When I get Peace dollars, I try to sort them and get an idea of what they might grade. With that in mind, here are a couple examples of 2 coins that are 1 grade apart. Both coins obverse: Left coin obverse: Right coin obverse: Both coins reverse: Left coin reverse: Right coin reverse: Can you guess the grade of each and tell me why one graded higher than the other?
hmmmmmm im stuck on the grade they are both beautiful coins but i would say that the right one graded higher
The left one appears to have more luster than the right. It's tough to grade from images but I'll muster the grades at left coin ms-64 & riight coin 63. That's the best I can do with the images your showing. Both nice pieces....DEX
I'm seeing what I'd interpret as rub on the highest points of the left one -- hair on the obverse, wing feathers on the reverse. But I definitely haven't mastered distinguishing AU from MS via photos.
This was my first thought but because he started a thread about it I will use some reverse psychology and say left 64, right 63.
I think Peace Dollars are among the hardest US coins to grade. Especially in MS grades as the strikes were often so weak.
I would have went 63 on both, but I know people think I am a "difficult" grader. Strike on the right definitely better, but since the TPG seem to care less, I would have to say coin on the left is a 64 and right a 63 if you tell me they have to be one grade apart. I agree Peace isn't the easiest grading. Personally, I would take the coin on the right before the one on the left, grades be darned.
I gotta ask a question. You started this by saying that Peace dollars give you problems. And now here you are saying that the left coin (the 64) is a bit nicer than the right coin (the 63). So I'm a bit confused. For how can they can be giving you problems if you yourself can acknowledge that ?
Mostly because the difference between the 2 is so slight it's almost scary. There is very little if any difference in the strike, both exhibit about the same amount of luster, and while the 63 does have a bit more marking on the obverse, it's marginal at best. I also have the advantage of having them in hand vs an amateur and admittedly crappy photographer taking the the pics. My opinion of these 2 coins is they are both actually 63's and why one got the bump is beyond me. I have many Peace dollars in common dates that are ungraded and as nice or nicer than these. Many times when I see these coins graded, I wonder how on earth they distinguish the difference between 63, 64 and 65. They're just a much harder coin for me to make the call on. If somebody had 20 of them, covered the grade and asked me to sort them and place the grade given on them, I could probably get it close, but I'm sure I'd have at least 25% of them wrong. @gubni- that's not really interesting to me as the difference in price is not worth re-submitting.
Hmmm, I did not view them that way. Maybe its the photographs, so I cannot be sure, but the reason I said the second was a 63 was the reverse. While the second had a better strike, the marks on the reverse were too much for a 64. However, I like good strikes, so have me choose between the two coins, I take the 63 all day.
The primary difference I see in the two coins is the area I circled in red. If it were not for all those scuff marks in that area I have no doubt the coins would have graded the same. Those marks hurt the eye appeal of the coin, and eye appeal is second only to luster when it comes to grading. But you also have to remember that the difference between a low end 64 and a high end 63, which is what these 2 coins are, is indeed very slight.
