Another try at this.....

I sent out a 2009 SMS nickel to PCGS and got a SP68 grade on it. Top population at the time I received it. I wanted to see if a coin sent in one at a time for grading would grade differently than a bulk submission coin(s) sent in for grading at the same company.

So I bought 4 additional coins from PCGS in the same grade, SP68 but all the coins I bought online were with the Satin Finish label, which means the coins were sent in under a bulk submission. Now I have 5 coins to compare. All graded the same, SP68.

When you look at the 5 coins, 4 off the coins seem very much alike and one stands out as being better. Now its possible one of the 5 coins is a little better than the others, but not enough to grade a SP69!? Yes I guess that's possible. Its also possible the 4 coins bought online were sold, because the seller sold the worst of the coins he or she had. This is a possibility also.

I have done this before, with cents and quarters.

Every time I have checked the results, its the same. The single graded coin seems to be graded the same but is a better quality.

What does this mean? Well if my 3 little tests are reliable or do indeed show a trend, you "can get" a better quality coin when you buy a single submission coin rather than a bulk submission coin!

We all want to purchase good coins, or the best coin our money can buy. Should we shy away from bulk graded coins? Tell me what you think! Put up a journal and tell us your thoughts and experiences. We all can become better collectors with knowledge and experience.

thanks for reading my post, Just coins, aka Sarah Coins.