jaceravone

Better that being a grasshopper in a field of frogs.

__________________
"These are the times that try men's' souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."
Thomas Paine, Intro to the The Crisis, December 19, 1776

mikenoodle

I think what was being posited is that sometimes you can find a more pleasing example of a coin in AU-58 than you can in low-end MS grades.

remember the fact that most AU-58 coins have very few contact marks, strong luster and good eye appeal, but they also have a slight amount of wear that precludes them from being graded MS. The lower end MS coins will have strong luster but generally less eye appeal and more contact marks.

It all depends on what you prefer as to which coin you buy.

__________________
A long term marriage is the process of falling in love with the same person over and over.

Breakdown

Thanks, Doug. I'm learning...

mikenoodle

I agree whole-heartedly. An AU-58 beats an MS-60 to me every time.

__________________
A long term marriage is the process of falling in love with the same person over and over.

Leadfoot

I think you guys are nuts for making such sweeping statements.

I thought it was "buy the coin, not the holder".

Judge coins for what they are, and don't presume that a 62 is always better than a 58 -- in my experience it is hardly always the case.

mikenoodle

this is not buying the holder as much as it says that I'd much rather have a nice, mark-free example with a slight luster break than a coin with complete luster but lots of bag marks. Note that I originally said, (and stick to) an AU-58 over an MS-60, not a 62, not a 63, but a 60.

__________________
A long term marriage is the process of falling in love with the same person over and over.

900fine

There's a lot of value in that.

Yes, sweeping generalizations are dangerous. I agree with others that AU58s are commonly superior to MS60s, 61s, etc.

But as Mike said, it's still "buy the coin, not the holder". To say "AU58s are better than MS61s" violates that rule, since it implies "always"... and that's not so.

It's best to evaluate a coin on its merits. You might find MS61s with strong eye appeal superior to AU58s. It's frequent with $2.5 Indians IMO.

Collect89

Here's a half dollar that I bought 3-years ago in an NGC AU58 holder. It immediately went into my Capital plastic 20th century type set. I hope the photo posts well & hope you like it as much as I do.

Very best regards,
collect89

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
"All of us are smarter than any one of us"

tmoneyeagles

I remember I owned two very nice AU quarter eagles, one a 1912 AU55 PCGS, and the other a 1911 AU58 PCGS. (I sold both of those, to get a 1909 MS62 PCGS.)
Anyway, I would say, judging from other AU58's in the marketplace, and even considering the fact that these are hard to grade, I would say MS AU58 was a pretty outstanding, PQ, if not, close to it, kinda coin.
Now, you put my MS62 and my old AU58 side by side, you can tell of some obvious differences. (In other words, the MS62 is a better coin)
So an AU being as nice as a MS coin isn't always the case, but it can be sometimes... Just gotta look at the coin sometimes, and forget about what that holder says... (KNOW YOUR SERIES!)

__________________
From The Desk Of, -T$ (Kokapowan Tribe Leader)

http://www.tmoneyeagles.webs.com/

Cloudsweeper99

If you are trying to build a collection with eye appeal and don't want to or can't pay some of the prices commanded by MS coins, then AU is the place to search. AU is my favorite grade. Good thread.

Vess1

It certainly seems like the best value grade for some series'. Many have very nice luster remaining.

__________________
When the well's dry, we know the worth of water.
- Benjamin Franklin

covert coins

I guess the number one factor if it is a AU58 or an MS 60 is just plain eye appeal.

tmoneyeagles

If by eye appeal, you are including wear, and luster?

__________________
From The Desk Of, -T$ (Kokapowan Tribe Leader)

http://www.tmoneyeagles.webs.com/

mikenoodle

IMHO the number one factor should be: "do you like the coin?" then comes everything else

__________________
A long term marriage is the process of falling in love with the same person over and over.

andopcamando

Hey Mark Field, what did you sell that au58 1853 for just out of curiosity.