I was looking at some eBay listings for an 1857 Flying Eagle Cent MS-64. I found a few. These two coins graded by PCGS as MS-64 and one has a green bean on it as well. That's actually the coin grade in question here. The one with the green bean. I'm going to show the first MS-64 with no bean. Now I'll show the MS-64 with the bean. I'd like to draw your attention to the tail feathers just above the eagle's talons. Then check out the wreath on the reverse. Look at the details, or lack thereof, of the flowers and corn. Not only did this coin receive the same MS-64 grade as the first one above, but it received a green CAC sticker. I checked the PCGS website for Certificate Verification and both coin grades are listed as legitimate. The bean coin has a PCGS TrueView pic (2nd pic posted above). And the 1st coin posted above has no TrueView. What am I missing here? Are these two coins really equal in condition in anyone's eyes?
While I'm no FE expert I see the top one as in better condition than the bottom one. . LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE SPILLED THE BEANS! LOL
And both coins were submitted to PCGS in 2016. So I'm thinking market grading was probably very similar.
Some sort of uneven strike probably, coins hammered on the left side. Looks to have great luster, grading consists of more than just strike in one area
One thing we DON'T know here is IF the other coin went to cac. BUT yes, I do see the poorly struck reverse on the bean coin. And I do think it shouldn't have received the bean because of it. But I do think the obverse of the bean coin looks nicer than the other one. Even with the poor strike in the feathers.
I agree about the bean coin having a sharper strike on the left side and rim of the obverse. The reverse is ugly IMO. The only way I can see parity in the grade could possibly be an average of the obv and rev. Even then I can't see the bean being more than MS60. Ugly eye appeal too.
Two different questions : #1 - How can these two coins receive the same PCGS grade? There's a simple answer to that one - it's because PCGS graded them. #2 - Are these two coins really equal in condition in anyone's eyes? There's a simple answer to one too - only when you don't bother looking at the coins, and just look at the plastic.
