Certainly the F15 grade is a 'tweener' grade. Lots of F12 coins, then a jump to VF20. Are there other market 'tweener' grades under AU50? How about VG10 and VF35? Or is F15 the lone culprit? Houston_Ray
Any grade from 1-70 is possible. But before a grade, outside of the norm of what currently exists can be put into place, and be excepted by huge hordes driving prices through the roof, the grading gods must proclaim that it's what the "free market" wants.
Poor-1, Fair-2, AG-3, G-4, AbtVG-6, VG-8, AbtF-10, F-12, AbtVF-15, VF-20, ChVF-30, EX-40, ChXF-45, AU-50, AU-53, AU-55, AU-58. That's all I can think of, considered by most to be regular grades.
I've actually used VF30. I look at it like this: If a coin has details that are better than, say, VF20, but shows too much wear on too many points for EF40, I go with VF30. But I always provide an explanation for "tweener" grades, because my perception could be different from someone else's. I use: G4, G6, VG8, VG10, F12, F15, VF20, VF30, EF40, EF45, AU50, AU55, and AU58 (occasionally). Since AU58 coins are "sliders", I tend toward the AU grade rather than the MS grade. I have seen others that consider the coin MS if the wear is so slight to be unsure if it is wear at all. I tend to go towards the more conservative grade if there is a choice. Knowing that, I find the "tweener" grades very useful. I have had a number of coins that many would consider AU50, but I feel it doesn't quite hit that mark, so I grade it EF45. It all comes down to what works best for the individual.
