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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Beefer518, post: 4858018, member: 87737&quot;]<blockquote><p>***Disclaimer***</p><p>I am not an expert, the following is a generalization like an ELI5, and there are exceptions to everything below. Also, I&#039;m too lazy to reread it, so...</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Think of the grading system (1-70) this way; (ultra-simplified)</p><p><br /></p><p>Theoretically, when a coin it minted (assuming a perfect strike), it is a 70 (MS or PF) </p><blockquote><p>It will stay a 70 if nothing every happens to the coin, such as getting hit (scuffed or dinged/dented) by another coin as it goes into the mint bag, or such</p><p><br /></p></blockquote><p>Now the coin goes into the bag, gets jostled around, smacks into other coins, and gets shipped off to be released into circulation. Depending on how much &#039;damage&#039;, the coin will be in the MS60 to MS69 range (proofs are a different animal).</p><p><br /></p><p>Now the coin ends up at the bank, and gets released into general circulation, and at some point, it lands in your pocket. You may find it 1 day after it was released, or years later. Now it could grade anywhere from PO-1 to MS-69. What makes the difference is the level of wear the coin has sustained. </p><p><br /></p><p>Now, if the coin has only been handled by a few (could be 1 other person, or thousands), but still has the original mint luster, and the coin shows no wear, it&#039;ll stay in the MS range. Think of it as a <b><u><i>barely circulated</i></u></b> coin. Yep, it&#039;s been passed around, but not enough to wear the coin down. (Potential for a 70 at this point is possible, but highly unlikely.)</p><p><br /></p><p>As the coin is handled more and more, it will suffer marks (dents, dings, scrapes, etc), and the mint luster will start to deteriorate, and the devices (specifically the high points) of the coin will start to wear down from that handling. I think of a coin that still has some/most luster but the luster and metal on the devices is showing wear/deterioration as an Almost Uncirculated coin, or <b><u><i>moderately circulated</i></u></b> coin. These are the AU50-58 grades.</p><p><br /></p><p>After that, you&#039;re talking about <b><i><u>heavily circulated</u></i></b> or <b><u><i>extremely circulated</i></u></b> coins. They&#039;ve been around the block a few times, have been touched by more people then you want to think about. These go anywhere from PO1 to XF45. (This is also the range that I personally have the most difficulty in grading.)</p><p><br /></p><p>But it all comes down to how much wear a coin exhibits, not how many people have touched the coin. There are possibly some MS decades old coins out there running about, and most likely many in jars. </p><p><br /></p><p>And don&#039;t let a weak strike be confused for wear.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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