Germany 1901G 10 pfennig grade guidance

Back for more after all the help I got earlier today on a Mexico 5 centavos. This is considerably less exciting but could be much more helpful to me in the long run. As the title suggests, I have a 1901G 10 pfennig. It's a better date and mint mark so I'd like help on the grade. And in a larger sense, I'd love to know if there is some general grading guidelines for these imperial German coins. Knowing that would help tremendously. Given the lower values, there are net really XF-AU examples in slabs to compare with. As always, thanks in advance for all the help.

 

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The highest points of the design are the top vertical portion of the crown (running from the center cross to the one adorning the crown at top), the quadrants of the small shield within the larger shield on the eagle's breast and the breasts/wing ends of the eagles in the "wreath" around the shield. I would say you coin is AU.
It's not practical to grade from the opposite side for higher grade coins, as the design is pretty evenly flat all over.

 

I was thinking XF, but I would not argue with AU. For older German coins the first thing I look at is the shield, then the feathers and then the crown. That should be enough to get a good estimate on the grade.

 

Thanks for both responses. Very happy with the proposed grades and appreciate the input on methodology. Funny how different the level of design is between obverse and reverse on these coins.

 

Yea, the problem with the denomination side is that there are no real high points. By the time you notice wear on the plateaus of the legends, the other side is likely VF or lower grade in wear.

 

It looks like it could benefit from an acetone dip (if you're comfortable using it)

 

I dipped it for a couple hours yesterday and it seemed to help a bit. Would a lengthy soak help even more in your experience? Is there any benefit to agitating/swirling the solution for short periods of time?

 

Personally, I would dab it with a q-tip after soaking (be careful not to rub). I generally soak to get rid of any PVC and that doesn't take too long. In my opinion, if it doesn't come off in a few hrs, I don't mess with it any further. Acetone is good at getting rid of the organic crud. If it doesn't come off easily, it may be chemically attached to the coin surface and that work is above my pay grade