Grade This Barber Half: You Vs. PCGS

Liking it. Looks to be VF-25 or so.

Coin Ninja!

I would agree with VF25. Nice example, would fit really nice in a 7070!

I'd call it 25 or 30. I gasped when I saw it, it's lovely on the eye! PCGS may call it 20 or they might have come up with an excuse to not grade it (perhaps it's a bit too even for reality?!) Any way you look at it, it's gorgeous and no matter the grade assign, the value for me has to be a couple of grade points higher. (Were I the seller. Were I the buyer, natch, that's a different story!)

Can't say I agree with PCGS in the least. Hoping you got if for F12 $$$, but have trouble seeing how they didn't get it a VF20 at least.

Just looked at Photograde and I have to agree with nod2003. Their example for a VF20 the liberty looks slightly more worn than this one. F-12 is not even close unless I'm missing something.

I was at F-15 before seeing the posted grade. Liberty not bold enough for VF.

http://blog.davidlawrence.com/index...r-2-grading/

Another reference.

I would not go above a Fine 15.

Edit:

Within every series, devotees of that series use their own guidelines. We do not always rely upon the "Guides" when it comes to what we know.

The "LIBERTY" on a Barber coin, for well or ill, is what we look at.

To be a Very Fine, we want to see a complete band, both below AND ABOVE. This is not evident in the example posted.
Note the break in the band above "LIBERTY."

This is a dandy coin. Outstanding eye appeal. The reverse could pass for a VF. But the obverse is the deciding factor.

On the continuum of "fine" coins, this is about as nice as can be had on the high end of fine.

I'd like to change my opinion: I stand with PCGS and call it a F-12.

Yeah, I'm starting to agree with the others that it is not a VF although I think it is a F15 instead of a F12 but I'm only a novice.