NGC to discontinue the "W" designation

[braddick]

I have to admit- I like it. The "T" (for toned) didn't make much sense to me, but the "W" (for a pure white coin) did. Some coins, take Franklins for example, exhibit a light gold toning but may look essentially white on a scan. NGC separated these from pure white blazers with the "W".

It worked well on Clad coins too like the Ike dollars. I knew if that 1971-D was an NGC MS65 W it was probably a better looking coin than without the W.

Am I alone here?

I wish NGC would reconsider.

[CarlWohlforth]

Maybe the better looking coin will get the * . I think the T and W were intended for better looking coins. Not all toned coins got the T, just better looking ones. So maybe the star is good enough?

[EVillageProwler]

I think the W designation is pure bunko, especially when toning is making a serious comeback into the hearts of collectors.

 

I personally prefer never to have a designation that may imply specialness if that attribute is based on market whimsy.

 

I especially disliked the W designation because it may cause more coins to be dipped or cleaned because folks feel it is special to have that extra letter on the insert.

 

EVP

 

[coinman1794]

Braddick,

 

I liked the W designation too. It helped to distinguish between white coins with haze and truely white coins, particularly with Franklins and Washington Quarters. However, it was probably a real pain for the graders to assign the designation because sometimes it's hard to say that a coin is fully white. Also, they may have been concerned about a problem in the future with coins that tone after certification. So, I can understand why they discontinued it.

[gmarguli]

I'm glad. It was useless. I never figured out which coins they assigned it to. I sent in a blast white Morgan and it didn't get the W designation. Same with Kennedys.

[braddick]

Kennedies are tough to find pure "white". I do have two NGC MS67 "W" Kennedies (clad- 1990's) and they are special coins! (One of them also has the "*", another symbol I like). Even though I closed out my NGC Kennedy registry I kept these coins.

They have better eye appeal to me. In these cases the "W" really assisted me in locating them (sight unseen on the internet).

I understand why Morgans wouldn't need the "W" but on some of the Moderns like Ikes and proof Franklins and MS Kennedies it was helpful and pointed me in the general direction of a better coin.

[jtryka]

I have a Franklin with the W and I think I'm gonna keep it! I like the W designation.

[bigd5]

I never paid much attention to the "other" designations. I like the idea of the * designation, if I only knew EXACTLY what it meant

[Architecht]

This doesn't help?

 

http://www.collectors-society.com/news/viewarticle.asp?IDArticle=55

 

 

[Guest]

what's the point of these subjective designations? maybe a coal-black toned coin with rust-colored spots is "eye-appealing" to me. they should just stick to the technical grade. it's like someone chewing your food for you and telling you whether you like it or not.

[Guest]

The star is used to signify that a piece has superior eye appeal, it does not mean the coin is PQ or high end for the grade. You can have a barely made it 65 that is as close to a 64 as you can get but if it has BRIGHT VIVID color (not just nice color) but truly bright CLEAN color with NO breaks or other distractions then it can receive the star designation. If the toning is splotchy, spotted (sometimes referred to as mottled) regardless of how bright the color may be then it will not qualify for the star. Now they also give the star to pure white coins as well but since that is not my specialty I do not know how they go about assigning the star for those type of pieces.

[braddick]

Does NGC grade using technical reasoning only? I doubt it (nor, should they).

Grading is based on technical merits (or, demerits, depending on how you look at it?) and eye appeal (market grading).

[michael]

i think ngc made the right decsison on eliminating the w designation

my guess is that many coins that are blast white are dipped and

many many turn in holders after some time this will create many

holders with the w on them in future years that will not be white in the holders!!

 

this is in my opinion one of the reasons why it was discontinued

 

sincerely michael

[bigd5]

I still think PQ and the * designation are too closely tied in together to not help but think that an ngc graded coin with a * designation, must also be pq. If the coin has superior eye appeal, worthy of the designation in the first place, then a legitimate argument can be made that the coin is seemingly undergraded. I understand the difference, but can see how this can be a confusing designation to a lot of collectors.

[Guest]

That would make more sense when using the * for the brilliant pieces but I can see how a toned coin could be average for the grade and still have superior eye appeal with very bright toning compared to the dull more lifeless color you see on MOST toned Morgans.

[Hoot]

I simply do not like the exc ess designations place on the label in the holder - *, W, T, etc. I think that the collector needs to be the one to decide if the coin is right to acquire without the added input from the peanut gallery.

 

Hoot

[chrisfuccione]

TTT