How To Tell If A Coin Is PF70

Does anyone know how to tell if a coin is PF70 and not PF69?

Are there any proven methods?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

A PF-70 or MS-70 coin is a coin that is essentially perfect with no observable defects. If you cannot tell the difference between PF-69 and PF-70 you should not pay any more for a coin that someone says is PF-70.

 

It will depend on the date, the grading service, the series. Line up some coins in mint packaging and some will look better than others. The strike, the luster, minor marks are all separators between 69 and 70. You can also look at online images of graded coins (Teletrade has tons of them), but in person is going to be better. Also look up pops, if you are spending money on the 70s. The percentage of graded 70s will be an indication as to how much to pay.

Looking at coins side-by-side is a powerful learning mechanism. Looking at images for coins one grade apart can also be educational. If a person still is baffled, best to buy the lower grade. Buying a grade that you can't determine for yourself is as foolish as the emperor's new clothes fable, where the emperor bought a new suit of clothes that he could not see for himself.

 

Not that I'm aware of. The 70 grade is more of a marketing gimmick in my opinion.

 

Yeah, you could do like most collectors of modern 70 coins and simply look at the slab.

 

Look for small planchet marks and/or rim dings. I use a 12X mag. glass and good lighting and have had decent luck with PCGS. Look over the coin at different angles, they are very easy to spot. :thumb:

 

Good question. Even at this grade of 70, certain coins are better than others with eye appeal. All should have a full strike with no haze and no visible imperfections (although there's some argument about planchet flaws). I believe that some grading standards hedge their bets by saying, "no impections seen at 10x magnification", but if I'm paying for a PF70, I don't want to see any imperfections at all.

Personally, I don't buy any MS70 or PF70 because I do think it's a marketing ploy to dig big money out of the collector for a coin that looks just like a 69. If I were going to buy a 70 coin, I should be able to line up a bunch of 69 coins with that one 70 coin and I should have no problem picking the 70 out.

But think of this: Have you ever tried to sell that 70 coin back to a dealer for those same prices? I don't think so. I bet most sales of 70 coins are one-way only: dealer to collector.

 

I just send my flawed uncs and proofs to a notorious ebay coin grading service and they do all the work. They come back MS70 or PF70 cameo. Once in a while, I get lucky enough to have a big ole greasy fingerprint on the obverse. Must be a tight fit for state quarters. MS70 isn't a grade, it's a state of mind!

 

I think PF-69 and PF-70 coins are so close as to be a waste , but that's just my opinion , you'll find n
minute marks on a lot of MS or PF-70 coins , theoretically there should be no marks on a 70 coin that can can be seen , and should have a sharp strike and surface mirror of the highest quality for the series , taken from the ANA 6th Edition Grading Standards .
rzage

 

No proven method. Many people hate the very idea of something being a 70. But every 70 I've seen and purchased was a notch above. There's no rim dings or spots. Nothing can be found. As perfect as they can make a coin. Most 69s I've looked at, I've felt I could pick out the flaw that probably dropped it. On a 70 you shouldn't find anything.

I think there's a big difference between what people think is a perfect coin and what a perfect coin actually is, to the extent perfect can be achieved. Most of the time 69 to 70 is like splitting hairs and almost always an imperfection could be found. Most feel that you could break out a bunch of 70 coins, re-submit them and several would likely come back as 69s. Which is why many have lost faith in the system and won't pay the huge premium. I'd say they're probably right for the most part.

I don't think the 70 grade is given using any magnification. I believe it just has to be a perfect coin to what the eye can visibly see alone. If you pick one out that has no luster breaks and no flaws that you can see under close inspection, you could send it in and probably have a decent chance of getting a 70 but no guarantee. It must be an excellent example with an excellent strike and no marks whatsoever. Not the easiest thing to achieve when you consider how much a coin is handled before it arrives in your collection. Before it even leaves the mint for that matter. Which is why they are rare.

 

I think it's a crapshoot myself.

We send in modern stuff way too often because the boss is looking for a PR or MS 70.
For some reason I get elected to "pick the best". Well, I do.
I use a 5x and no magnification as well. I have horrible vision but give me a 10X and I'll find what I perceive on as a flaw on 99.9% of what I look at.

One time we sent in 5 coins that I picked and 4 came back as PR70. Wow what an eye I have.
Nope, thought they all had flaws. Apparently NGC didn't.

I'm not fond of slabbing modern stuff for what it's worth.

 

That was what I was going to say. I have compared a 70 to a 69 and could not find any differences(on ASE). I even asked my local dealer how they do this - he chuckled and said he can't tell the difference. So I stick to 69's for my ASE collection.

 

You will frequently find 69s selling for less than raw. Why? - because the raw has the potential to get the lofty 70.

No BS here I look this stuff up on ebay all the time at work.

 

I never really thought about that. Good point.

 

Yes, all MS/PF70 coins are either

• in an SGS slab, or
• in the potential seller's dreams.

 

What's the difference in a 69 and a 70?
About $500. If you can see it with the naked eye bless you.

I have a friend who just spent $800 on a PF70 Delaware SHQ - I just blinked and bit my tongue.

 

Awhile back I bought several ASEs below spot because they were slabbed MS65-67. I guess if/when I crack them out they will rise a bit in value.

 

If you artificially tone them they will go back up in price.

 

wise guy

 

Yeah, maybe on ebay...