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 Replies: 12 / Views: 1,757 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
617 Posts |
Hi All:
I have been going through some very low grade 25 cent coins from the 1800's. On the Coins and Canada site I came across the grades BS-1 and F-2.
Does anyone knows what the letters stand for? I know that they are lower than AG-3, I'm just wondering what they stand for.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2301 Posts |
f2 = fair
no idea on the other....
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3468 Posts |
BS - Basil State is a term used for coins that are of the lowest grade. A Basal State coin is "identifiable and unmutilated, but so badly worn that only a portion of the legend or inscription is legible," according to William H. Sheldon, whose book Penny Whimsy was quoted by editor Steve Roach in a 2013 Coin World article. F - Fair is slightly better than BS but not quite AG. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2953 Posts |
Basil state is the equivalent of the grade Poor-1 or PO-1...
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
617 Posts |
Thanks for the fast response.
nfine, thanks for the definitions. After reading that, I'm second guessing the grades that I've given these coins. They may be AG after all.
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Moderator
 Australia
16808 Posts |
The original Sheldon definitions were Very Fair-3, Fair-2, and Basal State-1. I assume they changed 3 and 2 simply because it would cause confusion once people started abbreviating things, as both "very fair" and "very fine" would have had the abbreviation "VF". When I first learned the Sheldon scale out of the 1983 Charleton catalogue when I was living in Canada as a child, I learned it as AG-3, P-2 (Poor) and BS-1, and I still use these symbols in my personal grading system in my coin database. I then moved back to Australia and never saw or heard anything about Sheldon Scales again. I believe the abbreviations AG-3, Fr-2 and BS-1, were fixed by the ANA in 1979 when they launched ANACS. I don't know why or when they switched from "BS-1 to "PO-1". I was surprised to discover this when I reconnected with the American grading terminology via the Internet back in the early 2000s. Just like I was surprised to discover that the word "currency" had changed definition in America some time between 1983 and 2000, from "both coins and paper money" to "just paper money". Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
617 Posts |
I appreciate the replies to this question.
I know that, when it comes to these lower grades, some may think , why bother.
But I feel that all Vicky's are keepers as long as you can make out the date, at least until something better comes along.
I wonder if I am the only one to keep such worn out coins. I may post that question to the group at some later date.
That being said , I'm hoping to get a better handle on the supple differences of these grades and so, again, I am grateful for the help.
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5585 Posts |
North of 49 .... There's a member here on this sites that posts every once in a while. He has won Convention awards for his collection of, I want to say, less than P-1 or so. I forget what he has it named but they are all coins that you can rupture your eyeball out trying to read any of the design or date.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
617 Posts |
Ha That is so funny, I guess I'm not the only one after all.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2953 Posts |
I can post an example of a true lowball  Highly likely a 1979 date with P mintmark SBA dollar...   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1316 Posts |
To get a PO-1 and be a lowball, the date/mint must still be identifiable. I would think the Basel State would be like a zero and all we know is it's type. It's beyond date/mint. I am the proud starter of the Lowball Glory! thread that lurks around here and still comes up here and there. Some really fascinating pieces have been shown. Much of my early US Large Cents are in the PO-1 to AG-3 range. I'm working on a date set, but it's not my top priority so the budget leaves me in this range a couple times a year. They can still have their appeal and charm. Edited by Collects82
04/02/2022 3:19 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
617 Posts |
Lowball Glory sounds like a great thread.
And yes I agree, they do still have appeal and charm.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Lowball examples of any coin minted after 1940 are my specialty - I can customize to your order.
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Replies: 12 / Views: 1,757 |
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Posted 03/31/2022 4:40 pm
