What exactly does "Brilliant Uncirculated" mean?? How about "Gem Uncirculated?"

Uhm, the OP was in 2013. This is a zombie thread.

 

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I know, I was responding to the newbie

 

BU used to mean typical coins as they come pristine from a roll. chBU used to mean the same coins with ugly examples removed. In those days the Gems were often included.

Now days the term means almost anything a seller wants it to mean. The coins aren't even necessarily unc as some use the term. They can be corroded or very unattractive.

 

By traditional American grading standards, "choice" equated to MS-63 while "gem" was equivalent to MS-65. Any uncirculated coin may be either "brilliant" or "toned", but not both. ANA official grading standards no longer recognize a specific correlation between adjectival and numerical grades.

 

I often read "Brilliant Uncirculated" these days as "good enough for anyone who doesn't know any better."

 

Choice UNC coins are by definition "above average" specimen graded at MS63/64.

See http://www.pcgs.com/Lingo/C

 

You are correct. My bad. Technically Ms60-62 is simply "uncirculated" without a qualifier... The problem is that ebay is muddling the waters of technical, general grade definitions due to their no specific grade in the listing policy unless slabbed by the big 3 or icg rule.

 

You shouldn't mention a grade when selling raw coins on eBay, it's against their policy afaik, so it's best to call a better MS coin "choice UNC" and superior MS coins "gem/brilliant UNC". Of course, we all know that many coins called "BU" are only mid-AU coins LOL

 

'GEM BU' is ambiguous. No general agreement on what it means, so it is meaningless except as a best guess. I've heard some say it is the same as an MS65, but then why not put that on the slabbed coin?? I just accept that GEM BU means it is a good condition BU. If you really want to know, you need to have it professionally graded with an MS or PF.

BU should mean the coin was minted, but never released to the general public. So a guy who buys a monster box of BU ASEs is getting coins that haven't exchanged hands, except for the mint-dealer-buyer transfer. It just means a coin that wasn't man-handled liberally. Of course, coins rubbing against coins scuffs/dings them up, but they are still BU. Key word is 'uncirculated'. Brilliant means little or no handling them (skin oils, etc.).

There are lots of widely accepted terms (MSXX) and (PFXX). But, increasingly, I see new terms be flouted that aren't 'officially' recognized. I think PCGSs' 'First Strike' is a sham, since they are NOT privy to when a coin was first minted. Even NGCs 'Early Release' is misleading. It could be in the initial release to the suppliers and dealers, but the 'First Strike' or 'Early Release' could be the first coin or the 30Kth minted out of the batch. Or no clue as to whether it was the first coin with a set of dies or the last when the dies are wearing out.

 

As far as EBay goes, brilliant uncirculated all too often is a coin that has been cleaned. As far as gem uncirculated goes, maybe that's a coin that has been cleaned twice.

 

"I am not a professional coin grader, so look at the photos and decide for yourself" accompanied by very blurry photos.

 

Yes, it's much less specific than a numeric grade, but a good term to describe superb MS/PRF coins which aren't graded.

PCGS's definition of "GEM": Adjectival description applied to Mint State and Proof-65 coins. It also is used for higher grades and as a generic term for a superb coin.

 

Those NGC slabs of ASE's with a verbal grade of GEM without a numeric grade were sold to businesses to use as customer appreciation gifts for their clients around at least 2005 or 2006 or so. I have two which were re-gifted to me by a recipient who knew I was into coins.

 

I've always thought GEM to be MS65, Choice to be MS63/64 and Select to be MS61-62. The old Commercial UNC grade tended to be AU/Slider real world.

 

And most 'subjective' as the devil, Dave........

 

tru dat.