Choice: What's your definition of this oft used term?

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Manorcourtman
Manorcourtman Posts: 8,468 ✭✭✭✭✭
in U.S. Coin Forum
When someone describes a coin as choice, what does this mean to you?

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  • ambro51
    ambro51 Posts: 14,471 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    not slabbed
  • pheh
    pheh Posts: 1,588 ✭
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    45, 58 or 64 + eye appeal.

  • habaraca
    habaraca Posts: 2,121 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    It means he/she is a dealer
  • Bossman88
    Bossman88 Posts: 638 ✭✭
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    Junk I need to get rid of quickly.image

    Regards, Larry
  • Flatwoods
    Flatwoods Posts: 4,270 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Excellent answers so far!

    image
  • rgCoinGuy
    rgCoinGuy Posts: 7,478 ✭
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    Not a Gem.
    imageQuid pro quo. Yes or no?
  • Shamika
    Shamika Posts: 18,785 ✭✭✭✭
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    It SHOULD mean high-end for the grade or with exceptional eye appeal for the grade.




    Buyer and seller of vintage coin boards!
  • Treeman
    Treeman Posts: 426 ✭✭✭
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    It comes from the old days of raw coins. If I remember correctly..
    Select BU = MS60 to 62
    Choice BU = MS63-64
    Gem BU = MS65 and higher
  • adamlaneus
    adamlaneus Posts: 6,969 ✭✭✭
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    Steak.
  • pheh
    pheh Posts: 1,588 ✭
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    << <i>It comes from the old days of raw coins. >>



    image
  • Raybob15239
    Raybob15239 Posts: 1,359 ✭✭✭
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    In simple terms: puffery. Its no different than a used car dealer calling a car on the lot a "cream-puff". It means absolutely nothing to someone who can grade and can fool a novice. All adjectives are subjective and are no more than personal opinions at the very best.
    Successful B/S/T transactions: As Seller: PascoWA (June 2008); MsMorrisine (April 2009); ECHOES (July 2009) As Buyer: bfjohnson (July 2008); robkool (Dec 2010); itsnotjustme (Dec 2010) TwoSides2aCoin (Dec 2018) PrivateCoin Jan 2019
  • MisterBungle
    MisterBungle Posts: 2,308 ✭✭✭
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    "Choice: What's your definition of this oft used term?"
    -----

    Hyperbole

    ~


    "America suffers today from too much pluribus and not enough unum.".....Arthur Schlesinger Jr.

  • coindudeonebay
    coindudeonebay Posts: 1,735 ✭✭✭
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    A coin that a guy tried to slab and came back BB. Coin still looks pretty good and you were hoping they wouldn't notice it's problem and now you want to make your problem someone elses problem! image
  • Bayard1908
    Bayard1908 Posts: 4,184 ✭✭✭✭
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    63 = choice
    65 = gem
    67 = superb gem
  • drwstr123
    drwstr123 Posts: 7,053 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    MS62-63
  • ricko
    ricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Flashing red light.... danger..... someone is trying to con me.... Cheers, RickO
  • Steve27
    Steve27 Posts: 13,284 ✭✭✭
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    It means the same as PQ (i.e. nothing).
    "It's far easier to fight for principles, than to live up to them." Adlai Stevenson
  • Barndog
    Barndog Posts: 20,529 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    choice = pay me more
    JR Newsletter Online Edition
  • morganbarber
    morganbarber Posts: 1,821 ✭✭✭
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    63 = choice
    65 = gem or at least that's the way I remember being taught
    I collect circulated U.S. silver
  • ziggy29
    ziggy29 Posts: 18,669 ✭✭✭
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    The idealistic answer or the cynical answer?

    Idealistic = "considerably better than average for the grade"
    Cynical = "Hype used to sell marginal coins"
  • MikeInFL
    MikeInFL Posts: 10,192 ✭✭✭✭
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    A "choice" coin is a coin whose technical (sharpness) grade is equal to the given (net) grade.
    Collector of Large Cents, US Type, and modern pocket change.
  • fc
    fc Posts: 12,805 ✭✭✭
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    the term has no meaning to me because i do not consider it a good
    way to describe a coin.

    i think the people who are matching choice up to a grade range
    are probably correct. I am too new to the hobby for that to make
    sense to me.
  • PerryHall
    PerryHall Posts: 47,749 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    << <i>choice = pay me more >>



    Agree. If a dealer uses this term, it's hype to sell a coin for top dollar.

    Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
    "Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
    "Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire

  • 291fifth
    291fifth Posts: 25,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    A coin that is above average for the grade in all respects. It does not mean that the coin is undergraded.
    All glory is fleeting.
  • timcoin
    timcoin Posts: 674 ✭
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    << <i>In simple terms: puffery. Its no different than a used car dealer calling a car on the lot a "cream-puff". It means absolutely nothing to someone who can grade and can fool a novice. All adjectives are subjective and are no more than personal opinions at the very best. >>



    Maybe, but I have seen Morgans graded MS-63 that look like total garbage, and others with the same grade that look, well... Choice. The word Choice may be hard to define, but there is no doubt that some coins are choice for the grade, others average for the grade, and others that are fully or even over graded.
  • yellowkid
    yellowkid Posts: 5,486 ✭
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    When I see choice I think a nice au58....
  • bonkrood
    bonkrood Posts: 796 ✭✭✭
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    I read this somewhere:

    EF-45 Choice Extremely Fine
    AU-50 About Uncirculated
    AU-55 Choice About Uncirculated
    AU-58 Very Choice About Uncirculated
    MS-60 Typical Mintstate
    MS-61 Typical Mintstate
    MS-62 Select Mintstate
    MS-63 Choice Mintstate
    MS-64 Very Choice Mintstate
    image Steam Power
  • dorkkarl
    dorkkarl Posts: 12,691 ✭✭✭
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    << <i>When someone describes a coin as choice, what does this mean to you? >>

    "pq"

    usually in reference to $labs

    K S
  • Billet7
    Billet7 Posts: 4,923 ✭✭✭
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    A copper dealer.
  • BBN
    BBN Posts: 3,761 ✭✭✭
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    late night QVC hype jargon

    Positive BST Transactions (buyers and sellers): wondercoin, blu62vette, BAJJERFAN, privatecoin, blu62vette, AlanLastufka, privatecoin

    #1 1951 Bowman Los Angeles Rams Team Set
    #2 1980 Topps Los Angeles Rams Team Set
    #8 (and climbing) 1972 Topps Los Angeles Rams Team Set
  • messydesk
    messydesk Posts: 20,814 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    It means they think it's better than the ones not marked "Choice." Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.
    John
    Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
  • yellowjacket
    yellowjacket Posts: 1,809 ✭
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    Choice Uncirculated as MS 63 when describing an uncirculated coin. Choice may mean the upper end of any circulated grade such as Choice VG as VG-10, Choice Fine as Fine-15.

    Garrow
  • notwilight
    notwilight Posts: 12,864 ✭✭✭
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    << <i>

    << <i>choice = pay me more >>



    Agree. If a dealer uses this term, it's hype to sell a coin for top dollar. >>



    I don't believe that is always true. Many "more experienced" dealers use this term and gem interchangeably with numerical grades. --Jerry
  • garsmith
    garsmith Posts: 5,894 ✭✭
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    << <i>When someone describes a coin as choice, what does this mean to you? >>



    That they chose to sell it because it wasn't good enough for their collection
  • lathmach
    lathmach Posts: 4,720 ✭
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    Barely makes the grade.

    Ray
  • Rob85635
    Rob85635 Posts: 1,230 ✭✭✭
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    << <i>the term has no meaning to me because i do not consider it a good way to describe the coin. >>


    image
    I find the term to broad to really make sense, I hear it used a lot but really don't understand why.
    Rob the Newbie
  • mrpotatoheadd
    mrpotatoheadd Posts: 7,576 ✭✭✭
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    << <i>I find the term to broad to really make sense, I hear it used a lot but really don't understand why. >>

    Before "MS" numbers were created and TPGs started slabbing coins, it was typical to use "BU" for MS60, "Choice BU" for MS63 and "Gem BU" for MS65. If you don't have "MS" numbers to work with, you have to describe the coin somehow... image
  • yellowkid
    yellowkid Posts: 5,486 ✭
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    << <i>It SHOULD mean high-end for the grade or with exceptional eye appeal for the grade. >>

    image
  • Rob85635
    Rob85635 Posts: 1,230 ✭✭✭
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    << <i>Before "MS" numbers were created and TPGs started slabbing coins, it was typical to use "BU" for MS60, "Choice BU" for MS63 and "Gem BU" for MS65. If you don't have "MS" numbers to work with, you have to describe the coin somehow... >>


    Ok, makes more sense, thanks for the info.
    Rob the Newbie
  • FredF
    FredF Posts: 527 ✭✭✭
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    Depends on the dealer. Most dealers I assume it's just marketing - where every coin they are selling is PQ or Choice. Some dealers are more honest than others and you would see something like a MS66 cent that is average for the grade priced one way and a MS66 of the same exact cent that is honestly PQ priced higher and they'll explain to you why. Or a raw coin that they believe is a 64 not a 65 and have priced it as a PQ 64. So I think if you know a dealer and work with them and they use the expression it will mean more than if you're just looking at a coin world ad or an ebay listing.

    Successful BST (me as buyer) with: Collectorcoins, PipestonePete, JasonRiffeRareCoins

  • JoeLewis
    JoeLewis Posts: 1,913 ✭✭✭✭
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    I t means "Select Premium" image

    US and British coin collector, and creator of The Ultimate Chuck E. Cheese's and Showbiz Pizza Place Token & Ticket Guide

  • Julian
    Julian Posts: 3,370 ✭✭✭
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    above average, attractive
    PNG member, numismatic dealer since 1965. Operates a retail store, also has exhibited at over 1000 shows.
    I firmly believe in numismatics as the world's greatest hobby, but recognize that this is a luxury and without collectors, we can all spend/melt our collections/inventories.

    eBaystore
  • JungleFever
    JungleFever Posts: 516
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    1. Suitable for eating.
    2. It is my choice to get rid of all my crappy coins, will you buy them please?
    3. I have a choice, which will it be? sell this junk or eat.

    image
  • GoldenEyeNumismatics
    GoldenEyeNumismatics Posts: 13,187 ✭✭✭
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    absolutely nothing.
  • Walmann
    Walmann Posts: 2,806 ✭
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    Usually means there are better choices out there.

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