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Message:: [QUOTE="physics-fan3.14, post: 2328287, member: 19165"]What this person really is saying is "PCGS gave this coin a grade which is higher than I'm used to seeing." Or, they could mean "They gave this coin a grade somewhat high on the scale, relatively speaking." Or they could mean, "They gave this coin a grade much higher than I expected." Or, "F- it all, I'm just hoping you buy my marketing gimmick." No. You can make no assumptions. Check the data, check the pops, check the guides, check the references. Is it high grade compared to your set? Is it high grade compared to the average quality for the date? Is it high grade in an absolute sense (on a 1-70 Sheldon scale)? Is it high grade compared to numismatics at large? What are you comparing it to? If you compare it to pocket change, MS-64 is high grade. If you compare it to 2014 Silver Eagles, MS-64 is incredibly low grade. Do you begin to see why this "high grade" nonsense makes no sense? Yes, finally! Only in an absolute scale does this begin to make sense! State what the grade is - back it up with facts. If the coin is technically better than the vast majority of its peers, then you can use superlatives. Otherwise, it is just marketing! For some coins, VF-30 is the best you can ever hope to find. For some, MS-70 is common. There is no universal "high grade."[/QUOTE]