1896 Liberty Nickel

This one might go F-15 since it has more hair detail than your 1912-S. However, the strike is not quite as nice. Details on the reverse wreath look weaker than on the 1912-S. Although this coin appears generally pretty original, I wonder if the diagonal streaks visible at the top of the obverse might be evidence of a light cleaning. They might just be planchet striations. Do you have an opinion about this?

F-12.

Thanks for all the replies. I really wanted to see how others were grading Liberty nickels. They are pretty much my main coin. It appears that all of us have bought the same book, "The official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States coins" heck of a title for such a small book.

At any rate, I saw this coin on ebay a bit ago and decided to go after it. I overpaid for this coin by a little bit, not much as it is not rare or high grade. Why? Well, I wanted a slabbed coin that was overgraded so I can help others. I would give this coin a grade of F15 just the same as the 1912 s that I posted. This coin is also a PCGS slabbed coin. PCGS has graded it a VF30.

Buy the coin, not the slab. Maybe I should see if I can get a CAC sticker on this coin to really screw people up. I don't know what these guys at PCGS were smoking the day they (I believe 3 people actually look at each coin)graded this coin, but it certainly wasn't anything you can get at 7/11.

Again, and even though it has been stated above, buy the coin, not the slab.

I have to go find another thread about people who buy coins without being able to grade them and post a link to these two threads.

Thanks.

USArmytrooper, I am glad you posted that. I will have to go look up some of those coins on heritage. If that is correct, then I would want to have my 1912 s regraded accordingly to a vf30. Of course that isn't likely to happen any time soon right? I mean to upgrade that coin would give me an extra $400.

But it seems odd to me that on a rare coin worth real money they would down grade it or a not so rare coin upgrade it. Either way PCGS is at fault here and to be off by that much in a grade is blatent incompetence.