GTG 1925 S California

Another coin I got back from PCGS:

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I haven't submitted anything to PCGS for a long, long time........MS67

 

While I like the design of the coin, I hate the grading on these. They have a different kind of luster then what you see on other coins, and that makes grading difficult. I've seen what I thought were 58's in 65 holders, and vise-verse.

But I'll go MS66 on this example, but even that's a SWAG.

 

The coin looks like an MS-66, but there is one problem I have found with PCGS True View photos. They often make the coin look better than it is. They are like the high school yearbook picture of the girl in the class who had had a terrible battle with acne who benefited greatly from the air brush.

 

MS 65. The TrueView is a beauty contest photograph. I am going to assume the coin is clearly gem grade, but the TrueView exaggerates its spotless look.
In any case, it is a beautiful coin.

 

MS65 like most commemoratives that were not produced for circulation.

 

MS67

 

MS-65, Very nice indeed, thank you.

 

65. I'm not a big fan of toning, but your coin is nice.

 

MS67

 

66

 

66
pretty coin.

 

Before the reveal, a little background on this coin. I bought this back in 1996 at the LCS, it was in a plastic holder and was graded MS64. This coin had more luster than any coin I had ever seen before. I paid $160 for it and was incredibly pleased. I sent it in for grading in Apr and got it back last week Sat. It was very disappointing to say the least.

Now the reveal:

 

I was guessing MS 64 before the reveal....based on the TrueView, I didn't see any evidence of a cleaning but that is often the case with TrueViews.

If there is no in-hand evidence of cleaning, you might want to try submitting it again to either NGC or Anacs (I've had one Buffalo nickel go from PCGS cleaned to Anacs straight graded several years back-it was another of those where I didn't see any evidence of a cleaning and Anacs agreed).

 

The True View photos made it look like a high grade coin. Your "reveal photo" seems to show the problems. The coin looks dull in that photo with haze and impaired luster in the fields.

As I said before, "True View" photos seem to make coins look better than they are.

 

I would not try it again. The Grey Sheet bid in MS-64 is $240 which makes it a marginal coin given the cost of grading and shipping. If you want a California commemorative half dollar, I would buy one that has already been graded.

This one is in an MS-64 holder.

 

I'll never trust PCGS TV again! I don't like cartoons!

 

It wouldn't make sense to send it by itself, but if the original poster is doing a larger submission, it could be worth it (especially on one of the Anacs $10-$12 slabbing specials).

 

I love that, "True View." They got half of it right, it's a view.

 

Going back to what I said in my first post, the California is one of the worst in the series to buy raw. It has a different 'type' of luster then what most people are used to, and that can cause one to think it's not what it is.

The TruView and the OP's images look like completely different coins.