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1976-P Washington Quarters PCGS Grade Question
USSID18
Posts: 435 ✭✭✭✭
Are the grades of these Washington quarters based mainly on the toning? Because I have some major questions on the actual wear of these coins.
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I would hope there wouldn't be any actual wear on these coins at the MS67/68 level as you have imaged.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
The grades might have been bumped up, due to color. But even if so, it wouldn’t have been from circulated grades with “wear”.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I don't know @TomB you tell me. Click on the link and mouse over the drums. I believe the outside rim of these drums (devices) are the high point on the reverse. Which would get the most wear or damage.
The area on all three of these coins are a MESS!!
The coin is apparently quite clean and the haze will come off in acetone. Strike and die are excellent but improvable.
It looks like what they call a high grade with attractive toning that bumped it up. The toning appears natural to a 1975 mint set specimen.
Wear is pretty easily seen on clad but there are very very few sliders so if you think it's wear, it probably isn't.
You're seeing typical strike weakness. Or maybe even less-than-typical. The area you indicated on the reverse is opposite the center of the head, the highest point on the obverse. It's hard to get full details there.
Strike weakness?.. Okay, that could made sense. How about die deterioration as well?
As @jonathanb mentioned, I believe the drum issue referenced is usually a result of the design not being fully struck up. Sometimes you are looking at the original planchet surface.
Yes, but not the same issue. You can see some DDD on the letters. The high point is always the first place you'll see strike weakness negate the die doesn't fill. Die deterioration is usually more pronounced at the low points which is why you see it at the base of design and letter elements.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Full Drum is common on the Denver but only about 3% on the Philly. The best Phillys are in the '76 mint set.
This blow up suggests a little insufficient strike pressure. Even with so much extra tonnage on the mint set coins this is still almost typical. The dies are simply set too far apart.
Here's a Philly mint set.
The reason I'm asking. I was searching a box this weekend and this Philly jumped out at me. I have rarely seen a well defined drum rim on these. With the exception of the toning, this coin "almost" looks better then the PCGS examples posted above. The circle looks more like a minor struck thru something, rather then a hit.
Toning or no toning, to me, it doesn’t “almost looks better than the PCGS examples posted above”.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I would go farther: it doesn't even look remotely close.
It has a better struck drum (no pun intended). That's it. Everything else is worse, in some cases much worse.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
full drum! good eye
Both dates have a very wide range of quality but the '75 has a bulge a little higher at just a little higher than MS-64 while the bulge in the '76 set is high up in MS-63. The '75 coins are far more likely to be tarnished.
More importantly though is the range in quality for the philly quarter extends only to about MS-67 in the '75 set and eclipses MS-68 in the '76.
I do suggest that collectors focus on Full Drums because these are common enough and they are more attractive.