They come in so many pretty colors.

Okay. Here goes a post I hinted at a few weeks ago.

I love stars and I love stickers. I'm an astronomer by education and work on the Hubble Space Telescope project. My dissertation dealt with a particular variety of "young stellar objects". There isn't much better than being out in the middle of nowhere on a clear, dark night, under all those stars! And when I was a kid, I had a thing for stickers of every sort. I fight that urge now better than I used to. But my purpose here isn't to discuss star formation or smiley faces.

"The NGC Star Designation identifies coins with exceptional eye appeal or characteristics that distinguish them from other coins of the same technical grade."

"The CAC GREEN Label signifies that a coin has met Certified Acceptance Corporation's stringent grading standards."

My comments below focus on the NGC star designation, but apply to the CAC sticker as well.

Now I have not done a scientific study of star/no star or CAC/non-CAC coins, but I do have one general observation based on my experiences at auction lot viewing and examining dealer offerings on bourse floors. It seems to me that the presence of obvious toning is a big factor for getting stars and stickers, with silver coins in particular. (Full disclosure: I am not a big fan of toning in general, but do appreciate the beauty of *some* toned coins, if the color is attractive to me, and as long as the toning is not too dark or splotchy.) But I have to question the graders' judgment in some cases.

My last post was about my recent purchase of a 1944-D dime in NGC MS68FB. I mentioned that there are a couple 68* examples out there. The attached photos show the reverses of my 68 (left) and one of the 68* coins (right). (Note that the photo of my coin is a bit underexposed. It actually looks somewhat frosty & essentially white, like much of the other coin, whose obverse appears qualitatively similar to the reverse as shown.) I have not seen the latter in hand, and I am not supporting or denying the 68-ness or FB-ness of either coin, and I am not suggesting that mine should have a star.

As with the number grades and other technical designations, I can accept the reality that some professional graders' opinions of eye appeal decide whether NGC certified coins get a star or not, and that my opinion may be different. I can accept that the overall collector community and the numismatic marketplace may favor toned coins. (I just hope the mood changes if and when I ever need to sell my white & lightly toned coins!...)

What I have trouble understanding is how a coin with such uneven toning, some of which looks to me like a partial fingerprint, merits a star, presumably for "exceptional eye appeal". I suppose it's possible the graders thought that coin has "characteristics that distinguish [it] from other coins of the same technical grade", but I doubt that's the difference.

Well, that's my commentary for today. I'd be interested to hear other observations and opinions. Clear Skies & Happy Collecting to all!