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Coin shop grade and grading service
logger7
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I bought this Barber half that the shop guy called xf, we were surprised it came back as "VF20" at ICG.
Was the lack of a clear and bold "Liberty" the killer on this one of a higher grade?
And on this 1920 Dime that the dealer called MS63 FB, that came back as MS63 no bands because they are not fully rounded, is that subject to variability?
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I would have GTG'ed the half at VF25. For XF you need much more detail in the wings. There needs to be separation between every row of feathers all the way out to the wing tips. The first one to wear away is at the eagle's left wing tip by the E in AMERICA. Not sure why the dime didn't grade FB.
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I think the dime is FB but I'm not surprised on the Barber Half. Looks VF to me.
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
Agree, it's a 25, maybe a 30 on a good day.
The half looks VF25 to V30. What made you think it was XF?
The dime looks FB.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
The Barber half looks clearly VF to me.
I think the Mercury looks to have full bands.
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I bought it for strong VF money, thought it may go 30-35. He had several of the same date that had less eye appeal, one had better detail.
If you had a chance to have the coin in your hand, shouldn't you grade it yourself?
I have a question why pass on a half with more meat?
Half looks 25, no better.
Dime, can't tell from what you posted.
I'd be at 25 on the half and will reserve judgement on the dime RE FB until there are better pics. I see reasons to say yes, it's got the bands, and reasons to say no, it doesn't have the bands.
"It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
The other one looked cleaned, had full "Liberty". The question really is why even buy at all unless you can get it for a fair price? I know dealers who look for full Greysheet on raw coins.
no it dont look like an xf 45. ill go with a 25, jmo
Maybe the guy sees so few nice circ barbers that he just got carried away with himself. Xf to me means AU without the luster. Ymmv
Left side of the top band got the dime.
Simply put, the half was badly overgraded at XF40.
The question we're all thinking is, did the coin shop guy know it?
Appears to have a very nice, original patina on Barber. Although not my series, coin could be substituted exactly for what is displayed as a VF20 in my Photograde 18th Edition book. For an XF40, LIBERTY & E PLURIBUS UNUM will be sharp and all feathers showing.
The shop owner was all over the map on grading; ultimately you have to take the good with the bad, hopefully argue that the real value is based on a different grade, they may or may not be willing to reprice it. I've taken stuff back and shown him and a few others that they were off on grade, lacking objectivity as an educational exercise. The guy who took over the shop was surprised at the lower grade, I think I paid $150 for it.
The Barber half is VF and not close to XF. The bands on the dime are very flat and even if full do not deserve the FB premium. That is probably why no FB was issued.
Sorry but since when would anyone put stock in the coin shop's grade?
Smitten with DBLCs.
As mentioned, Barber Half looks VFish (and that has nothing to do with "Liberty" IMO) ... I would probably GtG at 25.
Merc Dime looks okay as a 63, but as @291fifth points out, the bands are a little flat looking, and they may not be 100% split (which on this example is probably very difficult to tell without the coin in hand)
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** I think I paid $150 for it.
**
Well at least you got a substantial discount from the MSRP written on the holder.
Even adding in the slabbing fees, you certainly aren’t buried. I wish some of my own lessons had turned out as well!
He sold if for (strong) VF money, so yes, he knew it was a VF coin.
Depends on the shop. Some dealers are spot on.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Not even close to XF.
And a dealer who puts a grade estimate on a coin reflects strongly on their business practice.
Two more pics on the reverse of the Mercury dime:
...I know dealers who look for full Greysheet on raw coins.
Why does that surprise you? Greysheet values are wholesale values for raw coins, except for their listings that specifically mention otherwise, like PCGS/NGC certified issues.
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
The bands don’t look full in those images. But in hand, you should be able to tell, one way or the other.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
That's why it's tough to be a dealer. Coin sellers all want full Greysheet when they sell or, worse, full eBay. Buyers all want to pay back of Greysheet when they buy. That will guarantee us a nice healthy loss on everything we sell!
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.