Why is this not a PF 70

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gashmios
gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
edited February 25, 2026 1:57AM in U.S. Coin Forum

I've never been able to really split the difference between a 69 and a 70 and yet big money can ride of the distinction/

Why is this silver Ike not an Proof 70?


So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998

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  • IkesT
    IkesT Posts: 4,595 ✭✭✭✭✭
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  • gashmios
    gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
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    Obverse

    So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
  • gashmios
    gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
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    Reverse

    So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
  • gashmios
    gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
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    Reverse

    So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
  • IkesT
    IkesT Posts: 4,595 ✭✭✭✭✭
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  • MsMorrisine
    MsMorrisine Posts: 40,038 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    the images aren't well lit. we've some of the opinion not to grade proofs from photos.

    putting that aside temporarily, coins of this era have many striking flaws and a mark is easily hidden amongst them. this is a job for an ike expert seeing it in hand

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions
  • 1madman
    1madman Posts: 1,750 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Underneath Ike’s ear (on the neck) looks to have break in the frost / scuff marks.

  • davewesen
    davewesen Posts: 6,981 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    small scratches and spots - look at the jaw and cheek of IKE

  • gashmios
    gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
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    http://www.mrbrklyn.com/images/coins/1974_pf69_ike_o.png
    http://www.mrbrklyn.com/images/coins/1974_pf69_ike_r.png

    So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
  • gashmios
    gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
    edited February 24, 2026 8:46PM
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    run away

    So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
  • gashmios
    gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
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    @lermish said:

    @mrbrklyn said:
    I've never been able to really split the difference between a 69 and a 70 and yet big money can ride of the distinction/

    Why is this silver Ike not an MS 70?

    Because it's a proof.

    Indeed - so an airplane crashed on the boarder between Vermont and Canada... where are the survivors buried?

    So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
  • johnny9434
    johnny9434 Posts: 34,049 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Really?

  • jmlanzaf
    jmlanzaf Posts: 43,044 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 25, 2026 4:04AM
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    I think I see all kinds of haze and frost breaks and what might be tiny marks (amongst all the dust and marks on the plastic).

    The best answer: because the team of experts that viewed the coin in hand saw flaws.
    You may, of course, crack it out and send it back in for a new opinion.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

  • Cameonut
    Cameonut Posts: 7,436 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Indeed - so an airplane crashed on the boarder between Vermont and Canada... where are the survivors buried?

    In a Brooklyn boarding (sic) house?

    Oldest joke in the book.

    “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson

    My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!

  • gashmios
    gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
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    @Cameonut said:

    Indeed - so an airplane crashed on the boarder between Vermont and Canada... where are the survivors buried?

    In a Brooklyn boarding (sic) house?

    Oldest joke in the book.

    Show me the PROOF!!

    So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
  • Barberian
    Barberian Posts: 4,643 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @mrbrklyn said:

    @lermish said:

    @mrbrklyn said:
    I've never been able to really split the difference between a 69 and a 70 and yet big money can ride of the distinction/

    Why is this silver Ike not an MS 70?

    Because it's a proof.

    Indeed - so an airplane crashed on the boarder between Vermont and Canada... where are the survivors buried?

    The Derby Line library.

  • ChrisH821
    ChrisH821 Posts: 7,147 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Even with perfect images, without a 5x and the coin in hand none of us can tell why it's a 69 vs. a 70.

    Collector, occasional seller

  • logger7
    logger7 Posts: 9,857 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    A "69" was probably a gift, I'd just be grateful for that.

  • BillJones
    BillJones Posts: 35,933 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    PR-70 says the coin is "perfect" under 5X magnification, I believe. Something as small was a mint caused spot in the fields, which breaks the mirrored Proof surface, is enough to deduct a point.

    I see more tiny problems on that Ike Dollar. I believe that Ike Dollars in PR-70 are quite scarce because the minting standards were not as high then. Furthermore then government packaging encouraged haze which takes the coin out immediately.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • messydesk
    messydesk Posts: 20,814 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I see spots, ticks, and scratches in the picture.

    John
    Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
  • Barberian
    Barberian Posts: 4,643 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I see hairlines on Ike that shouldn't be there. ;)

  • steveben
    steveben Posts: 4,666 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    from what i can tell it's clearly a 74

  • BryceM
    BryceM Posts: 11,940 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Most likely, trying to distinguish 69 vs 70 on a big proof coin like this will require in-hand inspection. Anything else is probably speculation, based on the limited views available in the photographs.

  • gashmios
    gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
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    @logger7 said:
    A "69" was probably a gift, I'd just be grateful for that.

    I think so as well. I would had graded it at PF68

    So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
  • oldglorycoins
    oldglorycoins Posts: 305 ✭✭✭
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    @mrbrklyn said:

    @logger7 said:
    A "69" was probably a gift, I'd just be grateful for that.

    I think so as well. I would had graded it at PF68

    Well then why are you wondering if its a PF70?

    Micah Langford - https://www.oldglorycoinsandcurrency.com/

  • gashmios
    gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
    edited March 4, 2026 6:58AM
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    @oldglorycoins said:

    @mrbrklyn said:

    @logger7 said:
    A "69" was probably a gift, I'd just be grateful for that.

    I think so as well. I would had graded it at PF68

    Well then why are you wondering if its a PF70?

    @oldglorycoins said:

    @mrbrklyn said:

    @logger7 said:
    A "69" was probably a gift, I'd just be grateful for that.

    I think so as well. I would had graded it at PF68

    Well then why are you wondering if its a PF70?

    What I think mostly only matters to me.

    So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
  • World67
    World67 Posts: 13,098 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    They didn't start making Ikes until 71.

  • jmlanzaf
    jmlanzaf Posts: 43,044 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @mrbrklyn said:

    @oldglorycoins said:

    @mrbrklyn said:

    @logger7 said:
    A "69" was probably a gift, I'd just be grateful for that.

    I think so as well. I would had graded it at PF68

    Well then why are you wondering if its a PF70?

    @oldglorycoins said:

    @mrbrklyn said:

    @logger7 said:
    A "69" was probably a gift, I'd just be grateful for that.

    I think so as well. I would had graded it at PF68

    Well then why are you wondering if its a PF70?

    that I think mostly only matters to me.

    Well, you did sort of make it our business when you posted it on a public forum.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

  • TallahasseeCoinClub
    TallahasseeCoinClub Posts: 474 ✭✭✭✭
    edited March 4, 2026 11:08AM
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    Based on those pics alone, PR-69 DCAM seems generous.

    Official PCGS account of:

    www.TallahasseeCoinClub.com

  • Morgan13
    Morgan13 Posts: 2,691 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    A PF70 is a perfect coin.
    Honestly does your coin look perfect?
    I have a Franklin half that looks perfect but after close examination and trying to be honest with myself about I realize it could be a 68. As others have said 69 is a gift.
    Try to stay neutral and accept that its graded properly. Over time you will thank yourself.

    Student of numismatics and collector of Morgan dollars
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  • MFeld
    MFeld Posts: 17,131 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @Morgan13 said:
    A PF70 is a perfect coin.
    Honestly does your coin look perfect?
    I have a Franklin half that looks perfect but after close examination and trying to be honest with myself about I realize it could be a 68. As others have said 69 is a gift.
    Try to stay neutral and accept that its graded properly. Over time you will thank yourself.

    According to the published PCGS and NGC standards, a coin need not be perfect to receive a grade of 70.

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,308 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @MFeld said:

    @Morgan13 said:
    A PF70 is a perfect coin.
    Honestly does your coin look perfect?
    I have a Franklin half that looks perfect but after close examination and trying to be honest with myself about I realize it could be a 68. As others have said 69 is a gift.
    Try to stay neutral and accept that its graded properly. Over time you will thank yourself.

    According to the published PCGS and NGC standards, a coin need not be perfect to receive a grade of 70.

    OP could point that out on the submission form when he resubmits. Do you advise cracking the Ike out of it's holder and then resubmitting. Or leave in the holder?

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • MFeld
    MFeld Posts: 17,131 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @mr1931S said:

    @MFeld said:

    @Morgan13 said:
    A PF70 is a perfect coin.
    Honestly does your coin look perfect?
    I have a Franklin half that looks perfect but after close examination and trying to be honest with myself about I realize it could be a 68. As others have said 69 is a gift.
    Try to stay neutral and accept that its graded properly. Over time you will thank yourself.

    According to the published PCGS and NGC standards, a coin need not be perfect to receive a grade of 70.

    OP could point that out on the submission form when he resubmits. Do you advise cracking the Ike out of it's holder and then resubmitting. Or leave in the holder?

    I wouldn’t even consider resubmitting that coin for a higher grade. Just because a coin doesn’t need to be “perfect” for a 70, doesn’t mean that one such as the subject coin (with obvious flaws) should be graded higher than 69. Read the published standards.

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • messydesk
    messydesk Posts: 20,814 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @mr1931S said:

    @MFeld said:

    @Morgan13 said:
    A PF70 is a perfect coin.
    Honestly does your coin look perfect?
    I have a Franklin half that looks perfect but after close examination and trying to be honest with myself about I realize it could be a 68. As others have said 69 is a gift.
    Try to stay neutral and accept that its graded properly. Over time you will thank yourself.

    According to the published PCGS and NGC standards, a coin need not be perfect to receive a grade of 70.

    OP could point that out on the submission form when he resubmits. Do you advise cracking the Ike out of it's holder and then resubmitting. Or leave in the holder?

    At one time, it was not possible to receive a 70 on a coin that was already in the holder due to it not being possible to examine the coin sufficiently once it's encapsulated, especially when the holder itself is impaired. I don't know if that's still the case. Even so, reasons for this coin not to grade 70 were apparent even with the quality of the photos, so the point is rather moot.

    John
    Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
  • gashmios
    gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
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    The reason to ask this question is to see what others think. I alrqady know what I think.

    So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
  • jmlanzaf
    jmlanzaf Posts: 43,044 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @mrbrklyn said:
    The reason to ask this question is to see what others think. I alrqady know what I think.

    But the question should be "why is this coin a 69?" When you ask "why isn't this coin a 70?", it implies that you think it may not be a 69.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

  • MICHAELDIXON
    MICHAELDIXON Posts: 6,756 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    As noted, it is hard to grade a coin from pictures. But...I do not like the coin as a PR69DCAM. To me, Eisenhower's cheek appears to have too many distractions to be a 69. My opinion is PR67DCAM.

    Thanksgiving 2026 National Battlefield Coin Show November 27 & 28, 2026 at the Eisenhower Hotel Ballroom, Gettysburg, PA. No Early Bird passes for this show. WWW.AmericasCoinShows.com
  • gashmios
    gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
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    I brought that coin because I loved the reverse, but the distinction between a PF69 and PF70 was always a bit of a puzzle for me and the difference in costs can be rude.

    So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
  • MsMorrisine
    MsMorrisine Posts: 40,038 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    fwiw, pcgs shows a pop zero in 70

    so it's 68/0

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions
  • blitzdude
    blitzdude Posts: 7,721 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Milk spots. RGDS!

    The whole worlds off its rocker, buy Gold™.
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  • Cougar1978
    Cougar1978 Posts: 10,067 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Reverse scratch

    Investor
  • gashmios
    gashmios Posts: 504 ✭✭✭
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    @Cougar1978 said:
    Reverse scratch

    I believe you but I don't see that.

    So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998

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