What do you do when PCGS grades your circ strike coins as Satin Finish?
Clackamas1
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I had 3 quarters that have been sitting around for sometime (2005) that are wonderful. PCGS gave them the dreaded SF designation making them effectively worthless. What have others done to correct the problem?
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Are we sure they aren't Satin Finish?
Yes, I cherried them from coin and die sets straight from the mint. This is how I made a bunch of the top pop 2006's as well.
You must resubmit until the grade fits.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
I remember when the satin Finish coins were new, Jefferson nickel business strikes had a mixed appearance where some looked like an obvious business strike and others had a faintly satin appearance (these latter business strikes were clearly not the actual special stain finish yet had a distinctive satin look or lack of reflectivity to the skin).
I recall wondering if the satin dies were occasionally reused for business or if the die prepping was handled differently for some.
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
Why would satin finish be the kiss of death? That seems like an upgrade from a regular business strike?
I found this with a little googling:
**
What is a Satin Finish Coin? **
A satin finish coin is a collector-grade strike with soft luster and minimal reflectivity. Unlike the bright brilliance of proof or mint-state coins, satin finishes present a uniform, velvet-like texture across both fields (backgrounds) and devices (raised designs).
Mints achieve this effect by using specially treated dies, typically sand-blasted or bead-blasted, as well as higher-quality planchets. These are struck once under precise control rather than the multiple high-pressure strikes of proof coins. In U.S. coinage, satin finishes are most familiar from U.S. Mint Sets, specifically those issued between 2005 and 2010. Outside of the years 2005 through 2010, satin coins are relatively rare and prized for their unique presentation. _
@rooksmith
Satin finish is an almost proof quality coin without reflective surfaces.
Higher graded business strikes are usually worth more than satin finish strikes that came in mint sets, which were typically high grade to begin with.
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
An MS69 Kansas D in MS69 is a top pop worth thousands and a $40 coin in SP69
I would just resubmit it.
It is a NIFC strike
I see.> @Aspie_Rocco said:
Got it! Of course! I haven't been studying the 50 states or the America the Beautiful coins from a pricing perspective, but it certainly matters if you get a SP instead of a MS designation. I wonder how they really make the call. Is it by looking the surfaces up close. Judging by the PCGS coin facts for some of these quarters, the higher-grade MS look an awful lot like the SPs, but the surfaces look less grainy on the business strikes. The population report and the price guide for MS SP and PR shows the distributions are different for each, and there are probably different types of collectors for each as well.
Dumb question(s), but I must ask:
1) On the submission form, did you enter the correct PCGS / Industry coin number for your coins?
2) If so, did they arbitrarily change the coin number to fit their opinion/theory as to what exactly they were grading?
3) Did they contact you to inform you of the changes, what category they chose?
Your situation kind of a big deal.
They make mistakes and misattribute occasionally, and so do customers.
Yes
Yes
No
That is my point. I am not the first this has happened to and won't be the last. I was just asking what others have done in the past to get it corrected. I was thinking of buying some actual mint sets from the same year and sending them in for reconsideration. A couple of people taking time to look at the evidence. I would expect PCGS does not like doing this since taking a couple of graders time on three coins vs. the 20 minutes they would take looking at a couple of quarters is not good business.
You might have success with sending in for mechanical/label error. With things like a type 2 1913 nickel in a type 1 label, they fix that kind of thing for free.
For you, I guess it depends if they believe that it is MS over SP.
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
I sent in a bulk order of 2008 nickels back in the day. 105 coins that I pulled from bank rolls. When I got grades they call came back as Satin Finish which made them not even worth the grading fees. I had several coins that went MS67FS and 1 at MS68FS. After many phone calls I finally got them to agree that they were Business Strike coins and they reholdered them,,,,,,,,,, BUT they lowered the grades on the MS67FS & MS68FS coins to MS66FS and most of the MS66FS coins to MS65FS. . I was very upset. When I called them and asked WHY they said as Satin Finish coins only one grader looked at the coins but as business strike high graded coins they had 3 graders look at them and thus the grades were lowered as they didn't agree that they deserved the higher grades. I still have a bad taste in my mouth over that submission.
As I recall, it was widely reported back in the day that due to the “inconsistencies and potential for human error during the minting and packaging process”, some satin finish coins might have been inadvertently or even purposefully released into circulation. So, it is quite possible that PCGS could determine a coin to be satin finish even if pulled from a Mint State roll.
Buyers should use extreme caution in paying big money for “Mint state” coins dated 2005-2010.
Just my 2 cents.
Wondercoin.
I drove east of the Mississippi to buy a roll of Lincoln Cents back in 2007. Cherried the roll and submitted a couple. Got back an MS 66 and 67 Satin Finish. A business struck 2007 Philadelphia minted Lincoln Cent was hundreds of dollars at the time. It is why I even took the road trip. In Satin Finish: $10.
That was pretty much the end of my quest with moderns. Although I still have a few “modern” issues I enjoy…. Just not submitting. I figured it was everybody’s loss. Not just mine.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
Back in the early 2000's I submitted several frosty white gem bu singles cherried from an exceptional original roll of 1967 Washington Quarters. They all came back from PCGS as SMS even though none of them had any mirror finish as 1967 SMS quarters do.
I sent an email to PCGS and they responded, insisting that the coins were SMS. I let it rest, what was the use?
Some people you just can't reach.
GRANDAM: I've often wondered if only one grader actually looked at an inexpensive submission and his opinion alone determined the PCGS grade on the label.
That is what I was told in 2008. Not sure how they do it now.'