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Message:: [QUOTE="davidh, post: 2599264, member: 15062"]Quote from Louis Golino in Coin Week Sep 10, 2010: "So what exactly does a grade of 70 mean? Is it really a perfect coin with no imperfections or blemishes of any kind? Are all 70’s created equal, even from the same grading service and in the same coin series? These questions are not easy to answer, but from my own study of the issue and experience with such coins, I agree with the view that 70’s are not actually perfect and that they can vary in quality. I consulted the just-published third edition of Coin World’s Making the Grade: Comprehensive Grading Guide for U.S. Coins, which is published by Amos Press and was the last major project of recently-retired Coin World editor Beth Deisher. It refers to MS70 eagles as “perfect” and “free of defects.” In the section on the five-ounce America the Beautiful silver coins, it says a 70 coin is “flawless” and has “pristine surfaces with a full strike.” But PCGS and NGC have yet to grade a single ATB coin as a 70 because the very large surface area lends itself to marks and abrasions. My understanding is that to the naked eye a 70 should look very close to flawless, but depending on the level of magnification used when examining the coin, a couple very minor flaws can almost always be found."[/QUOTE]