've seen coins that are choice, and ugly, in the same grades, so I can't generalize about a grade to avoid.
I avoid coins that don't look appealing, regardless of the TPG grade.
I have what was an old ANACS holdered MS60 seated quarter in my 7070 that knocks most people's socks off.
My 21D walker is in an old AU53 NGC holder and it's one of the nicest 21Ds I've seen in any AU grade.
That said, I've seen a lot of 'doggy' 53 graded coins in newer holders - usually marginal AUs that are dipped out, etc.
I used to avoid late date walkers in high grades, thinking they were over rated and overpriced. Time has borne that out, for the most part, and now you can pick up 66s at pretty reasonable prices, so I've acquired some.
I avoid those grades on slabs where the coin within the slab is over graded.
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61 and 62....
I avoid those grades where the coin is valued at many multiples of the same coin in the next lower grade.
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Considering grade: with strike detail, luster and eye appeal being elements , no. I only avoid buying and collecting coins which lack those elements . This is not to say I don't buy or collect coins that don't grade, but they're heavily discounted , as a general practice and rule. We all know intrinsic value vs. face value. There are many collections that have had coins most of us would call "junk" in them. Never throw out the baby with the bath water. Not every coin is entombed.
I enjoy viewing Lincolns with a strong strike. I've seen Lincolns that look like they were made of playdoh (soft and little detail) and have a 65 on the slab simply because it has luster and it is in my mind a complete DOG. I've seen 45 to 58 with lots of detail and brown and absolutely love it. The slab doesn't mean a lot as far as avoiding the coin, it just has to have eye appeal according to my likes and of course price dictates everything. I don't have a problem buying a raw coin either if I like it. So the answer is no.
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details
Poor-1, Unc-68, 69, 70
Anything else is game as long as it has eye appeal.
53, 60, 61, 70. I left out 62 because some nice AU58s can be found in 62 holders.....
Gold CAC. I would love to. But they always seem to go for crazy money
I could see strong money for the next grade up, but that never seems to be the case. Love my green stickers though!
Oh and the AT market is just plain idiotic.
AU 50 silver coins that don't have original surfaces.
anything over 65 or so...with the exception of Kennedys...and those I avoid ALL slab grades.
detail grades and I try to avoid ms 61 62 and 63. fwiw
When looking at slabbed coins, I am usually searching for specific coins... i.e. Buffs, Morgans, Mercs etc..... As I scan the slabs, I look for the coin that attracts me.....it could be in any TPG slab, or raw....first and foremost, for me, is the condition/aesthetics of the coin....If I see such a coin, I will pick it up for further evaluation...after that, I read the label (if not raw). This is probably not a good method for investors or sellers... However, I get coins that I enjoy living with...Much like my choice in a partner
. My hobby, my choices....Cheers, RickO
...rarely have I ever seen a graded Morgan at ms62 that didn’t have some sort of problem...62 is a problematic grade with Morgan’s IMHO, steer clear
The problem with saying that I won't collect a certain grade is that grades are generally a continuum. AU50 and AU53 aren't the nicest AU coins, but they're still likely to be nicer than an XF45. The only time I think lower grade coins tend to be nicer on the whole is AU58 (maybe a nice 55) compared to a low-end MS (60-62). The difference between AU and MS is wear, an the AU58 may be a very clean coin (63-65 surfaces) with a light rub, while the 60-62 lacks the rub but has heavy contact marks, muted lustre, or some other detraction. With that in mind, I'm unlikely to collect anything in the 60-62 realm (I don't think I've ever had a 60 or 61).
70's aren't my thing because I'm not into moderns, and when I find the occasional one that I must have, I don't see the need to pay the premium over a 69. At the other end, I prefer coins with more detail, so AG and below aren't really my cup of tea, but maybe one day there will be a coin I must have and that's what I can afford, so I won't completely count them out. Within any series, the best grade I can afford, or the grade just before the price spikes, is often what I aim for.
I mainly avoid grades that dont have PL or DMPL after them.
@Regulated said: "70. It shouldn't exist."
Well, it does. Believe it or not, there are many modern coins that I cannot find a defect on (even mint made) using high magnification! So 70's exist in my mind.
BTW, I avoid any coin graded 70.