My initial reaction with this was all original and MS as well- there's a slight color change on the high points but I can't tell if it is wear or just a difference in the toning. How coins with heavy toning that subdues luster are graded is admittedly a mystery to me.
I don't refuse to guess the grade based on pics, and never have. As I'm sure you well know. The reason I rarely express my opinion on grades is because all it usually does is start arguments because most of you guys want to grade the same way the TPGs do. And in this day and age, all they do is grossly over-grade coins. Me, if there's wear on the coin, any wear at all - then it aint MS. And that coin, has wear.
Could have sworn I read long ago that you refuse to do guess the grades because it's impossible to grade photographs. If I'm wrong I apologize.
I wasn't sure about the toning, but I thought AU as well. I do see the luster left, but I also see light circulation wear.
No apology necessary As I said, rarely offer opinions on grade anymore unless specifically asked to do so. That said, I very well might have posted at one time or another that I didn't want to offer a grade for a specific coin based on the pics provided. But, for that specific coin - not every coin or any coin. To be sure of your grade, yeah, ya gotta see the coin in hand, no matter who ya are. But in most cases I have no problem at all with offering an opinion based on pictures, assuming the pics are decent. And I'll feel fairly confident in my grade. But there are some where it's just too close to call, and in those cases - yeah I'd say so.
Sounds more like something I’ve said. I hate the gtg since it’s just a guesstimate without it in hand. I’m okay with it when people realize that, but my huge pet peeve is when people try and use them like they’re better than the TPG or evidence the TPG can’t grade
I think you misunderstand, at least when I do it. Ya see, when I point out that that a TPG has grossly over-graded a coin I'm not claiming that I am better than them at grading, nor am I saying that they can't grade. I'm not saying that they don't know how at all ! What I am saying is that they quite intentionally over-grade the coins, knowing full well that they are doing so, and do so for their company's own financial benefit. Some if not most of the graders at the TPGs, and I do mean all 4 of them, are some of the best graders on the the planet. But their individual knowledge and ability has nothing to do with the grades they assign. They assign the grades that they are TOLD to assign - knowing full well in their own minds that those grades are wrong. But, if they want to keep their jobs and their 6 figure salaries - they do what they are told to do. And there's a big difference between that and what you claimed above. A huge difference !
This is how I grade as well, you can't "wish" a grade on a coin. This OP coin looks genuine because a lot of us has seen this result before in our own collections, and the remaining "toning" lends itself to conclude that it is authentic. Overall attractiveness suffers, but still a nice coin. An AU58, maybe add a plus...Spark
I got a new loupe yesterday and took a closer look... I'd agree that signs of circulation are definitely present. I have no idea what a TPG would grade it at but it's not one I would submit anyway. More importantly, I definitely learned more than ten bucks worth of knowledge from the purchase so thank you all for sharing your input and experience!
Where was the wear at? It looks alright to me from the pictures, but I've always had a hard time treading that slider/MS line.
There ^, the eagle's legs, breast feathers and top of the wings. Hard to see for sure in the pictures with the crusty toning but at 15x in-hand it's more evident. The fields are notably clean, but I compared it to a 65 and an AU58 quarter I had here and that really helped. I'd love to see some photos of sliders with wear in MS holders to get a better idea of what the threshold is for modern market grading out of curiosity... sounds like a good idea for a thread though I'd guess there is one already.
You can pretty much take your pick from MS slabs that are posted here - or anywhere for that matter. But, you don't even have to look at pictures. PCGS states, in writing, in their own grading book, that coins with wear on them can be graded as high as MS67.
You never actually crossed my mind on that comment. We know you have your own grading scale that is far off the beaten path, but admittedly I actually was mostly thinking of posters on another forum where what I described does happen from a group of posters. We are in complete agreement the TPG graders are some of the best on the planet.
I don't doubt for a minute that some do think what you claimed. But I believe they think that way because they are uninformed, specifically about this -