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Message:: [QUOTE="johnmilton, post: 7316574, member: 101855"]I don't why you folks are buying these coins raw unless you are filling an album and don't like to crack out slabs. I don't care for the 1921 Pilgrim that was pictured in the palm of someone's hand at all. At the best, it's been cooked in acid. At the worst it's a counterfeit. I don't like fields on that coin at all. There are large numbers of these coins that have been certified in MS-64 holders. The "old" or "classic" commemorative market has been dead for years. I know because I put together a type set at wholesale prices 10 to 20 years ago when I was dealer, and I'm buried in them. The grade "BU" (Brilliant Uncirculated) does not mean anything in today's market. It's the Sheldon grading numbers that count. Even if the coin is Mint State, "BU" could be anything from MS-60 to 64. MS-65 or better would be called "Gem Uncirculated" in the old days. Using Grey Sheet numbers, $129 would buy a Stone Mountain commemorative half dollar in certified MS-64 quite easily because "bid" is only $85. The MS-65 is now down to $135. I paid over $200 (ouch!) for this one that is graded MS-65 and "all there." [ATTACH=full]1278726[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1278727[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]