OK, here is the slab. As a gymnastics coach, I often go to competitions, and try to determine what a panel of judges are looking at to determine the scores they give. Sometimes it is easy, some meets, I'm not sure how the judges are coming up with the scores they give out. I am finding the same thing in
TPG grades for coins. Most of the coins, especially commonly collected (desirable) coins, the grades fall in line with usual expectations. In the SMS coins, I am still trying to figure out what the graders allow, and what they are marking down for. This coins reverse shows what I call a "weakness" in the satin finish between the oak leaves and AMERICA. I am pretty sure that this is a result of the die wearing down the satin finish, eventually the coin would appear much like the business strike coins. Some of the coins from mint sets of this era are barely recognizeable as "satin finish". The same weakness shows up in the recent reverse proof fields, and it appears that for small areas, there does not seem to be a hit on the grade.
Just my observations...I'm always learning.
