Hi, I was just wondering when trying to figure out the grade of a coin... does the "stars" play a part in that. I was looking on eBay and saw two Libery Seated quarters roughly at the same grade (both are somewhere around an AU-53 / AU-55). One has better details around the neck and head of Miss Liberty while the other was a bit weaker in that area. However, the one that looked slightly weaker in the neck and head has stars that are sharp. The one that has the better details around the neck and head actually had weaker stars (about half were no longer sharp). When evaluating the grade... does the coin with better details around the neck and head far out weigh the one that has shaper defined stars. Appreciate any responses. Thanks.
On some coins the stars do play a prominent part in grading, on others they are no more significant than the other devices. But when arriving at a grade it is not uncommon for one coin to be weak ( I am not refering to it being weakly struck ) in a given area and yet strong in another and thus be graded the same as another coin which is quite different in that regard. For example, strong remaining luster can make up for quality of remaining detail. Strong remaining detail can make up for weak luster. That's why so many have a hard time with grading - you have to make adjustments for the coin overall and not just focus on one given area.
Thanks GDJMSP, Even though your response made it more dificult for me to grade each coin (and eventually buy one of the two), I see what you mean..I'll look at the overall appearance and weigh my decision on the grade/quality from there.
If you post links/pictures to the two coins, we may be able to help you decide or evaluate the coins, and point out things you may have missed (good or bad).
