"Average Circulated"

I corrected the number ,thanks for pointing out the error .

Metalman

I agree that on ebay, the term "average circulated" means A-G3 to G-4. But I would think Metalman has it right when he says AG-3 to VF-35. Maybe I'm too strict on my grading but most of the sellers overgrade their auctions by a full grade. Meaning an XF-45 is usually just a VF-35, etc. So when I look at the prices, I take it down a notch and then maybe buy an auction if I think it's a deal.

I'm with Dawayne, as "Fine" just seems to be what you expect of a coin with regards to condition and most coins which are not antiques you would expect to be somewhere around this "Fine" condition.

I must admit the term causes confusion for me. Maybe it's used because it causes confusion. If you search the term in ebay you get several listings that use the term in the title, and if you search the title and description, there are over 1000 listings that use the term.

On ebay, I've determined that for some sellers, average circulated means "I don't have anything nice to put in the listing title about these coins so I'll call them 'average circulated'." For others it means something like "used but not poor, damaged, or obliterated."

I found a couple of examples done by someone who touts membership in ANA, NENA, CONECA, JRCS, SPMC, LTS, and CWTS as I was looking through the listings last night: http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Hawaii-Dime-1...ed_W0QQitemZ290151922217QQihZ019QQcategoryZ867QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem and http://cgi.ebay.com/1895-O-Key-Date...ed_W0QQitemZ290152253167QQihZ019QQcategoryZ139812QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

These are the listings that got me curious about the term and what people think it might mean.

I think it's synonymous with "buyer beware"

Reach in your pocket and take a peek at the coins. That should be average circulated. I never considered it to be a gradem just a guide line. If someone is looking for average circulated coins, I think they are just looking for hole fillers from average coins you would find from circulation. When you start getting into key and semi key dates the whole idea of A/C does not apply and the coins should be graded accordingly.

For me, there's a big spread for what I consider to be "average circulated". It really needs to be defined by how a coin of that particular type was circulated. A Barber dime, for example, was very heavily circulated. For me, something that was "average circulated" is anywhere from AG-VG. Mercury dimes, however, weren't as heavily circulated, so an "average circulated" is probably VFish. Roosevelt dimes are probably anywhere from XF-AU for anything "average circulated".

It's all relative for me. I really don't like the term, as it covers such a broad spectrum of grades. I just look at the coin, and take whatever the seller says with a grain of salt whey buying a coin (the major exceptions being if it's a dealer I know very well).

Agree - hunterga20 nailed it. On ebay, always read carefully and see what you are GUARANTEED. Anything else is bunk. Think about it: if they're leaving themselves wiggle room, there's a reason. If they say a coin lot is guaranteed to come with X, and MAY have Y, you will only get X. And if they use a vague term like "average circulated," that means they can send you any terrible coin they want, and you can't complain about it.