I recognize that TPG's are inconsistent in what coins they grade and which coins they determine to be "details" coins, but I'm curious on everyone's thoughts about the matter. Are there any standards for TPG's, written or unwritten, about what is acceptable as far as problems go? Should there be? Most people agree that coins in VF or lower are allowed certain scratches that XF-AU's are not, but sometimes what is allowed is questionable. So please share your opinions about what is acceptable and what probably shouldn't be. Better yet, post some examples! Here's my 1814 E/A that resides in a problem-free PCGS VF25 holder. The obverse boasts a long scratch running north to south. The reverse shows the development of some sort of verdigris or environmental damage/issue. Yet it graded VF25... Here is a PCGS AU55 capped bust half that has a couple light staple scratches on the obverse and some patches of black gunk on the reverse. It also is toned in the form of fingers holding the coin at 7 to 8 o'clock on the obverse and 1 to 3 o'clock on the reverse, making me wonder if it was dipped out at some point. But perhaps the cleaning was acceptable...
There is always going to be a line somewhere that certain coins will bump up against, be it one side of the line or the other. The 1814 E/A appears to have on the reverse what I consider by it's technical name; "schmutz". This is on many older coinage.
I would have thought the line coupled with the "shmutz" would have detailed the 1814 . The '29 looks gradable to me even with a previous dip that retoned . IMHO .
Ohhh the ever present "coin funk" as we call it in the office. I'm always afraid i'm going to catch some long eradicated disease by messing with it.
Moderns , hard to think of Bust halves as modern , but I do have a few nice Roman Republican coins and really want a Greek owl and any nice Alexander wearing a lions head or Hercules coin .
I don't mind the coin funk on the 1814 at all, but that long scratch on the obverse is very distracting. Regardless of the clean grade, it's not a coin I would consider purchasing. The 1829 is very attractive, and I wouldn't mind owning it even if it were in a details slab. Slab grades don't concern me in the least.
I complained about this exact subject in a thread recently. I spent 4 months hunting for a liberty cap large cent for my type set. It was mind blowing to me what PCGS And NGC considered to be acceptable for that series in particular. I saw many coins with gouges, scratches, and corrosion which all scream "problem" to me. I'm still not out of the woods as the coin (which is pictured <<<left) is at NGC for grading.
Speaking of flaws on graded coins, here is one of those newly-discovered pattern Peace Dollars S&B is auctioning this month. This gives a new meaning to the term "Mint State," as the coin was marked in India ink, but it WAS marked at the mint, ergo a clean grade... http://www.stacksbowers.com/BrowseAuctions/LotDetail.aspx?AuctionID=6014&Lot=13168&LotID=373702
Yeah. The one-percenters have a boatload of discretionary income. Still, if you're collecting coins for the pleasure of collecting coins, the hobby is no different for someone who spends eight bucks as opposed to eighty thousand. I used to be jealous of the guys who have that kind of scratch to blow, but I'm getting better about it. I figure I've got a choice: enjoy the hobby with the resources I have, or wring my hands, coveting somebody else's good fortune.
You have that right , I enjoy coins period , it could be a 1920 era un peso from Mexico to the most expensive coin I own which in the scheme of things is nothing to some people . It's really the knowledge and history more than the actual coin . Do I wish I could afford a 1794 Flowing hair half , sometimes . But I can enjoy a pic of someone else s too .
What flaws are acceptable ? That depends on what the coin is. The exact same flaw on one coin is acceptable and on another not acceptable. The way they determine which is which is based on many various things: the date (age of the coin), the value, the scarcity or rarity, the size of the coin, the popularity of the coin, a pedigree if it has one, the toning or lack thereof, the luster or lack thereof, and sometimes just the opinions of the graders. And that can and does vary from day to day.
