Mercury Dimes - What Distinguishes A VF35 From An XF40?

The 21 has more details. The Fasces on the the reverse has more detail and the upper hair of Liberty has slightly more, and as Ty said the 21 has much better surfaces.

The 21 was in fact graded XF40, the 19D as VF35!

@GC - Ty actually thought the 19D had better surfaces, which I agree. I see what looks like a hole even (large ding) on the fasces axe blade. I agree with you that the details at the very top of Liberty's hairline show better detail in the 21 than the 19D. I'm just not seeing it in the fasces though.

I see a stronger obv strike on the 21, in the IGWT motto, but strike shouldn't impact grade on circulated coins.

While it's hard to tell from the photos, I think the 21 may have more residual luster (if any) than the 19D.

@panzaldi - I look at PCGS's Photograde all the time, but so often I find their own grading can be inconsistent with this. For instance, the XF40 photos are often more consistent with an XF45 slab. In the hair line along Liberty's face, an XF40 should really show a separation, like it does in the Photograde example, but in the 21, the curl due right of her cheekbone is mostly merged with her face.

I think the toning pattern has something to do with the 21 just showing the details better.

What do you think my 21D would grade out at? I picked this up raw several years ago (and it remains un-certified).