I hope someone can help answer a question for me. There is an on-line dealer that is advertising a wide margin fractional currency specimen as Ch CU that has 5 pin holes in the margin of the note. My question is, can this note be graded as Ch CU with these pin holes? Thank you for any insight to this grading question.
Many fractionals have pin holes. The reason why is that they were pinned to a wall board, or the inside of a shirt to keep from loosing them after being cut from the sheet. Some never circulated, and have holes as such, they could be considered as UNC. The paper is the key, to the grade. Everyone who collects them, have their own opinion, and over time you can agree or not.
Many were cut out of sheets by hand especially the very first issues so the Margins and many are very far along.
Searcher64, thanks for your feedback. I am aware of Fractional notes having pin holes, but what through me was that this is a specimen. I would not have expected a specimen to have pin holes. So to clarify, if the paper is good and there are no folds or tears, etc. you feel the note could grade 63 or 64 even with the 5 pin holes.
I feel UNC, but not as high as 63. Holes are holes. Many of the fractionals were saved soon after they were released from banks, because of their uniqueness. They did not circulated and were stored. Same goes for any specimen. Now, you will find nicer examples up North at lower prices, than in the South.
Thought I would share this with you fractional collectors. Original Note: ===== As returned from PCGS:
They should have given you some type of grade, you would think, as it still cost you money for shipping i am guessing ?
That is just bizzare. There's no way that header could have been unintentionally cut diagonally and inserted without being folded. It may have shifted down by accident, but the rest was done on purpose. The question is -- why? If they weren't going to grade it why did they slab it? This merits a thread unto itself.
Oh no -- the note is NOT sealed (slabbed) in the holder; I haven't tried to remove the note yet since they say it is "too fragile".