Grading circulated coins
1941ljt
Posts: 24 ✭
I pulled a coin out of circulation and which has an excellent strike on both the obverse and reverse and under 5x magnification it only has 2 small noticable dings and 4 hairline scratches. Now this a penny from the 80's. Which is a small miricle to stumble upon. Now being that it's a circulated coin would this only remain as a BU or would it jump to an MS quality coin?
0
Comments
A coin that has circulated, but which doesn't display wear, can be graded mint state/uncirculated. It will be graded based upon its appearance and condition, without knowledge of where it was found.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Uncirculated and mint state are the same.
I'm more gabby than Mark. The past history of a coin means nothing! "Uncirculated" (not in circulation) is a bad term. Coins are tough and many remain in MS condition although serving their use in commerce.
I have had the experience of opening a bank wrapped roll of 1930-S Buffalo nickels (all bright gems) and as soon as they hit the velvet pad, a third of the roll would be called AU by most collectors although the coins never circulated.
Another tale I tell is the time the proverbial, little old lady came into the shop, took out a frayed black cloth change purse and dumped a ratty, filthy, mound-shape clump of debris and coins on my desk blotter. I pushed aside some debris with a finger and pulled out an 1883 gold dollar in absolutely frosty, flawless condition! Not even one hairline under magnification. How can this happen? As soon as that coin left the pile of circulated dreck it became a coin that never "circulated." The rest of the tale is heartbreaking.
Ask me about it sometime as I'm not that gabby.
Each coin is to be evaluated by its condition of preservation from the day it was made regardless of what happened to it once it left the coin press.
So if a coin if a coin pulled from circulation at a visual MS67 grade. In order for it to receive a possible plus grade or perhaps a complete grade jump would it still need to be put under a microscope and examined for potential niks, hairline scratches And fingerprints as well.
It seems you are overthinking it.
Any coin is assessed and a determination made as to grade. Where it came from is irrelevant.
I appreciate a of your responses. It helped a great deal thank you.
Only "nut-jobs"
grade coins with a microscope. You see too much!
Most experienced collectors with excellent eyesight need less than 10X to see all you need to see to grade a coin. The lighting and technique used to view it are very important. Rotate the coin and tip it back and forth while viewing it.
Now let me ask you a question. What is needed for a coin to be graded MS-67. Let's use the cent you found.
The cent that I found is brilliant in luster. The strike is solid viewed under 2x magnification I can see 3 niks in total. One on the extended N to S bar on the T in United and two on the surface which very well be damage from another coin. And 4 hairline scratches on the surface. On the coins surface as well. No ware is shown on any high spots it's a beautiful coin.
I forgot to add. What is it that would make a coin say a 1915 circulated wheat centt birderline or completely ungradeable. I have a 1945 beutiful cent that has damage on the edge of the obverse which was probably done by a coin roll machine which I personnaly feel does not distract from the coins luster. Now that's something that I'm trying to learn about. If I new how to or if I could post an image I would.
It’s going to be nearly impossible to answer some of your questions, unless you can post images. From your description, however, it doesn’t sound like the 1915 cent deserves a straight grade, as opposed to a details-grade. But a circulated 1915 cent isn’t a coin that should be professionally graded, anyway.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I agree with Mark. This whole discussion is moot without photos.
You can also answer a lot of questions yourself if you look at the PCGS photograde pictures. If your coin looks identical to the one pictured in terms of wear patterns and is damage free, that's the grade it would get.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
I used the 1915 as an example. This is the actual coin I was told couldn't be graded due to the damage shown possibly done by a coin roll machine.
The pictured coin is a 1945-S, not 1915. I can’t see damage in the closeup. But the coin is probably worth less than $1, with or without damage. Enjoy the coins and don’t worry about grading them.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Good advice.
Unless you are talking about rare or valuable coins, don't stress over grades.
Graded common coins are cheap - you can benefit from someone else's mistake in getting them slabbed. Pick up a selection of MS grades for small money and then study them if you want to test your skills.
@1941ljt for reference, this is what we call a terrible photo.
It's not quite "potato" (as in is that a coin or a potato).
But it's only one notch better...
The better the photo the better job we can do at guessing the grade. As it stands now, that coin could be anything from VF/Cleaned to high MS
ANA 50+ year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
Author: 3rd Edition of the SampleSlabs book, https://sampleslabs.info/
I think the minimum grade is AU.😉
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Always consider the cost of having a coin graded, and whether the coin is worth the cost. If the coin is worth less you are already losing money. What’s the point?
On thing cell phone pictures are is ....ubiquitous.
Understood? Thank you. I'll hey a better Image.