At what grade do you think its no longer possable for the naked eye to grade?

Without help from a magnifier at what grade is it no longer possible for the human eye to tell the difference? This question is assuming you have 20/20 eye sight.

 

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I think the early/mid MS grades.

 

MS 66 and on

 

Here is PCGS's answer;

 

If ms69 is perfect to the naked eye then shouldn't MS70 be set at that point? If MS70 is to be set at a grade beyond the human eye why stop at 5x? why not 10x or 20x?

 

In my belief, the naked eye can only determine letter grade. It is not about the height of the grade, it is about the space between grades. No one can tell me that with an unaided eye, they can tell the difference between a F-12 and an F-14. The best I think you can hope for with the naked eyes is AG, G, VG, F, VF, EF, AU, MS or PF. Maybe it is possible with huge amounts of experience, but it would probably more of a talent than a skill. In my opinion, the average person could never be that accurate with the naked eye.

 

I think 5x is enough. This could all be carried to an extreme where any coin looks like the surface of the moon with enough magnification. Limits on magnification are used in other industries, for example, diamonds are graded at 10x. One could argue why use any magnification at all to grade, as what does it matter if the eye can't see it.

 

Without magnification, how could a person distinguish between, for example, an MS64 and an MS65 any better than between an MS66 and an MS67?

My answer to the original question would probably be in the AU58 range.

Edited to add: The aboove, notwithstanding, I often make such judgments without the use of magnification, especially if I am going to pass on a coin. Once I have decided that it is of potential iterest to me, I am far more likey to use a glass.

 

I have never graded a coin naked, well maybe once.

I was interested to see what Mr. Feld said, since he's an ex-professional grader.

 

68 up, i can distinguish a 66 from a 57 with no magnification, however thats just me, its different for everyone. I do always prefer to use a 4x or 7x loupe when grading but it's not a must

 

That's odd! When you're naked, is it easier to view the coins?

Chris

 

Once you get to the mid MS coins 65 and higher I don't really think that you can tell the difference all that well.

 

This is just MHO:

When luster becomes a part of the grade, magnification becomes very useful. It is an excellent tool for determining minute breaks in luster like AU-58 vs. MS-63 coins. For the trained eye, most don't need a glass until detail becomes the issue at around MS-64 vs. MS-65.

 

This is what I have observed hundreds of times in auction lot viewing. Very advanced dealers eschew a glass 95% of the time, because many coins are dismissed in an instant; it's the coins they're seriously considering which get The Glass. This is especially true of smaller coins and really valuable coins.

 

Well there is, of course, The Naked Chef. Why not the Naked Numismatist?

 

I would have to say 58 since you really should use a glass to ensure a MS coin is MS and not a slider.

 

My question was not if you could tell a MS63 from a MS62 with the naked eye but at what point does a coin look flawless to the naked eye and you can only see imperfections with magnification? PCGS says you might need a 5x to see why a MS69 did not grade MS70, so i think MS69 must be that point to you guys agree?

 

Put yourself in our place (instead of yours) for a moment, and pretend that you don't know what was on your mind when you started this thread. Now read your original question......It sure doesn't look like you were asking "at what point does a coin look flawless to the naked eye and you can only see imperfections with magnification?" : )