Take a look at this toned Jefferson Nickel that sold for 9X wholesale price on E-Bay tonight. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=260381893710 The first thing you notice is the incredible toning, which although attractive, most certainly falls in the realm of at least QT (questionable) and at worst AT (artificial). However, the sellers points out that the coin looks much better than the assigned grade of MS62. I have seen many graded Jeffersons and if this coin is an MS62, I will eat my own hat. You might be able to get away with MS64, but this coin looks like a gem to me. My question is this. Did PCGS deliberately encapsulate this questionably toned coin and then reduce the grade in order to compensate? Market grading taken to a new level by punishing the coin for having questionable toning. What say you!
Wheres the obverse? Wheres the obverse? without seeing the obverse who knows or am I missing something??
That can't possibly be how the coin looks in hand. I think the photos have been messed with -- "juiced", as you put it. And I don't think PCGS penalizes the grade. I saw a guy with some obviously, ridiculously-toned rainbow silver eagles, and they were in PCGS holders, graded 69.
First off, the photo has been juiced. Second, you are 100% correct, IMO. PCGS will net grade a QT coin down. You see it (now) with the blue AT IHCs (that now receive 63-65 rather than 65-67 as they used to), and you see it in other coins as well. All IMHO & respectfully submitted....Mike
p.s. I'm not convinced from the photos that the coin is AT/QT, nor that it was net graded as a result. I'd have to see the coin in-hand to be confident one way or the other.
p.s.s. Typically, when you see one of these "head scratcher" grades, there's something wrong with the coin that is not immediately obvious. Like hairlines, or muted luster, or (like you point out) QT.
i agree sometimes it goes down to a big 0 like my bank account so i am running out now. brother leadfoot will man the fort till i return on new years day
Can you define plenty, because I collect rainbow toned Jeffs, and that toning pattern is not normal IMO. I have seen war nickels with similar toning patterns, but they contain silver, and even those are QT IMO. The standard issue Jeffersons will develop rainbow toning, but usually not that pronounced. The photo has certainly been juiced, but even still, that toning pattern is highly unusual. Here is a photo of a Jefferson from my collection that shows a typical toning pattern with concentric bands and proper progression. I become very concerned whenever I see a toning like the one on that E-Bay coin on rather common coins. Coin doctors love to take cheap common coins and attempt to transform them into rainbow toned monsters that they can sell for huge premiums. Most, I repeat, most will not mess with already valuable coins unless they are trying to hide some defect.
Mike, My reason for this post is about the "head scratcher" grades. I rarely see coins graded by NGC or PCGS that are just wrong. But, this coin is now the second graded Jefferson Nickel that I have seen with an MS62 grade that really doesn't make sense. Here is a link to the first one. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=250327006311 This one is graded by NGC MS62. This seller has juiced the photos as well but was also kind enough to include photos that are not juiced. The toning pattern and colors are more consistent with an NT coin and it is pretty obvious that the luster is muted from the photos. However, to limit a grade of a Jefferson Nickel for poor luster seems almost punitive to me. I have seen many a gem graded Jefferson with muted luster and the surfaces of this coin are much better than MS62. When I saw this coin, I just blew it off as an anomoly. Having seen a second seemingly way undergraded toned Jefferson got me thinking. Is the toning on that first coin questionable? Have the TPG's adopted a practice of net downgrading QT coins instead of body bagging them? I don't know the answer, and as you have pointed out, it will remain just a theory until I can see some of these coins in hand to examine them.
