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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;robinjojo, post: 4760031, member: 110226&quot;]I&#039;ve always found the MS numerical grading system mystifying.&nbsp; Maybe I&#039;m missing something, but I found the whole MS grading scene a big turn-off and one of the main reasons I quit US coins and moved to world and ancient coins back in the 80&#039;s.&nbsp; Since the 80&#039;s it seems that the numbers bestowed on US and world slabbed, and even non-slabbed coins are even more fanciful.&nbsp; How on earth can one distinguish a MS 66 coin from a MS 70 coin?&nbsp; Perhaps some folks are bestowed with mystical powers to divine these numbers, but I think the whole approach simply layers numbers, as an objective, quantifiable artifice for what are mostly subjective aspects of any given coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>The $10 gold piece shows the signs of having been salvaged. Gold does not corrode, but the surfaces appear, in the photo, to be quite abraded.&nbsp; That alone should give the coin a grade of VF with salvaged surfaces, even if the coin did not circulate.&nbsp; I think that would be more realistic than an AU 53 grade.</p><p><br /></p><p>I guess XF is an appropriate grade for the solidus, based on the photos, but I guess the surface was given a 4/5 because of marks on the obverse.&nbsp; I&#039;ve seen other coins with a rating of 3/5 for surface condition that appear to be in better condition than this coin.&nbsp; Again, I am skeptical of any attempt to quantify grading, designating the solidus as XF with minor marks or abrasion on the obverse, or something along that line would suffice.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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