The Official CoinTalk Grading Experiment 21

Time for the reveal! With 33 votes, the CoinTalk guess is.... 63.4.

PCGS and CAC gave this a 65, so we were 1.6 points low.

I think people were keying on the old holder more than they should have, trying to hedge their bets based on the holder. Grade the coin, not the plastic! The coin appears almost completely free of marks. The luster is apparent (although, we've learned that most Heritage pics are a bit on the dark side). The strike is bold and crisp, and eye appeal is good (not great, but not bad).

Those of you who guessed AU-58 were probably doing so based on the slightly darker high points. This is tricky in photos, but I'm guessing you would have guessed closer with an in-hand evaluation. Remember, in photos, use all of the available indications. In this case, I see no abrasions or loss of luster in the fields. I'd expect to see at least a bit of that on an AU coin.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

1-4.....I only got 1 out of 4 right, but I didn't miss any by more than a point. Not too bad for a pure novice.

 

Honestly, if you are consistently within one point (plus or minus) of the TPG grade, I'd say you're doing pretty well.

 

That was my first thought, but I saw no flattening (which Bill Fivaz affectionately calls the “Mesa Effect”).

 

Ok only 2/4 this time. Low on 2 but this one I called a point low with the old holder.

 

65

 

Nice sharp looking coin with very clean fields. I dont see any wear on the stars or the devices. I'll go high at MS 66.

 

MS 65 Die crack lowered it from MS 66.

 

Should Die Cracks affect grade? I was under the impression that die cracks are a designation, like Red or Full Bell Lines & occur independent from grade.

 

Die cracks definitely do not affect the grade! Also, die cracks don't usually get designated unless it's a very famous or significant die crack (that is, it's well publicized).

The die crack on this coin is an anomaly and a red herring, and would not be used to grade the coin.

 

MS 64