Question Time

thanks apple, that was the sort of thing I'm after..and like this taken from the ebay link that you put up by Walter Eigner
•VG = F12
•Fine = VF20
•VF = XF40
•EF = AU55 - MS61
•aUnc = AU58 - MS61
•Unc = MS62 - MS65
•Ch Unc = MS65 - MS66
•Gem Unc = MS66 - MS67
•FDC = MS67 - MS70

So this with trout's info and others I think I'm starting to get it a little..just a little. Back to some more reading

Now to answer some of your other questions,

Where's the best places to get good coins..trusted dealer?

I won't single out any particular dealer/seller as there are many,i will say that the seller with the best coin for the best price is usually my way.


What is the lowest grade coin you'd buy and why?

Well this is a bit of a hard one,early in my collecting I was buying all sorts of coins in different grades,mainly for learning purposes,some coins cost way too much to buy the higher grades too,for example the 1932 florin,very rare in higher grades & costly so in that case I was happy with a lower grade coin.


What is the highest grade you have and have seen?

Highest grade certified coin PR 69 deep cameo,uncertified Gem UNC.
Highest grade coin I've seen PR 70 deep cameo & to be honest I could'nt pick the difference between the 69 & 70.

I think I've covered all the questions now.

I have to say, I personally have not had any bad experiences with any dealers I've bought from here in Australia. Not as far as overgrading is concerned, anyway.


I have no lower limit. If the coin is identifiable (and sometimes even if it's not) and I don't already have one and the price is right, I'll buy it. I paid 6 bucks for a 1915 Australian florin that could easily be mistaken for a small ice hockey puck.


I assume by this question you mean professionally graded by a TPG company. For me, the answer is still "no".


I have a few coins I'd consider "perfect Unc", equivalent to MS-70, though of course I've never had a TPG check them; I suspect my standards in this respect at least are lower than theirs. The oldest "perfect" coins I have are a Swiss mint set from 1989.


Some information sites I've bookmarked and refer to routinely are:
For ancients: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/
For Asian and Islamic coins: http://www.zeno.ru/
For an auction database (though it's not as good as it used to be back when the entire archive was accessible for free): http://www.coinarchives.com/
For face/bullion values of modern coins: http://currencydebasement.com/
For world coin reference: http://(131231) Not Allowed - Auto-Removed / and http://www.ngccoin.com/poplookup/Wo...e-Guide.aspx


A coin's condition or "grade" is it's technical level of preservation; how much wear it's seen or how many dings and scratches it has. Almost completely separate from this is the factor known as "eye appeal", or how attractive a coin actually looks.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and some coins are beheld as beautiful by some collectors and not by others. For example, "monster toning" has become fashionable, and people pay big bucks for a coin with iridescent coloured toning all over it. To me, such coins look garish and oily; I prefer my coins monochrome, either completely untarnished or with a solid even patina. I own a near-Unc 1927 Canberra florin that's tarnished a deep solid black; I like it but the dealers I took it to for valuation said it was dark and ugly and if any coin needed "dipping", that coin did. Other collectors prefer their coins to be blast-white and spotless.

a j , no good me trying to advice you after all them good answers , but 1 question I would like to know ,,.
if I took a state series proof
$ 10.00 coin out of its case and got it graded ,shouldn,t it come back with the top grade..ms-70
or pr-69 or pr-70
,, kel ,,

As far as the TPGs are concerned, it is easier to obtain a PR-70 grade than it is to obtain an MS-70 grade, since proof coins are produced and packaged with more care. But it is by no means certain that all proof coins will return in top grade. There may be minor flaws and imperfections that cause a proof coin to be considered less than perfect.

There are big dealers in America that send in huge amounts of proof coins and sets for slabbing, in the hope that just a few of them make the "70" grade. You'd have to ask them what the strike rate is, but I suspect it would be somewhere around 5% to 10%. They can still make a profit, because slabbed "70" coins certainly cost a lot more than raw proofs. But I suspect attempting such a venture from here in Australia would be cost-prohibitive due to postage each way.

Where's the best places to get good coins..trusted dealer?

Dealers, trusted ebay sellers, trusted online sellers. Coin shows, coin auctions, fellow collectors, coin forums. Anywhere really. Be very careful though if you're buying online.

What is the lowest grade coin you'd buy and why?

I'd happily buy a fine 1930 penny for $10 :) Hard question to answer. I don't buy many circulated coins unless they are errors or keydates. The last circulated coin I bought was a British West African mule. Other coins I can remember buying circulated included a 1925 penny and a 1933/2 penny. I've also bought a number of 1934/3 3d's circulated but just because they were listed as plain 1934's .

Is it worth getting graded coins and also having them graded?

Buying pre-graded can be expensive but if you're buying online it can help lessen risk. As to getting coins graded some are worth it, most are not. I guess 10% of my collection is actually graded.

What is the highest grade you have and have seen?

We've personally had a few MS69's graded, one was a coin from a masterpieces in silver set the others from wedding sets. The highest grade we've got from a circulation coin was MS68 for a South African 1948 3d and I think an Australian 10c from a roll. I've seen a couple of MS70's and PF70's but they were all NCLT.

Recommended site's for coins and info? besides here

Here and other internet forums. I don't think it's kosher to mention other forums here so I won't.

The better the strike the better the detail is generally the rule.
The 1927 florin are not generally known for "Great Strikes",
The best way to determine the strike on the reverse of these is the look for the number of steps and the clarity of these.
Have a look at the diferance in these 2 coins
https://goccf.com/t/124489