Likely experience. You’ll pick of ‘tells’ over time. Usually things that repeat themselves and begin to become apparent. Certain conditions lend to different outcomes. This is not a condition associated with a wishing well but akin to something from a holder of some type. Plastic vs cardboard vs coin tube...etc will leave different affects and under different conditions (light, dark, damp, dry....).
The coin in question does indeed look ugly and makes one wonder about the grade and sticker. I think the real problem is the photo. Not all photos are equal. I have a feeling that since both PCGS and John Albanese viewed the coin, it has to be nicer than what the photo is showing. This might even be a scan which is notorious for its ability of not capturing detail. I have a coin I bought from Heritage a few years ago graded PR66. Looking at the Heritage photo makes you wonder how that could be. When I received the coin it was much nicer than the Heritage photo was showing. Here is a photo closer to what the coin looks like. Don't rely on photos to tell you the full story.
How many think this 1958-D Franklin is worthy of an MS66+ grade? This is a seller's photo of a coin sold last night in an eBay auction at the price of $100. How many think the new owner will be buried with this coin, never coming close to recouping the money when it comes time to sell? Would you pay $100 for this coin or would you give it a grade of MS66+?
I would pass the pictures are horrible and look at all those spots!!!I'm sure there are better ones for the same price can't determine grade by those pictures. Its actually quite mark free-not referring to the spots.
Here is the rest of the story on the Franklin posted above. I think both the Franklin and quarter photos are scans.......and not very good ones. There are similarities between the two in terms of the massive amount of definition each is missing. It is quite possible that the Washinton may have hidden colorful toning that is present in the Franklin. Somebody got a great deal for $100.
There were a lot of these selling recently. 67 67+ 68 68+ quarters Franklin's and Roosevelt's. All ugly like this one. Some with cac. Some went for thousands depending on the coin. I think a 55d Washington quarter at ms68 went in the 3k range. Looked about like this one.
Look at this, almost 3k. usrarecoinsandgoldnyc if you're bored go look at the rest of their recent completed auctions. They have hundreds of these like this, they look like they were recovered from a burnt out Studebaker 60 years ago... I'm not sorry I missed out on this one. And finest known? I sure hope not...
The grading is fine and the toning is great! The reason why has been given by some of the other senior members. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Before market “eye appealing” grading toning was equated pretty much with environmental damage. If it wasn’t blast white, it wasn’t, period. That’s why so many coins grading today have indeed been dipped at some point in their chain of custody but are considered market acceptable today. That change in grading standards from the coin’s strict technical merits to what looks pretty to the market means we’ve no idea what the heck went into these grades. And there’s for the most part where we’re at. Buy the label, you can’t go wrong.
