| Author |
 Replies: 22 / Views: 1,242 |
Page 2 of 2
|
|
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
 United States
18670 Posts |
i have seen worse receive the designation. this one is borderline and could both ways depending on who is looking at it.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6513 Posts |
I agree with panzaldi. If we are answering the question of whether PCGS will grade this FB, then it is in the gray area. I have seen many dimes with more contact still make FB.
One of the things that I would assess is the image catalog for that specific year and mint mark, as there seems to be some play in the system for rare FB years.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
2172 Posts |
Brandmeister, Gray line of no gray line, PCGS needs to follow the standards that a broken line due to contact is not a Full-Band-Line.. . . . . FBL ____________________ . Not FBL ______,_____________ Edit: But, I do have a 1916 MS65FB Mercury dime rated by PCGS that has a hit on the line. So we don't know what we will get on the OP coin, maybe another wrong grade... 
Edited by CoinForMe
11/17/2025 10:40 am
|
|
Moderator
United States
188708 Posts |
A nice looking example, but I agree with the experts.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6513 Posts |
Quote:
Brandmeister, Gray line of no gray line, PCGS needs to follow the standards that a broken line due to contact is not a Full-Band-Line. You feel free to write PCGS a memo to that effect. I suggest that it would be more cost- and time-effective to scream at the sky for a solid 60 seconds, but YMMV. I see a lot of contact marks on the coins below. For a 3-4x price multiplier, it might be reasonable to roll the dice. It might also be reasonable to get it graded by ANACS as a compromise between grading cost and risk. https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin...-10c-fb/4953 |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
18670 Posts |
Quote:
Gray line of no gray line, PCGS needs to follow the standards that a broken line due to contact is not a Full-Band-Line. thats not going to happen. everything is subjective. grade levels are missed all the time. it's the main reason why we always say buy the coin not the slab. the only thing I would use them for is to authenticate and preserve a higher end or rarer coin. thats it. they are way overpriced now for their services. keep in mind these graders are assessing hundreds of coins a day. they only have minute or two to assign a grade let alone a designation and they miss it a lot. Coinforme, put down the book. review coins posted for assessment here. use you best judgement without looking at the comments. attempt to assign a grade just by looking at it. look for issues with the coin (surface preservation), assess the strike, luster (if any) and eye appeal all of which effect grade, after that look at the comments to get a consensus and see how you did. there are literally hundreds of years of experience on this forum. ask questions, everyone here will share that knowledge. if you have time, go to ebay and look at slabbed coins to increase your grading knowledge. especially cleaned coins. cant stress that enough. the biggest problem I see today are collectors that cannot assess whether a coin is cleaned or not and if its bad enough to details a coin. they are losing $$ all the time on raw coins. if you get that you are way ahead of the pack. Happy hunting and enjoy the journey |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6513 Posts |
Quote:
the biggest problem I see today are collectors that cannot assess whether a coin is cleaned or not and if its bad enough to details a coin. That has been a real challenge for me personally when dealing with silver coins. There are really two problems folded together. First, identifying cleaned coins is a visual skill, and the online visual references are insufficient. Most videos contrast a mint state coin with something that looks like it was scrubbed with a Brillo pad. Second, the big ebay sellers who knowingly push cleaned coins use camera techniques or filters to disguise the cleaning. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2172 Posts |
Panzaldi , I have been making my judgment from somewhat limited observations from other coin ratings.. The book was opened only to make a point, highlighting the coin's fault using the Numismatic Grading Standards. I believe that if everyone consistently followed these standards, fluctuations in grading would be minimal. And one more thing—I didn't realize that "eye appeal" factored into the grade. I own one of the ugliest Morgans you'll ever see, yet it still graded MS65. Panzaldi Thank you for your knowledgeable, helpful comments! 
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6513 Posts |
Quote:
I didn't realize that "eye appeal" factored into the grade. The official ANA Grading Standards specifically list eye appeal as one of the MS grading criteria. Several additional websites and videos (including PCGS, iirc) outright state that rainbow colored toning can add a full point to grades 65 and above. https://www.money.org/official-grading-standards/ |
|
Moderator
United States
188708 Posts |
Quote:
I didn't realize that "eye appeal" factored into the grade. Eye appeal, in my most humble and gracious opinion, is the most important thing.  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2172 Posts |
Quote:The official ANA Grading Standards specifically list eye appeal as one of the MS grading criteria. Quote:
Eye appeal, in my most humble and gracious opinion, is the most important thing. . . .  Interesting...... . . . So what exactly is " eye appeal," since everyone has their own likes and dislikes? Example: Some collectors prefer bright white Morgans, while others like me favor toning. That brings up the question: what does a coin grader look for in eye appeal, and how much can it influence the final grade? . . . Thanks, guys. |
|
Moderator
United States
188708 Posts |
Quote:
So what exactly is "eye appeal," since everyone has their own likes and dislikes? It is whatever appeals to you and makes you happy. Which is what makes grading so subjective.  Quote:
what does a coin grader look for in eye appeal, and how much can it influence the final grade? Just a guess, but in order for them to be objective, they are probably looking for things that are (not) distracting more than what they find pleasing to their eye. If that makes sense. But bias is always going to be there. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6513 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2172 Posts |
Quote:Bill Fivaz on grading mint state Mercury dimes: Thank you, Brandmeister. This video is making me want more Mercury dimes with full luster...  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2172 Posts |
Quote:
they are probably looking for things that are (not) distracting more than what they find pleasing to their eye. @jbuck, I would think you're right about that.. |
|
Page 2 of 2
|
Replies: 22 / Views: 1,242 |
Page 2 of 2
|
First Page
Posted 11/17/2025 09:53 am
