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Message:: [QUOTE="Jaelus, post: 7868866, member: 46237"]No, they are MS grades only in the current grading scale. On my scale they are not MS grades. They are quality grades, prefaced by a Q. The grading scale is not wear based it is quality based. MS and AU are designations for these coins noted for informative purposes only and are not the basis of the grade. Trace wear is treated as being a minor/major contact mark which detracts from the grade according to location and severity like any other contact mark. It's a completely different way of thinking about grading. Don't think of it as grading AU coins as MS. Think of it as deconflicting market grades. MS slabs will definitely contain MS coins which helps correct census data and make MS coins more valuable as they will correctly appear scarcer. AU slabs will definitely contain AU coins, but their grades will be more in line with the wide spread of quality you see in the upper AUs. A Q64 AU and a Q64 MS will be priced very differently, just as how an CAM, PL, star, or other designation attaches a premium to a coin, so will the MS designation. Those that want strictly MS coins will find it easier to do so as they will know the MS designation coins are not market graded. Those that want AU coins will have a significantly easier time acquiring examples they like as they will be graded much more descriptively. It is win-win.[/QUOTE]