BU Vs MS - Coin Community Forum

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 18,003
bobbymeru Valued Member United States 285 Posts	Posted 03/14/2011 9:44 pm What is the difference between Brilliant Uncirculated and Mint State? Is there a difference? If you roll search and find a coin that would obviously be circulated. That wouldn't be able to be deemed BU no matter how shiny would it? Just trying to figure this out. Thanks! Report this Post to the Staff

TNG Bedrock of the Community United States 10284 Posts	Posted 03/14/2011 9:59 pm Mint State does not have to be brilliant. Mint state is more of a place on a numerical scale from MS60 to MS70 depending on the condition of the coin The other terms like Gem BU Choice BU and BU, I would think, had better be a Billiant uncirculated coin with a good degree of original mint luster. Some people may equate an MS65 to MS66 coin as a Gem BU, A MS64 as a choice BU and A MS60 to MS63 coin as BU. Superb Gem BU is even better yet at maybe MS67 and MS68 and then I think there might be a term such as near perfect and perfect gem BU for MS69 and MS70. However, a dark toned coin could be MS67 yet could not be a brilliant uncirculated coin because of the toning. The MS is the grade and the BU is more a descriptive term. Report this Post to the Staff
TNG Bedrock of the Community United States 10284 Posts	Posted 03/14/2011 10:06 pm Also, yes you can get an uncirculated coin in a circulated roll when roll searching. It is not as if a second in somebody's hands makes an uncirculated coin automatically circulated. It is a matter of wear on the surface of the coin that takes a coins condition down to AU. Do not confuse any amount of wear reducing a coin from one MS to a lower MS. It might get a lower MS grade by mishandling, or by careless storage but wear reduces the grade. If you are searching rolls you may often find uncirculated coins if they are coins that have not suffered any wear. There is a difference in what are called bag marks, and contact marks, dings, rubs, scratches and wear. A mint state coin can have all of those except WEAR. Report this Post to the Staff
Maineman750 Pillar of the Community United States 3592 Posts	Posted 03/14/2011 10:07 pm Yes you can find a BU coin in a roll.But the terms MS and BU are actually two different ways of saying the same thing.The MS term should have a number from 60-70 attached to it. BU is Brilliant Uncirculated and I believe is more of a general term.It may also be used to describe a range between 60 and 70 but I don't know what that range may be if so.Uncirculated is misleading in that it refers to the condition of the coin,not if it exchanged hands or came directly from the mint. Report this Post to the Staff
Merc Crazy Valued Member United States 201 Posts	Posted 03/14/2011 10:12 pm I generally consider a BU coin to be 64-66, and GEM to be 67+ Report this Post to the Staff
just carl Bedrock of the Community United States 20753 Posts	Posted 03/15/2011 09:33 am Quote: Yes you can find a BU coin in a roll.But the terms MS and BU are actually two different ways of saying the same thing.The MS term should have a number from 60-70 attached to it. BU is Brilliant Uncirculated and I believe is more of a general term. I suspect the usage of those terms are used by dealers depending on what they think will make a coin sell better. Some think the term BU means really, really Uncirculated where as MS just means Mint State and that is not impressive at all to many. Just showmanship. Report this Post to the Staff
DBM Pillar of the Community Canada 9862 Posts	Posted 03/15/2011 09:49 am Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 6 / Views: 18,003

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: US Coins and Currency Forums Forum: US Modern Coins

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

View Last 100 New Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.25 seconds to rattle this change.