rookie question about grading chart

[melmcbee]

What are the dashes in the grading chart? Do they mean face value only? Like a 1921 morgan PL au has a dash but the next line 60 says 33 in PCGS.

93 1921 Morgan PL - - - 33 45 65 125 750 2500 15000 (example)

[kryptonitecomics]

Are you talking about a price guide?? If you are then it typically means that most coins are found in a condition higher than the one the dash appears in so they didn't bother to list a price. If you buy a redbook or pick up a copy of Coin Prices then you should be able to see avg retail prices for a particular coin in most of the grades. PL coins do carry a premium, but you wont find the PL designation in most price guides for raw coins.

 

When looking at slabbed prices on the PCGS website, you will see a lot of coins that don't have a value listed until they reach at least an MS64 grade. It doesn't mean that they coin is worthless, but it just tough to price a lower grade coin as they usually aren't worth the cost of the slabbing.

 

If you were talking about a grading chart of some sort then disregard as I haven't a clue

[melmcbee]

No you guessed right. That was what I meant. My example wasn't good though. Forget the PL for a minute. How about this indian cent 1867 price guide is from G to XF

 

1867 BN 36 47 63 97 162

1867 RB -- -- -- -- --

1867 RD -- -- -- -- --

Same year but the BN under good is $36.00 am I to understand that the 1867 RB isnt usually in that grade or isn't at least $36.00 in approximate value? I am not making sense I think you tried to explain the RB BN and RD to me before. It obviously didnt stick and when looking at coins say on ebay they dont specify BN or RB. I use these price guides as a cut-off point so to speak on how not to bid to high. I dont have the talent or knowledge to grade a coin I see yet and probably wont for sometime so lets say I found an 1867 indian cent penny for sale and it said it was in great condition or MS60 or whatever. I go to the lowest grade to look at the price for that year and it has 3 of the same year. One says 36 while the others have those blasted dashes. My whole bidding theory is out the window because I dont know what the dashes mean. Am I making anymore sense or am I totally confusing the issue?

Thanks for your patience and understanding I realize my questions probably are driving you nuts and I am sorry for that.

I did on a happier note receive my coin collecting for dummies in the mail today and will start reading it tomorrow so maybe it will help me

[kryptonitecomics]

If the coin is rated at a full Red or a RB designation it is going to have to be a higher grade coins say AU or above. In that particular example you wouldn't find say a VF coin with e Red or RB designation as it's just not possible for any mint luster to remain on a heavily circulated or lower grade coin.

 

In most cases though the RED designation only applies to MS or Mint State coins. I have seen quite a few AU Indians that were RD in color.

[TomB]

KC has given you sound information.

 

A Morgan dollar must be a certain minimum grade before it can be given a PL or DMPL designator. That grade is likely MS60 because below MS60 you will not necessarily see PL or DMPL surfaces as they will be gone. So, the dashes in this case represent grades where the designator (PL) is not relevent.

 

In the case of IHCs, or any copper for that matter, a thoroughly circulated coin cannot have RB or RD surfaces simply because it must be some shade of BN. A heavily circulated copper with bright surfaces that appear pink or red is guaranteed to be cleaned harshly. Again, you are seeing dashes because coins in these grades, with RD or RB designators, cannot exist.

[michael]

kc and tomb sum this up extremely well

 

 

michael