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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,796 |
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Valued Member
United States
314 Posts |
So, I am getting back into coin collecting after a long break and have been going to a few local coin shows and coin shops in my area. I am starting to build-up a Roosevelt dime and a Jefferson nickle collection to get myself started.. Figure a good way to "learn the ropes" without getting to crazy/expensive on anything.. So, I was at a show today and a lot of dealers have coins that are listed as "BU"... But looking at my handy-dandy new RedBook, when I look at the Roosevelt dimes for example, it only lists EF-40, MS-63, MS-65, and PF-65. So, what is a "BU" coin? Is it a MS-63? MS-65? Or do I need to just "eyeball" it and try to determine where it falls. Could it really be an "EF-40" as easily as a "MS-65" ? And looking at the coins, I saw a big difference in these "BU" Roosevelt dimes. Some were shinny and clean, whereas others were tarnished or dulled... For example, in my 2017 RedBook, a 1951D Roosevelt dime shows as $2 in EF-40, $4 in MS-63, and $10 in MS-65. So, it is real easy to either overpay (pay $10 for a $2 dime) or possibly miss a great bargain (although I presume the dealers are pretty good at not putting high-quality coins out for low-ball prices). I recently picked up the "Grading Coins by Photographs" book to start to learn how to discern all the subtle differences, but wanted to understand how to deal with coins at shows.. Thanks. Michael |
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Rest in Peace
United States
7075 Posts |
BU = brilliant uncirculated and it could be any grade, but not likely to be be a low grade. It's possible that the tarnished and dull dimes were once bright and shiny, and so got put into a 2X2 with a BU notation. Then over time, they grew tarnished and never got repackaged. Anyway, you're doing all the right stuff to learn what to look for.  |
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Rest in Peace
10197 Posts |
BU is quite subjective...a coin from a roll made up years ago from a mint bag with original luster and age toning which may rate from AU58-MS61, or as Buddy said, a high grade coin with a bit of toning/discoloration in 2x2's could be BU.
When I used the term with my own coins it means between AU58 and MS60. A full MS coin is just that, and marked as such.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1963 Posts |
BU means either brilliant uncirculated, or misused on ebay to mean beat up. |
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Rest in Peace
10197 Posts |
Coin197....  How about on eww-boy BU REALLY means "Badly Uninformed" !  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4085 Posts |
BU is just old style shorthand for uncirculated. An AU coin should not really be labeled as BU although people do it. I would assume a coin marked BU is in the lower range of uncirculated - MS62/63. You may see the following as well -
BU - MS62/63
Choice BU - MS63/64
Gem BU - MS65 and higher
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
Many collectors and dealers use different terms in classifying their uncirculated coins . To me BU means brilliant uncirculated ,not toned ,not AU-58 , but the coin can be BU-60 to BU-63 . Do your homework on grading and you will eventually see the difference between Uncirculated ,BU ,and Mint State . But beware ;some E-Bay sellers misuse these terms .
I've seen many a times a brown unc. Lincoln listed as CH. BU by the seller .
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Valued Member
 United States
314 Posts |
OK.. thanks all for the advice. I was just surprised to see such a variety in the 2x2s, with many marked as either "AU" or "BU".. I guess the old saying is "let the buyer beware" rings true... I will spend some time examining the "Grading Coins by Photograph" book, and start to build-up my judgement and experience as to what the grade 'should be'... I also can start to compare/contrast to "graded coins" in slabs for comparison, although even some of these seem to have a bigger range then I would have thought... Bottom line I guess is that I need to pick coins that I like and fit my collecting style.. I am just trying not to "overpay" while doing that... and also maybe grab a few good bargains.. For comparison, I just went onto ebay and typed in " Roosevelt dime MS-65" and focused on the "Buy it Now" prices to avoid all the "auctions" that are in process. It found 13 listings, that range in price from $15 to $50.. And to my (untrained) eye, some of the ones listed at the highest prices look to be in the worst shape.. For example, this one is listed for $15: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1952-D-Roos...AOSw9GhYdZn7Whereas this one is listed for $50: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1952-Roosev...AOxy-gBSBhD4And lots of coins in those 13 listings that are all over the place for the same "MS65" rating... Michael |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4594 Posts |
Quote:
I was just surprised to see such a variety in the 2x2s, with many marked as either "AU" or "BU".. The numerical grading was SUPPOSED to remove the objectivity, but tis more honored in the breach than the observance... Quote:
I guess the old saying is "let the buyer beware" rings true... 100% Quote:
I will spend some time examining the "Grading Coins by Photograph" book, and start to build-up my judgement and experience as to what the grade 'should be'... Great plan!! Quote:
Bottom line I guess is that I need to pick coins that I like and fit my collecting style.. Spot on! Quote:
I am just trying not to "overpay" while doing that... and also maybe grab a few good bargains.. You will make mistakes, that's the tuition. But you've picked series for which you can make those mistakes for lower cost. In state vs. Ivy league... Quote:For comparison, I just went onto ebay and typed in " Roosevelt dime MS-65" and focused on the "Buy it Now" prices to avoid all the "auctions" that are in process. Problem is you can list it for ANYTHING you want, sane or crazy. Look at the sold listings (not completed, sold). That's the true worth (especially for common items - it's worth what somebody will pay for it) -----Burton 50+ year / Life / Emeritus ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, EveryCountry (online) coin club Owned by three cats and a wife of 40+ years (joined 1983) Author: 3rd Edition of the Sample Slabs book, https://www.sampleslabs.info/ |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4085 Posts |
You will probably have more luck running your search on " Roosevelt dimes BU" to be honest unless you want only certified examples. They are out there, just takes some work to find the nice ones. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
18700 Posts |
i think its dealers that are either lazy or the coin is not worth their time to actually grade by current standards. it does take some work to accurately grade a coin and if you are dealing in 1000's of coins you would spend your life grading them so they just resort to the old grading standard. your best bet is to study up on the types your are collecting, learn the various grades and stay involved here at CCF where you will learn more than anywhere else from folks that have been doing this for a long long time. good questions
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,796 |
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Posted 02/26/2017 11:37 pm
