What do you expect "High Grade" to mean?

Couldn't tell you since I don't shop on Ebay. My guess would be about the same number as the number of beer makers who tell you that their product won't make you God's gift to women like the other brand...ie, extremely few. Nor do I blame them for not doing so--they are in business to sell their product.

Doesn't mean that the condition doesn't exist, however.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I get a low grade fever reading some EBay listings. There are three or four EBay dealers that account for just about all my purchases. The best IMHO is Great Southern Coins. I have never once bought a raw coin from them that hasn't graded at least as high as the pictures would have had me guess. That is about as stout a recommendation that there is.

 

Wow. Forgive me, but I wouldn't touch that seller with a 10-foot pole, nor would a substantial percentage of aware collectors. The evidence against them goes back ten years across all related fora; I remember them selling plainly cleaned coins as "good" shortly after Katrina.

 

Since people have different definitions of what constitutes high grade, it's not really that meaningful on something like an eBay auction. Between collectors of a particular series though, it may be generally well understood within that context.

To me, high grade means the same as collector grade, and this depends on the series. For capped busts, I would consider high grade to start at XF. For moderns, I wouldn't consider anything high grade if it's below a 65. For ultra moderns, a 69.

 

Well, you certainly are the exception then.

I met the two guys that ARE GSC at a coin show. Nice guys, but, just like their ebay site, every Lincoln they had was over-graded and over-priced. Like SuperDave pointed-out, they have a long standing bad reputation among MANY collectors.

 

I second that. Haven't they even been caught with fake 09s vdb ebay listings before? I put them in the same ebay class as the 20" dmpl guy... W.E.L. (Won't Even Look)

 

I've bought at least 30 coins from GSC going back to 2009 (not before) and I've never been disappointed by the grades I got when I sent them to NGC, having bought them raw from GSC. In fact, most of the pieces I sent in exceeded my fondest hope grade when I sent them in. I would frankly call GSC the best dealer/seller I've ever dealt with - online, brick and mortar, or coin show combined! These are the guys from Bourne, TX.

 

Does cull count? I think there are a lot of sellers advertising low grade coins in 1 oz, 1 pound, $10 FV, etc. combinations of low grade coins.

 

It depends on the series or even the coin a xf 40 89-cc or 93-s Morgan I'd call high grade. For an 80-s I'd start at ms 66. And a chain cent in problem free vg-8 I'd call high grade

 

Zackly! Well said. It needs to be on the higher half of the condition v. quantity bell curve, or put another way, beyond the point where the price/condition curve goes "hockey stick".

 

Good, don't. More for me. I do kind of resent the implication that having had exclusively good experiences with GSC somehow makes me "unaware". I rather think it exhibits an unusually keen amount of awareness - the kind that allows me to select from their offerings by photographs alone and not get burned even once.

 

With old type coins, you expect XF-AU, unless its a high priced rarity, then you often see VF called high grade.
With newer or more common coins, high grade should indicate minimum, AU for a rarer one, and MS or better most of the time.

 

Thanks for all the interesting input. It makes great reading/education. Can we all simply agree that most of us KNOW A HIGH GRADE COIN WHEN WE SEE IT...and in many cases it is a PERSONAL OPINION for each of us. Hopefully, the OP will develop his/her own PERSONAL standard after reading this.

 

Am I being a "Troll?"

 

Do you want to be? LOL.

 

Absolutely Not. I'm not quite familiar with the term but a member here said I was one. I think it means a poster who lurks around until he finds something/someone to complain about. I do disagree (and say so) with a lot of postings on CT that ARE NOT a matter of personal opinion.

 

I saw the thread in which you were called a Troll. I was simply messing with you.

I think the definition of a internet troll is one who visits sites/threads to purposely cause trouble. I do NOT think you are one, FWIW.

My experience of you from your posts is that you are a numismatist that enjoys the hobby thoroughly and also doesn't mind spirited discussions about it.

Discussions about toning always cause heated/emotional debates.

 

FWIW (?) Are you name calling again?

I'm from an earlier "Attila the Hun generation" of politically incorrect nasty taunts.
Nothing anyone can post here could possibly bother me personally.

I do get frustrated with ignorance from certain members whom I believe appear to know more about numismatics than I will ever know. Or others who cannot/will not answer direct questions concerning their opinions.

As they should. IMO, If it looks natural, I don't care when, where, what, or how long it took to make it. I've doctored well over a hundred coins in my time in order to learn what various techniques (I hear about) look like. In many experiments, one side comes out spectacular while the other sucks. I've also been treated to some "toning" experimentation in chemistry labs by professional chemists.

 

@Insider , FWIW = for what it's worth

Couldn't tell if you knew that or not from your post.

 

Any above PO1