1894 Fifty Cents - Grade This Coin. It May Or May Not Be TPG.

It's a very nice original technical AU58 (not lustrous but honest and original surfaces) but could see it landing in the 61/62 range.

Could imagine ICCS giving this coin a MS68.

Lovely coin, I'll say a nice AU-58

I really like the tone and look otherwise.

I am going to guess it is lower MS and not AU.

58, but some TPGs would let it slide as a 62. Tough coin in either grade.

Before I reveal answer, what grade would you give these two 1894s? Try not to look at other answers before posting yours, IOT avoid bias, and needless to say please do not research the images to make your answer match more closely to the so called "experts": I just want your best honest opinion. I am going to assume most of of you are seasoned collectors. We all seem to have our own subjective criteria that we rely heavily on now, so the reason I'm adding this extra step is to gauge relative opinions to a greater extent. If there is a outsized difference of opinion I'm trying to determine if there are any human factors causing this.






I think I'll write a Substack article about grading and why it's gone so wrong in the last couple decades. I haven't really cared that much previously since 99.9% of my collection is raw, the way I like it, but I do encapsule my better coins properly and not in cardboard flips. Have standards declined and, if so, why - is it purely greed? Subjectiveness only goes so far. Eventually reality must set in and truth cannot be denied, or can it. There seems to be record amounts of fraud, of which lying is a subset of, going on throughout the world about virtually everything. How are collectibles suppose to be valued fairly if the standards are not rigidly enforced. Sometimes I think there should be another entity, call it the "Numismatic Grading Standards Association" that monitors TPGs and ensures their products are not fraudulent. But who would pay for that? How do you pick those who would be appointed in such an organization? They would have to be people considered above reproach. I suppose the ultimate monitor of fraud is the buyer but what if buyer is ignorant and can be easily duped? There are still a lot of gullible people out there. Lots to ponder.