Could you Grade my Jeffersons?

It seemed to me as they were adding unnecessary information, which would add the illusion of false higher value to the coin. The label might as well say Portrait Of Jefferson on the Obverse.
Is an MS 67 2000 nickel really worth that much? I'm not getting it at all.

 

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That is really cynical. The TPGs have a process for grading Jefferson Nickels that includes evaluating and assigning the strike designation of FS or 5FS or 6FS if the coin qualifies. They can't just stop assigning the strike designation because the mint started creating better quality. As I stated in my last post, there are still coins that don't meet the full step designation due to marks caused after the minting process, which can be seen in the population reports. For example, here are the NGC populations for the 2000-P Jefferson shown in this thread.

2000-P Jefferson Nickel: (NGC Population)

Total MS No FS: 7
Total MS 5FS: 9
Total MS 6FS: 122

MS67 No FS: 0
MS67 5FS: 1
MS67 6FS: 17

We can see from these numbers that there are still non full step coins and that assigning the designation is still necessary, but your complaint about the illusion of the value of the coin is still valid IMO, just not for the reason you stated. Because these coins are mostly found with 6FS, those coins without will be sold at a steep discount. The problem is in the valuation of the PCGS MS67 FS or NGC MS67 6FS to begin with.

The Steve Strom 2000-P Jefferson Nickel PCGS MS67 FS sold for $705 in 2016

At the time, the Populations were PCGS (10) and NGC (1). In the last 3 years, the NGC population has increased from 1 to 17, yet the NGC Price Guide still lists the value in the $650.

Now compare this with some of the more recent years where the bulk submitters are using mint rolls to satisfy the modern registry collector demand.

Here is a 2014-P Jefferson Nickel PCGS MS67 FS that sold for only $37 in 2016.

The PCGS population at the time was 60/3 and has risen to 72/3 currently. Additionally, the current NGC population is 127/16. The current price guides also reflect a much more modest and reasonable price for a modern coin: Greysheet $20, PCGS Price Guide $30, Numismedia Retail $40.

So what is the huge difference between the year 2000-P and 2014-P? I submit that the only difference is the number of submissions to the TPGs. In the year 2000, the Registries didn't exist and there was basically no demand for high grade modern material such as these nickels. However, that doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of uncirculated rolls of 2000-P Nickels in existence. As the years pass and the coin ages, the demand should grow, as will the populations, and each time a new 2000-P MS67 FS is graded, the value of the existing group will decline. Anybody who pays top dollar for these high grade moderns with no shortage of supply of raw high grade uncirculated rolls is destined to lose. Instead of paying $500-$700 for one of these coins, you could buy 5 uncirculated rolls, pick the top 5 coins, submit them to NGC or PCGS and expect to get at least one MS67 FS for near $100.

 

If you put a designation for something that is supposed to be there anyway,
it's superfluous.
The designation should be for nickels where it is uncommon and rare.
There's nothing cynical about that.

 

Did you read past the first sentence of my post? I think I explained why they have to keep doing it.

 

Wonderful explanation @Lehigh96. Now I really understand why the population can increase or decrease the value of the coins. So if I ship to certify my 2000 P and they rate it as MS67 6FS, all coins already certified to the same degree will lower their value. Am I right?

 

Yes, as populations of modern coins increases, values will decrease.

 

These are amazing looking Jeff's. The luster is barely broken. And to topic the steps though are absolutely phenomenal.
I agree with you about nickel designations though. There are very few Nickels that should get a FS designation in this era. Pre 91' I have a whole different look at what makes a full step nickel. The problem is that a coins with FS compared to a coin with a weak strike, and still full of luster do not get the same compensation. It really isn't an inferior coin as far as the grading aspect should be concerned. Yet the FS is compensated well above any other coin.