If you cracked them all out and resubmitted them all, do you think they'd come back in the same grades?
When you were putting the set together, were you looking for nicest coin you could find in the grade, most accurate coin you could find in the grade, or was it more "first coin you saw in the grade, as long as it was at least solid?"
Nice set. I don't have the patience to put that type of thing together .
-Fred
Successful BST (me as buyer) with: Collectorcoins, PipestonePete, JasonRiffeRareCoins
If you cracked them all out and resubmitted them all, do you think they'd come back in the same grades?
When you were putting the set together, were you looking for nicest coin you could find in the grade, most accurate coin you could find in the grade, or was it more "first coin you saw in the grade, as long as it was at least solid?"
Nice set. I don't have the patience to put that type of thing together .
-Fred >>
I really doubt they would come back the same grade if cracked and resubmitted. Too many variables. Some of them are maybe a little overgraded or undergraded right now. There may be some gradeinflation at work with some of the older/newer slabs. And there's also the concern that key dates and semi-key dates are graded a little differently than a common date at times. Overall though, I had a lot of fun building the set and think I've improved my ability to grade this series (at least within a grade or two). It's also a fun set to show off to other collectors
For many of the grades with higher populations (many of the VF coins) I was a little more picky and waited for a nice coin. But for some grades with very low populations available, I just took the first available (unless I thought they were really bad) and have/will "upgrade" them as other better examples become available. For example, I really don't like my G6 since it has some new rub on the reverse exposing the fresh copper, so much so that I'm surprised that it slabbed in the first place. Would love to have a better example, but there's only 11 others in this grade out there, not an easy task to find one.
Upgraded my ugly messed with AU55 which seems to have a very unnatural glossy coating on it:
With the following AU55 that I was able to find at the L.A. ANA show that just looks so much nicer and original:
Just another example of why you should buy the coin and not the grade on the holder!! Major difference in these two coins.
Also have another 1908-S IHC in the mail in a couple of weeks that I think will blow all of my examples so far completely out of the water, just an awesome coin.
Anyone else have any 1908-S Indian Head Cents???????
Yeah, took another look at the higher grades in hand an my 63RD does have the most fully struck first and second feathers of any of the 1908-S IHCs that I have. Except for the spotting/discoloration of course, that is a really awesome coin and has very few marks/hits. Last I checked there weren't too many 63RDs graded by PCGS, maybe 12-15 or so, so I was happy to even find one but was very happy to find one that was well struck like this. Like shylock mentioned, I've seen 65RDs and 66RDs that were much much weaker in the feathers.
I have a 1908S Indian Cent in my 7070 Type Set. I thought it would grade VF-XF. I guess I can now pull it out, compare it to your grading set and see how close or far off my grade opinion is compared to the coins in your set.
shylock, part of the challenge in doing a grading set is that you need to choose a date/mm that is sort of expensive in all grades. otherwise, you just won't be able to find the coin in lower grades as people wouldn't have spent the money to get them certified. Or, you have to spend the money submitting several common inexpensive coins hoping to get the grades you need. Either way, it's not cheap.
Just updated my 1908-S IHC Grading Set with a couple of new purchases.
Finally got an AU58 at the Long Beach show last week that I felt was priced ok and was satisfactory for the grade. I'm sure there are better AU58 examples that exist, but I've already passed on several AU58s that I considered plain old bad looking. This one has a decent sized hit on Liberty's face, but it has plenty of AU58 luster that I liked
Also picked up a very nice MS62RB from Eagle Eye Rare Coins this week. Thanks Rick! And now I have my 2nd PhotoSealed coin
With that, I now have the circulated portion of the grading set complete from G04 through AU58. The set is also complete in the uncirculated grades up to MS64RD except for an MS64BN and the very low population MS60BN, MS60RB, MS61BN and MS61RB. I really don't think I want to go after those hard to find 60-61 grades anyways. And since coins graded PO01 through AG03 currently do not exist, once I find a nice MS64BN I think that I'll be done with this set! I thought about going up to the MS65 and MS66 grades, but I think the MS64RD that I have looks better than alot of the MS65RD examples I've seen and I just can't see paying over twice the money for the next grade up when I don't think i'll be any better than the coin I already have.
I'm just happy I was able to finish most of this set before the recent significant run up in prices on the 1908-S IHC and before at least three others that I know of have committed to completing their own 1908-S IHC grading sets. And since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it doesn't bother me too much that I've had to compete with them on a few coins towards the end of buliding my set and I wish them luck in continue to build and in finishing their sets.
Comments
If you cracked them all out and resubmitted them all, do you think they'd come back in the same grades?
When you were putting the set together, were you looking for nicest coin you could find in the grade, most accurate coin you could find in the grade, or was it more "first coin you saw in the grade, as long as it was at least solid?"
Nice set. I don't have the patience to put that type of thing together
-Fred
Successful BST (me as buyer) with: Collectorcoins, PipestonePete, JasonRiffeRareCoins
<< <i>Mike-
If you cracked them all out and resubmitted them all, do you think they'd come back in the same grades?
When you were putting the set together, were you looking for nicest coin you could find in the grade, most accurate coin you could find in the grade, or was it more "first coin you saw in the grade, as long as it was at least solid?"
Nice set. I don't have the patience to put that type of thing together
-Fred >>
I really doubt they would come back the same grade if cracked and resubmitted. Too many variables. Some of them are maybe a little overgraded or undergraded right now. There may be some gradeinflation at work with some of the older/newer slabs. And there's also the concern that key dates and semi-key dates are graded a little differently than a common date at times. Overall though, I had a lot of fun building the set and think I've improved my ability to grade this series (at least within a grade or two). It's also a fun set to show off to other collectors
For many of the grades with higher populations (many of the VF coins) I was a little more picky and waited for a nice coin. But for some grades with very low populations available, I just took the first available (unless I thought they were really bad) and have/will "upgrade" them as other better examples become available. For example, I really don't like my G6 since it has some new rub on the reverse exposing the fresh copper, so much so that I'm surprised that it slabbed in the first place. Would love to have a better example, but there's only 11 others in this grade out there, not an easy task to find one.
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
With the following AU55 that I was able to find at the L.A. ANA show that just looks so much nicer and original:
Just another example of why you should buy the coin and not the grade on the holder!! Major difference in these two coins.
Also have another 1908-S IHC in the mail in a couple of weeks that I think will blow all of my examples so far completely out of the water, just an awesome coin.
Anyone else have any 1908-S Indian Head Cents???????
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
Your MS63RD PCGS may be the best struck 1908-S I've ever seen.
The second feather is all there, the highest grades are all missing that.
Yes, it has other problems that kept the grade down,
but this date is graded on a curve because of that second feather
and your 63RD example has got to be a rare very early die state.
Great post
Yeah, took another look at the higher grades in hand an my 63RD does have the most fully struck first and second feathers of any of the 1908-S IHCs that I have. Except for the spotting/discoloration of course, that is a really awesome coin and has very few marks/hits. Last I checked there weren't too many 63RDs graded by PCGS, maybe 12-15 or so, so I was happy to even find one but was very happy to find one that was well struck like this. Like shylock mentioned, I've seen 65RDs and 66RDs that were much much weaker in the feathers.
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
Besides the so rarely seen great 08-S strike which I mentioned,
I cant imagine accumulating a grading set like this for this rare
and expensive IH, and then photographing it so well.
Great images, I loved this post on many levels.
I have a 1908S Indian Cent in my 7070 Type Set. I thought it would grade VF-XF. I guess I can now pull it out, compare it to your grading set and see how close or far off my grade opinion is compared to the coins in your set.
shylock, part of the challenge in doing a grading set is that you need to choose a date/mm that is sort of expensive in all grades. otherwise, you just won't be able to find the coin in lower grades as people wouldn't have spent the money to get them certified. Or, you have to spend the money submitting several common inexpensive coins hoping to get the grades you need. Either way, it's not cheap.
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
Maybe someday if I have room in a submission I'll try to cross it. It's a pretty one and it's my first Eagle Eye Photo Seal coin too
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
Finally got an AU58 at the Long Beach show last week that I felt was priced ok and was satisfactory for the grade. I'm sure there are better AU58 examples that exist, but I've already passed on several AU58s that I considered plain old bad looking. This one has a decent sized hit on Liberty's face, but it has plenty of AU58 luster that I liked
Also picked up a very nice MS62RB from Eagle Eye Rare Coins this week. Thanks Rick! And now I have my 2nd PhotoSealed coin
With that, I now have the circulated portion of the grading set complete from G04 through AU58. The set is also complete in the uncirculated grades up to MS64RD except for an MS64BN and the very low population MS60BN, MS60RB, MS61BN and MS61RB. I really don't think I want to go after those hard to find 60-61 grades anyways. And since coins graded PO01 through AG03 currently do not exist, once I find a nice MS64BN I think that I'll be done with this set! I thought about going up to the MS65 and MS66 grades, but I think the MS64RD that I have looks better than alot of the MS65RD examples I've seen and I just can't see paying over twice the money for the next grade up when I don't think i'll be any better than the coin I already have.
I'm just happy I was able to finish most of this set before the recent significant run up in prices on the 1908-S IHC and before at least three others that I know of have committed to completing their own 1908-S IHC grading sets. And since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it doesn't bother me too much that I've had to compete with them on a few coins towards the end of buliding my set and I wish them luck in continue to build and in finishing their sets.
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448