The Official CoinTalk Grading Experiment 24

It's Half Dollar Weekend! I'll be posting 4 different series of halves today, for your grading pleasure. Grades will be revealed Monday evening.

(PCGS called this one FBL - I will not be scoring based on the strike designation)

How good is CoinTalk compared to the TPGs? Let's find out! Over the next several months, I'll be posting a continuous stream of Guess the Grade threads. I will be using photos from the Heritage auction archives (please do not cheat!).

All you have to do is guess the grade! I will be attaching a poll to each thread. Please select the grade that you think best represents the coin (to avoid bias, please select your grade before viewing the rest of the thread).

Also please post your opinions about the coin, and it would be most educational if you could explain why you chose the grade you did.

Around Christmas, I will tally up the results and see how we did. This thread is an offshoot of a recent thread where I compared CT grading to the TPG, seen here: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/how-good-is-cointalk-at-grading.343417/

We're going to cover a wide range of material, and some of it may be out of your wheelhouse. However, if you are a confident grader, you should be able to accurately grade almost any coin.

 

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Fair amount of marks. A couple in the fields and on the jawline but monster luster making up for it. My call a solid 65.

 

65. For the most part the marks are just light shaves, but they are there. I agree with Mainebill, that coin glows.

 

I was at 64 but I am thinking the luster is blazing on this one and makes up for the few marks scattered throughout.

I’m calling it a 65 attributed with FBL and a Bugs Bunny FS-401 to boot.

 

65.

 

65

 

65 FBL Bugs Bunny

 

It might be 66 but I think that the marks should simply keep it to be a very solid MS 65

 

I'm going 66 on this one. 65s can have a lot more marks than this one does. The luster is fantastic and very frosty. Well struck and eye appealing.

 

MS-64. Nice Bugs Bunny

 

MS66 FBL

 

66 ...I don't love it at that grade based on the marks I'm seeing (I'd prefer it in a 65 holder), but I think PCGS was a bit lenient on it

 

Grade reveal Monday evening. Get your guesses in now!

 

A conservative guess: MS64. I would like to see less marks for a 65.

 

Ms65 fbl

 

Alright, with 31 guesses, Cointalk called this a 64.7. PCGS and CAC called it a 65. Our average was brought down by the few AU guesses.... sometimes I understand why you'd guess AU, but this time, I just don't get it. Nothing about this coin looks AU at all.

The most commonly selected grade, however, was 65. I personally think this is a strong 65, and might earn a + or 66 with a couple more tries. Strong strike, bright luster, minimal contact marks.... I've seen worse in 66 holders.

And, as a few of you mentioned, this is a Bugs Bunny.

 

1-2

 

There is a lot of chatter on the obverse. It is a really low-end 65

 

I think you need to look at more graded 65 Franklins. This is a very high end 65, bordering on 66.