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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;johnmilton, post: 24859734, member: 101855&quot;]&quot;Grade-flation&quot; has been happening for U.S. coins for quite some time. It has been gradual, but real if you have been handling slabbed coins for over 30 years as I have been doing. What used to be AU-58 is now often becoming low end Mint State. That situation has existed for a while, but it seems to be getting more common. What used to be EF is now AU-50, and I have been really disappointed with the coins I see in the more recently graded EF-40 pieces. </p><p><br /></p><p>I am &quot;an American grader.&quot; That means that I have always been more liberal than the classic European graders. My EF was their VF, and my AU was their EF. The only American graders who use &quot;European standards&quot; are the American Coppers Club people. BUT even they have to adjust with prices that are higher than many that appear in the popular catalogs. </p><p><br /></p><p>In recent years, as American slab companies have gotten into the foreign and ancient coin markets, the European standards seem to softened. In general, I have found that the NGC grades for ancient Roman coins were pretty much in line with my opinions. Since I prefer my ancient and hammer British coins raw, I have often avoided the slab market, but from what I have seen, the slabbed coins were in-line with my opinion. </p><p><br /></p><p>The coin in the OP link is over graded in my opinion. I would give it a VF-25 or so, with comment that it has been cleaned. I know that cleaning is not such a big deal for ancient coins, although it is possible to hit my limit for cleaning. This coin is close to it. </p><p><br /></p><p>Let&#039;s see what you think of this piece. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1594129[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>I bought this one in an American auction that is run by a dealer who has British connections. It was graded EF. It has been cleaned, but not polished, a bit and is brighter than it seems in this photo. Since I was the only person who bid the minimum which was $400 in May of 2021, I figured I probably paid too much.</p><p><br /></p><p>Your opinions would be interesting.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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