Taking inspiration by mfeld’s post, what’s the easiest design to grade?
Goob
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I do think @MFeld ’s post definitely brought up a good question, but that’s got me wondering, what’s the easiest coin to grade? For me, it’d probably be the Morgan dollar. I’m not a professional grade or anything like that, not even close, but I’ve had the most success grade-guessing Morgans. So, what do YOU think is easiest?
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Morgan dollars.
Indian Cents
Lincoln cents for me since I've been grading them for over 60 years.
Morgans
Morgan dollars. Double eagles.
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I always thought Mercury dimes were pretty easy. Ditto seated quarters and halves, although I have only played there in the circulated end of the pool, so there might be nuances to grading them in mint state that I don't know anything about.
Morgans are easy if you know them well, but they seem to grade to a standard of their own -- the contact marks that might be tolerated on a 65 Morgan would not be allowed on a 65 in some other series, like, say, Washington quarters.
1922 plain cents.
I just label them all, "Worn"
Morgan Dollars or V nickels
Silver eagles
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This one looks less than an optimal MS63BN to me, what do you think? (for some reason John liked it)
I agree with Morgan Dollars in pretty much all grades. Then it's a toss up... Indian Head Cents... Lincoln Cents...
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I always thought Barber Halves and Quarters were pretty easy to grade. Morgan's too.
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Most non-incused gold is super easy. Luster is so easily impacted for AU and hits and luster easy to tally. The only parts that trip most people is what is the base grade prior to +s and -s
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
I see that Indian and Lincoln cents are mentioned above. I would agree, but I sometimes struggle to understand how the TPG’s determine color, which I consider part of the grade. Of course, those of us who are confident in the qualities we like only need to grade to our own standards, if we can put aside market value considerations.
For me, Washington quarters and Mercury dimes are the easiest. I find the emptiness of the fields on a Mercury dime as well as the overall smoothness of the Washington quarter design helpful in making tiny nicks stand out, which aids in differentiating high-end MS grades.
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Fascinating really…. i dread grading Washington quarters….can never seem to zero in an accurate grade!
Wheat cents.
It’s almost invariably a 69 or 70, so you have close to a 50/50 shot. Maybe an occasional “dog” MS67 or a toner.
So I guess modern bullion and proof coins would be the best answer, albeit one that never occurred to me.
Barber halves in the AG-XF range
Dave
In general I would add that all late 19th century and later coins in the circulated grades below AU are fairly easy to grade as wear is by far the main variable. It helps too that the cost differences between grades are minimal, the stakes are less.
For me it's whatever series I'm focused on at the moment and is fresh in my mind. I've got to think about it more if I'm revisiting a past focus, and study it in depth if it's a new area of focus.