Probably a silly question, but it just popped into my head while looking at a listing for a BU Walker!
Is this in the context that BU is a "condition" and MS is a "grade?" I might be more confused than I thought!
They're both conditions (to my mind). "Mint State" and "Uncirculated" seem to mean about the same thing, although you can move a coin around a bit before it sustains enough wear to make it "circulated". "Brilliant" used to mean "lustrous and untarnished". A coin can have heavy bag marks and toning and still be considered mint-state (uncirculated), but it won't be "brilliant". As I understand it, toning used to be viewed almost universally as a bad thing, so advertising a coin as "brilliant uncirculated" indicated most people would find it more appealing. I'll leave it to others to say whether "BU" ever corresponded to a particular MS grade, but I don't think so.
MS = Mint State. This means the coin is at least MS-60 or above. All Unirculated coins are MS. BU = Brilliant Uncirculated. This is a "descriptor grade" that has no real standard, but is often used in marketing. It's generally accepted as lower MS (MS-61/62) Read more here: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/bu-coin-definition-768402
This makes sense regarding toning and bag marks not making BU. Then there is "Choice" and "Gem" for BU as well?
Clarification would be beneficial here . . . BU, Choice BU, Select BU, Gem BU, and Superb BU were once all widely accepted adjectival uncirculated grades.
This is exactly correct. I collected for years before anyone ever heard of a TPG. I still regard BU as a beautifully white coin with no toning in my mind…… In fact hearing BU as a description gets my wheels turning faster than hearing MS64 or whatever.
Bad part is, the term "BU" is way overused and thrown around instead of and synonymous with MS like chicken feed by those who don't know the differences nor how/when to apply it (or feed chickens).
And if talking about Eagles, to make things more confusing, BU is used to signify bullion, I guess as opposed to a Mint released collector’s version. Personally, I find that somewhat deceptive.
