Can Mint State Be Broken Down Into Decimals?

I wonder if NGC is still going to use the * even though they are adding the + along with PCGS. I think +* would be a little over kill even though they both mean different things.

has NGC made a statement that they will be dropping the star and adding the plus? Star means superb eye appeal and the plus means its the higher end of the technical grade so they mean different things. A coin that has enough hits to make it a MS-64 but keeps it in the lower part of 64 but has vivid colors would get the star so the plus is entirely different than the star designation

The day I have to get out a calculator to figure out a grade is the day I gotta find a new hobby!

I'm cool with the concept of a * or + designation to a grade. There are lots of "this coin" in a 64, but this is, in our eyes, one of the better ones. Nothing wrong with that. Visual appeal will always be something that will have a roomful of answers in a roomful of people. Certain types of toning that some find really attractive, I think doesn't. But there is some toning I find attractive that someone else might say "What are you talking about? It's got 'stuff' all over it. Yuck!" Even some circ coins can be beautiful when they have that "patina" that says "Look at me and imagine all the palms I have crossed in my lifetime."

Speaking of which, it seems to me that I have seen a slabbed circ coin, say a VF30, with a star designation. Does that sound right?

Steve

Yes, I know what you're talking about. For example, I have a 1920 Pilgrim in VF that has very clean fields and devices, just lots of honest wear and "that look". The darkening around the lettering and such, and I think it just looks sweet. Although I did eventually upgrade to an MS example, I keep that VF in the album also because I love the look of it. I also have an 1854 Seated half in XF that is pretty clean, but has a solid "gun metal grey" toning. Although I love the look of silver luster, I really like the coloring of that coin. Years ago while picking up some cents at my dealer for the album, I came across a '35 in the few he gave me to choose from that had the prettiest streaks of violet. I bought a red example for the album, but also bought the violet toned one just because it looks really cool.

All that glitters is not gold. Sometimes it's violet!

Steve

Sure it can. We're doing it.

Makes it a whole lot easier to separate people from their hard-earned money, anyways, and think of all the poor TPG employees who put bread on the table because of it....