I have been looking at a lot of MS62 through MS67 Washington quarters online. (I know there is no substitute for in hand viewing) I have seen MS63s with clean cheeks and necks and MS67s with cheek and neck marks. Let me add I have seen this with both of the top TPGs.
I am aware of gradeflation as being a possible reason for some of this. What are the other reasons?
I believe the TPG's do not consider "Bag" Marks with their grading, so if you see these then this may be the reason. Remember that you should always buy the coin not the slab.
Quote: I believe the TPG's do not consider "Bag" Marks with their grading, so if you see these then this may be the reason. Remember that you should always buy the coin not the slab.
Good points
The observations which prompted me to post this question make it very obvious to me that you must buy the coin.
I will have to learn to differentiate between bag marks and other types of hits.
Tbh, modern third party grading standards have just become so inconsistent that when it comes to coins I'm buying for My own collection, I have developed My own sort of grading standard. (Obviously when I sell coins, or set up at shows I use more traditional grading standards.)
Quote: I consider all dings and marks when I look at a coin. I don't exclude certain types of scratches and marks.
Smart move, your collections quality will thank you.
Quote: The numerical grades MS-60 through MS-70, used to denote a business strike coin that never has been in circulation. A Mint State coin can range from one that is covered with marks (MS-60) to a flawless example (MS-70).
On the other hand, their definition of "SP" on the same page doesn't reflect current usage, so I'd take that with a grain of salt. On the other, other hand, I've seen several posters here down grade pieces because of "too many marks", so maybe there's a distinction between a rub from the bag and a ding from another coin...? In different light, a scuff can be easy to overlook while a hit in the wrong place can be a real distraction.
Picture grading is only an approximation. As you said, there is no substitute for an in-hand evaluation. How a coin actually looks in hand is almost always quite different from any pictures.
Quote: have seen MS63s with clean cheeks and necks and MS67s with cheek and neck marks.
There's more to grading than just marks and more to it than just the cheek and neck. The whole thing is always considered and it has to be extreme for a single spot to completely destroy a grade.
Quote: I believe the TPG's do not consider "Bag" Marks with their grading, so if you see these then this may be the reason.
This is incorrect. They do consider bag marks but marks are only a portion of the grade. Luster, surfaces, eye appeal, strike, marks are all part of the grade in a weighted manner. Everything gets taken into account so a clean coin with an ugly look and muted luster could be graded lower than a beautiful coin with booming luster and a couple extra marks.
Also remember how magnified marks on computer pictures can appear and how digital pictures have a way of making them look worse than they are. That and that 67s can still have marks
Quote: you'll even have more fun grading going to the Guth 100 scale! 40 mint state grades.
The 100 point scale is nothing but an article. It's not going to happen. PCGS has already publicly stated they aren't going to do it. It's no different than Rick Snows proposed new system that went absolutely nowhere.
Quote: Picture grading is only an approximation. As you said, there is no substitute for an in-hand evaluation. How a coin actually looks in hand is almost always quite different from any pictures.
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Posted 10/18/2018 11:36 am
