Grading Percentages - obverse/reverse

[Android]

I understand that the obverse is primarily responsible for a coins grade. Is there a ratio, such as 70% obverse and 30% reverse, that NGC uses in determining a coins final grade? Or is it as simple as the obverse is an MS66, the reverse is MS64, so the final grade is MS65? None of the grading services uses a "split" grade such as MS66/64. Is there a reason for this?

 

Thanks,

 

Andy

[John Maben]

"I understand that the obverse is primarily responsible for a coins grade."

True.

 

"Is there a ratio, such as 70% obverse and 30% reverse, that NGC uses in determining a coins final grade?"

No.

 

"Or is it as simple as the obverse is an MS66, the reverse is MS64, so the final grade is MS65?"

Not that simple, but in this situation you are probably correct.

 

The reverse generally will not bring the grade of a coin up the way the obverse can.

The reverse can bring the grade of coin down regardless of what the obverse looks like.

The obverse can bring the grade of a coin up or down, regardless of what the reverse looks like.

This may seem a bit confusing, but bottom line, there is no formula and each coin is graded on a case by case basis when weighing obverse and reverse. The majority of coins have obverses and reverses that are the same grade.

 

"None of the grading services uses a "split" grade such as MS66/64. Is there a reason for this?"

Sure. There isn't enough people that want it. The majority prefer a single overall grade. You would think that if a detailed grading report was offered it would be a hit, but based on expierience, it would not. NGC offers a service called "response regrade" where a specific reason is given as to why a coin is not the next grade. It is so seldom used that it is no longer promoted and all but discontinued. The cost on this service is a bit high because it requires additional effort and down time from other duties. Our customers simply have told us (through their lack of participation) that paying extra for details that the market doesn't demand isn't something that they want.

 

John

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jeh46544]

Is this the same for state quarters? Even though the reverse is mainly what people look at.

[RMontgomery]

Collectosaurus,

 

State quarters are interesting in that it is the reverses that are displayed forward in the NGC holder, but that doesn't mean that the reverses carry more weight than the obverses when grading the coin. Admittedly, it does influence the weighting a bit from your normal coin because of this display feature to perhaps a 50/50 distribution. And keep in mind that this is primarily true for the mint state examples of these coins as the proofs are generally of equal quality from side to side.

 

For the mint state pieces, where a regular, pre-1999 Washington quarter that is an MS-63 obverse with an MS-65 reverse will grade overall from NGC as an MS-63, the State version of this same scenario might grade out as an MS-64.

 

Rick