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Message:: [QUOTE="johnmilton, post: 3581474, member: 101855"]The people who grade coins at the major grading services are well aware of the price jumps that occur from tiny increases in the grade. In the old days, it was really hard to get “threshold coins” into the next higher grade. They don’t hand out those special grades like popcorn. When I was dealer, I handed an 1879-CC dollar a couple of times that was in an MS-64 holder. The coin the was really close to MS-65, and perhaps if had been a common date, it would have made it. I never tried to upgrade it because I figured it won’t work and didn’t want to mess with a coin that was already worth several thousand dollars. Today the Greysheet spread goes from $7.750 in MS-64 to $21,000 in MS-65. Your coin is really close, but it’s got some spots that look like "water marks" and few tick marks, some of which may have been on the planchet before it was struck. What is really holding it back is the strike. It is missing some design detail in the centers on both sides because the coin was lightly struck. Note how much design detail is missing on the eagle's wing. That’s probably why this date is so expensive in MS-65. To make that grade, the coin must be outstanding in every way, including the state of preservation and the strike. Of course, some day “grade-flation” might turn it into an MS-65, but if that happens the prices will come down.[/QUOTE]