Is there such a thing as being too picky?

[brg5658]

Maybe I should increase my meds? ;-)

 

So I have been putting together a top set of SMS Sacagawea $1 for about the past 7-8 months. I added the 2010-D SMS $1 to my collection graded as MS69 back in December of 2010. This particular coin doesn't have a lot of choice to pick from when it comes to population - there are 28 graded by NGC as MS69 and only 4 from PCGS.

 

When the coin came in the mail, I was impressed with it's beauty, as I'm a big fan of the 2010 reverse design, and the reverse of the coin was flawless. I did notice a few abrasions on the obverse, but more than anything, I was happy to have one of the few graded MS69 examples of the 2010-D. As I got more serious about completing the set of my SMS Sacagawea dollars, I also became increasingly picky. In particular, there was an abrasion across the brow of this coin that always bothered me...and another somewhat obvious abrasion on the cheek of the baby and on the wrap around the child. Two smaller abrasions are also present on the "B" of Liberty, and a very small nick just to the right and below the "Y" of Liberty.

 

Long story short, I found where I could pick up another example of the coin for less than $100, so I got another of this coin. This one is absolutely flawless, on the obverse and reverse. I'm keeping the one with a few abrasions in my #5 MS/SMS Sacagawea set, but I have replaced the coin in my #1 SMS Set with the new example.

 

Below you will see the one I got back in December. I have provided a "heat map" showing abrasions as a small picture. On the Coin Chat Boards, I will also upload the full size obverse of the new coin I got so you can see the difference!

 

Maybe I'm being too picky? Hmmm...

 

Happy collecting!

 

See more journals by brg5658

[brg5658]

Here are the two side-by-side.

 

-Brandon

 

[Thane]

AWESOME journal entry. To rehash old arguments -

 

I generally trust PCGS grades as overall having higher standards. But downside PCGS errors seem to be worse than NGC errors. Your NGC SMS69 example here is the worst I've ever seen from NGC. That coin is a 68, maybe even only 67.

 

Since it's NGC, appearance review might be worth your while.

 

Thanks again for the side-by-side comparison. Beautiful upgrade. If satin coins ever become even 1/10 as popular as proofs, your new $1 coin is worth $500+. Keep up the picky collecting!

[brg5658]

Hi Thane,

 

I'm very glad I decided to get another example of the MS69. I'm not partial to NGC over PCGS, because I've seen "mistakes" or "questionable grades" from both, and at rather similar rates. I know some will argue with that statement, but it's what I've seen. It's more a matter that PCGS has only graded 4 coins as 69 for the 2010-D, whereas NGC has graded 28.

 

Thanks for the advice regarding the "appearance review". The part that really surprised me was how obvious the blemishes were when you had the coin in hand and without magnification. Just a little tilting of the coin and the big gash on the forehead and on the child's cheek are clear as day. It feels strangely OCD for me to "upgrade" from an SMS69 to another SMS69 from the same grader, but in this case I feel the 2nd coin is a step above the first one I purchased.

 

I'm attaching one more detailed picture to help clarify.

 

-Brandon

[Thane]

When I've cherry-picked regular MS rolls of golden dollars, I've tossed coins with scratches as bad as on your baby.

 

Graders are human. I wonder, with these ever-changing reverse designs, if they examine the reverses more carefully. My personal bias is towards clean fields and obvious scratches, so I often miss blemishes on the statehood and park quarters.

 

Maybe the scratches happen post-grading, pre-encapsulating

 

[Mokiechan]

Brandon, On a related note, those photos you've taken are beautiful. You got to describe your camera and setup someday. Picky is GOOD!!!