I will take this one over a 65 any day of the week ! front centering is a little of But it runs almost even and not pushed over to one side like 65,s are known for And the back side is just barely off but easy on the eyes
Agreed, but what about when you are off way high or way low on the grade ? As will become apparent shortly..... Sometimes you miss something and it's an honest mistake...other times you're simply not good enough on that particular bill/note....other times, you're WAY OFF for whatever reason.
GUESS THE GRADE: And here it is....and I think this thread will be the subject of some debate going forward:
OK, my comments: (1) First, thanks to all for the guesses and comments. I know I learned a few things. (2) When I won this bill, I myself thought it LOOKED ALOT BETTER than a PMG 45....but I figured I was just missing something. Clearly, some of you think it looks better also. (3) I can easily detect the low-60's usually because they suffer from lousy margins/off-centering. This bill doesn't seem to have any MAJOR imperfections that drop it down 15-20 numbers from mint grading. I can't see folds or creases or tears. (4) If there are some paper bends or other blemishes, they must be only visible at some weird portion of the light spectrum at some particular angle. Because I can't see it. Can any of you now that you know the grade ? Net-net....I thought this bill, at first glance, could be a PMG 65....but clearly, there must be something wrong for it to be 20 numbers lower. I just can't see it and apparently neither can some of you. These are high-res photos so it's not like the pics are hiding something behind poor photography. Maybe something shows up if you hold it up to a certain light at a certain angle ? I dunno....I'm admittedly grasping at straws. You'd think grading bills would be EASIER than coins (bigger, easier to see imperfections).
I'm not seeing ANY folds or creases or rounded corners, but maybe under some strange light spectrum at a certain angle, it shows. Which, unlike lousy margins, makes it unusual to penalize a bill for: unseeable imperfections ? One Caveat: I noticed that other Gold Certificates in the 40's and 50's also looked like they shoul be graded much higher. So this anomaly with my bill or grading error or whatever...it's not peculiar to this $10 GC. Either their are creases or folds or other paper damage that I/we are not seeing...corners don't meet the definition of (razor) sharp...or something. I've seen it on many GC's, but haven't seen enough of other bills (non-GC's) to say if the same 60's vs. 40's dichotomy (with the latter looking like they should be graded much higher) exists. If it's a grading pattern (or anomaly), I would say it should.
First i would have to say that its difficult to judge a note purely by picture as you only get one angle, these notes are judged from several different View points but with that said, i thought we were talking about a GEM note Here and only looking at the margins, but obviously was more problem Laden and that,s something you cant judge by a picture. If you go by PMG guidelines, you can see if they got it right, here,s there Definition for a 45 Choice Extremely Fine 45 A note with two to three heavy folds, one of which may be horizontal. There is noway you can see any folds in this note from the pic provided Can you ? I would like to go in to more detail and explanation, since your note Had folds in it it automatically drops and the margins become less of a concern, this note here illustrates my point.
James, what are you doing in the 2nd photo that shows all those wrinkles ??? I just looked at the bill again super-closely. The 4 corners look sharp, if not super-razor sharp. I'm not seeing any waves or creases. I'm really stumped. I'll take the bill to FUN in a few months and you guys can see it for yourselves. But again....I see similar notes in the 40's and 50's on Ebay and Heritage that look like they can be 20 or 10 number grades higher. High-res pics will show -- or NOT show -- the same blemish-free surface that mine appears to have. Maybe the grader was drunk ?
I did....nothing. I am really baffled. MPC posted the guidelines for bills in the 40's and 50's and I am not seeing those flaws. Again, this is NOT limited to my GC....any of the Heritage GC's up for auction appear as good or better despite being graded well under the PMG 65 neighborhood to what my eyes -- and many of yours -- thought the bill was in. Again, maybe in person some of you vets would see some flaws. I'm not seeing them myself. I'll definitely bring it to FUN and we can see what the hell is up.
TPG,S are not perfect, and they do make mistakes ! just because of the shear Volume that they grade, i think your example is allot better then the 45 given and i would have to question the lack of the EPQ designation. Here,s the definition on that: EPQ An Exceptional Paper Quality (EPQ) note is, in the opinion of PMG graders, completely original. EPQ notes will not have been physically, chemically, or materially processed to give the appearance of a higher grade. Notes exhibiting normal wear-and-tear for their grade are eligible. All notes graded Very Fine 25 and higher will be evaluated for the EPQ designation. Notes must qualify for the EPQ designation to grade Gem Uncirculated 65 and higher. I would also consider resubmitting the note for a second opinion And a note from the grader on why it received that grade, atleast You would know why but i would have to say it is very puzzling not getting an EPQ designation might have something to do with the over all grade.
Wouldn't you think it unlikely that a note that grades 45 would get EPG ? If a note that low had EPQ, it wouldn't grade 45. Circular logic, I know... I would think Au 58 minimum....if not the mid-60's.
My example earlier in the thread the 40PPQ note, hits home the fact On the paper quality and condition of the note, to take it a step further
Here's a $10 Gold Certificate up for sale.....I can very easily see the dirty smudge on the left side and the crease/fold in the middle. They're very visible. https://currency.ha.com/itm/gold-ce...431.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515 Yet the bill grades 53 vs. my 45 !! I'm not seeing it.... I'm not sure any side-lighting will show in my 45 the multiple wrinkles that James' bill above showed. I mean, it's encased in plastic.
My one and only Gold Certificate. I’ve never been a big fan of the design or portrait. Bought it raw many years ago from a LCS for under $100.
Just rencently aquired this one out of an old family stash. Just sent it off to be graded. It is an old military bond note that Dr. Sun Yat-Sen (signed SUn Wen) sold to help fund the revolution of The Republic of China from 1894 to 1911.