By ANA grading standards "All letters in LIBERTY are weak but visible" in order to grade F-12. As someone new to the forum, I'm curious as to others opinions. Some dealers/collectors interpret this phrase to mean ALL portions of each letter are visible. Others insist a coin may still grade fine if a portion of some letters are missing, e.g...the bottom of B, E, or R. Any thougths?
Generally the answer is: Yes. Sorry, couldn't help that. Grading standards vary, and IMO there has to be portions of all letters visible for a F-12. To get to VF the Liberty should have full letters. Grading by dealers also generally varies with whether they are buying or selling.
All sorts of issues touched on by your comments. 1. Grading has a LOT of subjectivity in it. There are rarely hard-and-fast rules. 2. There is no hobby-wide grading standards. Grading guides are "opinions", generally by a group of experienced numismatists. 3. The ANA "standards" are just the most widely used "opinions". Photograde is another. So is Brown & Dunn. And the Red Book. And the various TPG sites. 4. Since you are using the ANA guide, here's what I see. They are VERY vague about their description of "LIBERTY". Fine and Very Fine read much the same. 5. The way to avoid the "LIBERTY" difficulty is to grade the WHOLE coin. Look at the other elements mentioned in the ANA book. They also mention hair, cap, facial features, leaves and rim. And that's just on the obverse! Just like you shouldn't grade Buffalo nickels by the horn alone. 6. If you can find TPG graded Barbers in F and VF, examine them. A lot of experience went into those opinions. 7. Finally, beauty (and grade) are in the eyes of the beholder (and coin holder.)
I agree with this. I would also add that the grading should also take into account some other factors other than the liberty such as the condition of the wreath and the feathers on the reverse.
The ANA standard is quite specific - "All letters in LIBERTY are weak but visible" Weak but but visible means that each and every letter - all parts of it - is visible. That's what weak means. It means it may be faint, but it is still visible.
Onehawk33, Always consider the year and mint mark. They also need to be considered when you examine the strike on any barber coin.
I think those who grade a coin by looking at a single detail are doing themselves and grading a disservice, regardless of ANA's stance on the topic. So there! :whistle:
I would agree with that. You need to use all of the grading standards - but that doesn't mean that some of them are unimportant and may be forgotten either. That is but one of them for the same grade. You need them all - or else you aren't following the standard.
