Here is an update... I thought they were a little harsh on the 1818 $5... the coin has a vertical scuff on the cheek and can only easily be seen with a low angle light... but alas still a great coin and one I'm happy to own and offer to my clients.
Thanks for the update, Matt. Sorry and a bit surprised to read it didn't get the problem-free slab. I think that should be resubmitted at least once. Simply too much upside, IMO.
Looks harsh to me too. It gets into the fine line between normal wear and what constitutes "damage". From your photo I believe its way too harsh a judgment. Bandsaw her free. She was too cute to get stuck in plastic anyway.
Scratch doesn't seem bad enough to get "details" IMO, but OK. Still wouldn't be something I'd mind owning if it were within my means to do so lol... that coin is really nice.
I can't believe that the 1818 got a details grade, way to harsh. I have St. Gaudens with much heavier scratches get a grade. Crack her out.
It is nice to see some of the coins that you talk about on the radio show. Thanks for the pic's and great thanks to the show. I'm an addict!
At the risk of learning some what do you mean by "detail grade"? Is that similar to a Morgan being "proof like"?
"Details" mean the TPG will not grade it in the normal manner. They said that coin was AU details but scratched. A "details" grade is by definition a problem coin, worth far less than a regular AU coin would be.
Details grade is a consolation to what the graders used to do back years ago. Back then, if the coin in question was a problem coin, they'd just send the coin back to you with no grade at all. It's what they used to call 'body bagging'. Now, they'll slab the problem coin and give it a grade based on what it might have gotten had there been no problems with it (details grade).
On the bright side, the details grade does guarantee authenticity, which is no small thing with a coin this valuable.