The Official CoinTalk Grading Experiment 8

How good is CoinTalk compared to the TPGs? Let's find out! Over the next several months, I'll be posting a continuous stream of Guess the Grade threads. I will be using photos from the Heritage auction archives (please do not cheat!).

All you have to do is guess the grade! I will be attaching a poll to each thread. Please select the grade that you think best represents the coin (to avoid bias, please select your grade before viewing the rest of the thread).

Also feel free to post your opinions about the coin, and it would be most educational if you could explain why you chose the grade you did.

In order to give everyone time to respond, I'll reveal the grade Monday evening

Around Christmas, I will tally up the results and see how we did. This thread is an offshoot of a recent thread where I compared CT grading to the TPG, seen here: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/how-good-is-cointalk-at-grading.343417/

We're going to cover a wide range of material, and some of it may be out of your wheelhouse. However, if you are a confident grader, you should be able to accurately grade almost any coin.

 

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I went 68.
This is a beauty.I think I'm seeing some strike-through, (hope not scratches) and other mint related issues by the arms, and feet, No real issues that distract from the eye appeal. Conserved I'd say (dipped)
No close up pics this time huh?

 

Really nice coin! I was torn between 65 and 66 on this one, but went with 65. The only marks are little ticks, fields are very clean, strike is excellent, but I think the luster needs a little more "punch" for a higher grade.

 

I was assuming the luster was extremely subdued from previous pics.

 

66 ?

 

66 here

 

66 here too.

 

Wow. Now that’s a stunner. I think it’s a 66.

It’s practically flawless.

 

I voted MS67. My gut reaction was an easy 66, then I blew the pics up and bumped it up to a 67. Fantastic coin. Love it.

 

I figured a solid 67, then went back and looked at the title....Grading experiment #8.
Must be a sign.
That's a very choice coin, could have a sharper picture.
I shot high on the scale and went 68, even thought I didn't see any 68's listed on ngc.
I guess that would have to make it a 67.

 

66

 

My instant reaction was MS 65 and I stuck with it.

I see a few small hits as well as minor spotting near the top on the obverse.
This being an older generation of NGC holder played a role in confirming my guess.
I could see the coin popping up in the future in a higher graded holder.

 

I'll guess 66. I just see a few trivial tics. I have the feeling the luster has been thinned a bit from dipping, with some secondary toning on the rev. Still very nice and I won't be surprised if it was graded 67.

 

MS-65 unless there are hairlines that are not being picked up by the pics. Very solid coin. I can easily see 66.

 

67

 

Looks like I’m in the majority with 66. IMO, the grade is the least interesting thing about this coin though... look at those crazy clash marks!

 

This one had the lowest participation so far, with only 27 guesses. However - the group nailed it! This is a 65 CAC, and the average guess was 65.7. A significant chunk of you guessed 66, and I'll be honest, it wouldn't surprise me to see this in a 66 holder if resubmitted.

I like it better at 65, however. The main reason for that is, I think there are a decent number of contact marks hidden in the folds of her gown. The strike is strong and the luster appears bright. The eye appeal on the reverse is average, but there are a couple of spots that sorta bring it down for me. All told, this is a high end, very nice 65. In a 66 holder, I think this would be on the lower end.

And yes, those clashes are super cool!

 

One could do much worse buying a Seated half in a 65 holder than that coin. I do agree that someday it will probably be in a 66 holder, but today is not that day.

 

I agree with most of what you said, but I still think this coin is rightly a 66. Every single contact mark is, as you put it "hidden," and well out of the prime focal areas. I'm not really seeing those spots your referencing on the reverse that bring down the eye appeal.

Here is what PCGS says a 66 should be:

I would definitely say this coin meets that standard. This is a very attractive coin with no marks that jump out at you, and nice luster.

Based on the price difference from 65 -> 66, I think the submitter got robbed of a couple thousand dollars. If it were in my personal collection, I wouldn't care, but I think this is a potential crackout candidate, even if it takes 4-5 times to get it into a 66 holder.