Hey folks, I'm not usualy one to post a help me grade kind of post but I figured I might get some good advice and opinions with the Standing Liberty Quarters. I'd love to see some Standing Liberty fans jump in on this one and maybe we can all learn a thing or two. First off is this 1923 I picked up today. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x275/clembo1872/forums/23o.jpg http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x275/clembo1872/forums/23r.jpg What would you grade it? All four digits of the date are visible although not clear. I have always had my ANA Grading Guide handy so let me qoute what the definition of a VG8 coin is. "VG8. Well worn. Design is clear but flat and lacking details. OBVERSE: Entire design is weak, and most details in gown are worn smooth. All letters and date are clear. Rim is complete. Drapery across breast is outlined. Bottom right star is worn flat. REVERSE: About one third of the feathers are visible, and large feathers at ends of wings are well separated. Eye is visible. Rim is complete." Now for F12. "F12. Moderate to heavy even wear. Entire design is clear and bold. OBVERSE: Gown details are worn nearly smooth across body, but show all sides. Right leg nearly flat and toe is worn. Breast is worn but visible. Date is clear and the rim is full. Outer shield is complete. REVERSE: Eagle is evenly worn. Half of the wing feathers are visible although well worn in spots. Rim is full." Now, other than the date which is "mushy" what would this coin grade? Even under the description of a G4 coin we see this: "Legend and date are weak but visible. Top of date may be worn flat." So what is this coin? A G4? A VG8? An F12? Personally I'd put it VG10-F12. I am by no means an expert on these but do see my fair share of them. This coin came from a hoard of quarters we recently bought. Over half of the SLQs had no dates although I could see strong mintmarks and F12 or better detail on some but no date is no date. I pulled at least half a dozen 1923 from this lot and most with just a whisper of the 3. Other than that VG or better detail. Point here being that, although I respect and like the ANA guide, they've got it wrong when it comes to the date. We just got a 19-D back from NGC. The last 9 is faintly visible. It graded at G6. I really would love to hear thoughts and opinions on this. Especially from those that live for Standing Liberties. I like them but am still trying to figure them out. Now for coins dated 1925 and later it becomes easier. The date was modified to avoid the heavy wear. Still they can be difficult. I'm not going to quote ANA standards for this one. Just gonna ask what you think it would grade. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x275/clembo1872/forums/slqo.jpg http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x275/clembo1872/forums/slqr.jpg Thanks for your time and input. clembo
I'm certainly no expert/specialist in these, but I think the first coins is VF. The body looks fairly well rounded, the head isn't flat, and the sash across the body is clearly visible. I would expect for a Fine grade the date to be even more worn at the top.
I could be wrong but I "m thinking the grading quotes being used above are for the 1916-1917. 1917-1930 are a bit different.
A good part of the problem that people have when trying to grade a coin based on descriptions is that they tend to misinterpret the words used. Words like - flat, clear, bold etc. Now I guess that's to be expected to a degree because words often have more than 1 meaning. But to determine what the correct meaning is you have to consider the context. Take flat for example - it could be thought of to mean flat, like a pane of glass - no curve whatsoever. But in grading coins what flat means is lack of detail due to wear. No interupting lines of detail can be seen from one side of a given device or portion of that device to the other side of it. When you consider things like this then grading becomes easier. But in the case of this coin I can see where the obverse description for the 2 grades could be confusing. But don't forget, coins are graded based on the worst side. And with this coin, that's the reverse. VG8 - REVERSE: About one third of the feathers are visible, and large feathers at ends of wings are well separated. Eye is visible. Rim is complete." F12 - REVERSE: Eagle is evenly worn. Half of the wing feathers are visible although well worn in spots. Rim is full." Now there is no way that anyone could say that half of the wing feathers are visible. But you could easily say that one third of them are visible. Thus the grade for this one ( the '23 ) is VG8.
When I look at the reverse, there's pretty decent details on the left (per the picture) wing. I would say half the details, and details a bit within the rim looks better than VG. I would go to a Fine grade. Also, when I compare to the picture in the ANA grading standards, it looks very similar to the Fine grade. But no way VF...
