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Message:: [QUOTE="Valentinian, post: 3134355, member: 44316"]In US coins a small difference in grade can make a big difference in price, especially at the top end. The difference may not be so pronounced in ancient-coin collecting, but it is there. It is hard to know if a great coin is worth X or 1.5X if the condition is very high. When condition is very high, instead of counting the positives, you are looking at the coins (minor) flaws and counting them (This is explicitly how US grading is done; start from perfection and note the flaws). For example, consider two coins, one 98% perfect and the other 99% perfect. From the point of view of positives, they are pretty similar (98 to 99). From the point of view of negatives, one is 1% problematic and the other 2% problematic--twice as much. Therefore some collectors will value the better coin a lot more. Part of the problem with the OP coin is it is too nice. (What?). Yes, too nice. At that high level of excellence you begin to seek perfection and the die crack across the face leaps out at you as falling short. Instead of thinking "What a great coin in great style with excellent centering and virtually no wear," you think "Too bad it has the die crack across the chin." I think many collectors who spend $2,000 or more on individual coins think that way and don't want to have to apologize for anything regarding the coins they buy. To them, that is a pretty obvious big flaw and lowers the price a lot.[/QUOTE]