Who feels like helping me develop my grading skills?

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Kevin Dore, Sep 15, 2018.

  1. Kevin Dore

    Kevin Dore Active Member

    I have these 3 morgan dollars and I'm trying to test my skills at grading them in hopes to compare notes with those of you that have much greater experience so that maybe I can become better at judging grades. I will give my opinion on what I think the grade is in my very unprofessional opinion and see how badly I do lol. But seriously I know the likelyhood of being wrong is high so I'd like to know what I'm missing or what I should look for that I'm not.

    I have 2 1921's here so I'll call this one 1921a
    S20180915_0004.jpg S20180915_0005.jpg
    making this the 1921b S20180915_0006.jpg S20180915_0007.jpg
    and lastly the 1882o
    S20180915_0012.jpg S20180915_0013.jpg

    The 1921a I can't really see much if any wear at all on the design of the obverse, but there is a lot of scratches and distracting marks. The reverse does show some signs of wear on the higher points such as the eagle's breast. It also has some discoloration around a good bit of the design. Overall I'm thinking maybe this coin would grade around AU 53.

    The 1921b has a nicer mint luster to it, less scratches on it, but a few are still visible. I would like to think this one may grade at MS 60, but the wear on the eagle's breast tells me it's more in the AU55-58 range.

    The 1882O has a descent amount of wear and no mint luster at all left. I'd say half of so of the lines in the finer points like the eagle's wings and the hair on the obverse are still there. I'm thinking maybe VF-20

    So, what do you guys and gals think? How far off am I and why?
     
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  3. wcoins

    wcoins GEM-ber

    Impossible to say with those pictures.
     
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  4. YoloBagels

    YoloBagels Well-Known Member

    Ehh I dont think a VF20 coin would have anywhere near that much detail or luster.
     
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  5. Santinidollar

    Santinidollar Supporter! Supporter

    Here’s a VF20 CB4E02BE-C1D5-4C74-A478-0A9775316AC7.jpeg 893DE837-22CE-4241-A868-B6DFBE1FF442.jpeg
     
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  6. Kevin Dore

    Kevin Dore Active Member

    I see your points. I have always had a tendency to overgrade coins so I guess I erred the other way on that one. I still think it has just a bit too much wear, especially on the eagle's wings to fall into the AU category. So somewhere in the EF range then is my renewed guess. Maybe EF 40?
     
  7. Kevin Dore

    Kevin Dore Active Member

    Apologies, I'm trying the best I can with the camera I have. Tried taking several and choosing the best ones to post. I guess I need to experiment with the lighting a bit more. I think the pictures show the detail well but I suppose it is hard to tell the amount of luster present on each one.
     
  8. YoloBagels

    YoloBagels Well-Known Member

    Honestly I think you are tending to undergrade coins. I'd grade the 1882 AU55 unless better pictures were to prove differently, and you dont have to apoligize, its always ok to try to learn more ;)
     
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  9. Kevin Dore

    Kevin Dore Active Member

    I see that now, but in the past that wasn't the case. I feel like I've spent a descent amount of time trying to learn and develop my skills but for some reason I still seen to be horrible about grading coins. I know these things take time and experience but I just feel I should be further along than I am. I'll keep at it though. I love the hobby, and I've done it for a very long time but only recently have I become more serious about learning all aspects of collecting. I've been active on this forum for a few months now and everybody has been so helpful. I'm starting to worry now that I'm asking dumb and uninformed questions, and I don't want to waste people's time. But at the same time I know I have learned a lot recently. Most of what I've learned is just how much I don't know. I just hope over the next few months I will be able to pay it forward to newcomers and help out the next set of collectors trying to learn.

    I am surprised to hear somebody say that particular coin would fall in the AU category. It just looked to have a little too much wear, I'll keep studying the pictures and try to learn what it is I'm missing when I look at the details on a coin.
     
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