Circulated Coin Grade Descriptions versus the Grade Numbers

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I too have always felt it strange to have 4 VF grades and only 2 EF. AU, makes a little more sense since you can fine tune the grade better using remaining luster.
I would just rather see terms like "average VF, choice VF" used instead of the charade of numeric grades which implies some sort of absolute standard universally agreed upon when none exists. But, we are stuck with Sheldon and the TPGs and that's that.

 

Grade numbers are what they are.

professionals use:
G04 - Good. G06 G+
VG 08 / VG. VG 10 VG+
F 12 -F, F 15 - Fine+
VF20 - VF. VF30 - Ch VF
XF40 - XF. CF45 - Ch XF
AU50 - AU, AU 55 Ch AU

get on same page as them or at least ANA standards book lol

 

You left off A LOT Of grades. Even without + grades youre missing multiple grades.

 

The table I showed in my OP (reproduced below) is directly from the 7th edition of the ANA Grading Guide. It doesn't contain any *'s or +'s. These are the same grades listed for circulated business strikes by PCGS and NGC, but they use the *'s and +'s. The ANA Guide does not use terms like "choice" and I don't think PCGS or NGC use such terms either.

So again, why use these terms when the current numbers we use are so much more descriptive, efficient, and less ambiguous than the language descriptors.

 

I'm surprised they left off
PO 01
Fr 02
AG 03

 

Quite true that there are special marketing labels for modern bulk products. But my OP specifically restricted the question to circulated grades in order to avoid getting confused by just this kind of exception from the modern marketing of bulk coins.

 

"They", i.e. ANA did not leave those grades off. I did because I didn't think they added anything to the discussion. Most folks are not at all concerned about the grading issues associated with PO-01 through AG-03 coins.

 

I love reading your posts. You have such a wonderful grasp of the English language..... I will offer up two very personal reasons why we haven’t entirely disposed of the old grade identification verbiage.

If I am on the bourse and evaluating a dealers coin that has not been interred in plastic, I will evaluate that coin in my head we will say as XF. Now, if the dealer has written AU on his 2X2, then I immediately know that dealer is taking advantage of some unsuspecting buyer and he isn’t a fellow that I want to do business with.

Secondly, while I am fully well versed in the Sheldon system, in my aged brain a 58 coin is still AU. My generation is fading away soon enough and I am confident that once the baby boomers are gone, so too will be the old grading system.

I think it is like anything. Gasoline powered cars will give way to electric cars in time. Fax machines gave way to email. The old system too will fade away. You just have to give evolution an opportunity to take care of itself.

 

Ah, I was just going off the chart you posted