What does "W" Mean in a Grade?

[astrostu]

I've been collecting since around 1994 when I was just 11 years old and mainly I've been a passive collector getting stuff from change and buying a nice coin every now-and-then from a local dealer and getting the annual proof sets and silver bullions. Then this weekend I discovered eBay.

 

I think the best way to put it is that I have spent more in the last week on coins than I had in the last two years combined. Anyway, I thought that through eBay I could start to actually build up some nice sets instead of just going for random coins that looked nice (a Morgan dollar here, a 3-cent piece there) so I thought that Kennedy halves would be a relatively cheap place to start (I wanted to go for something that had some silver in it).

 

One of my first purchases that just arrived in the mail today was a 1964 PF-69W (I'm a starvign college student so I didn't go for a C or DC coin, though I'm eying them). I'd thought that the "W" meant "White," but another coin that I bought that came today was a 1964 PF-68 Accented Hair, so I compared the two coins (both NGC slabbed). To me, as to my parents, the PF-69W appeared to be yellower, not whiter than the other.

 

So, after a very long introduction, my question is what does the "W" mean? Is it actually white and I was just looking at it in the wrong light, or does it mean something else? Additionally, does the "W" bring a premium or does it lower the value of the coin (I'm curious here to know if I got ripped off)?

 

Thanks in advance to whoever can help!

[DaveG]

As I recall, "W" does mean White (and I think that NGC used to use the "W" designation, but stopped a while ago - I'm not really that knowledgable about modern coins).

 

It means White as opposed to Toned (as in blue or green), but it's certainly possible that your other coin is slightly yellow (or at least appears so in the light).

 

I don't think that a "W" designation will add to or subtract from a coin's price. Many folks will pay extra for attractive toning, though.

[michael]

yes w means white but ngc disconinued this designation about a year or so ago

 

now i am assuming the coin is yellow and usually blast white coins like your silver proof kennedy are dipped before they are sent in for grading and many many are not properly rinsed of dip residue and the classic retoning of dip residue is this ugly yellow color i cant explain it the shade but show me the coin and i can tell if it has breen dipped and then usually retoned in the holder which might be the case with this coin

 

as i am sure it was blast white but again was possibly dippede before it was sent in and got the white designation and then over a few months time as is usually the case retones due to dip residue left on the coin from an improper dip/rinse combo and this certian shade ugly shade of yellow is the classic dip residue retoning in the holder

 

usually the color is like champagne and more often than not when an advertisement says for a proof seated coin for example white but with a hint of champagne toning means dipped

 

now without seeing the coin in person sight seen i cant be100% sure

 

but the above is usually the case

 

is the coin good or bad i do not know i needs to see it it all depends usually no but sometimes yes it all depends but since it says whote on the holder for w sounds to me like a dip residue retoning coin in the holder such is buying on ebay someone wanted to get rid of this coin

 

again without seeing the coin in person this is my two cents worth my unprofessional opinion as i am not a dealer and i am just a novice learning collector myself

 

good luck and welcome to the boards! you will learn much here from many good peeps on here

 

and only buy coins sight seen in person and try to llok more at first then buy and you might get a more descerning eye so to speak to separate the wheat from the chaff

 

 

michael

[michael]

now i am sure many make money by buying and selling on ebay and i am sure there are a few good people very few on ebay buyer and seller wise

 

but for me from my own point of view about ebay concerning usa federal coinage i have YET TO FIND ANYTHING GOOD OR POSITIVE ON EBAY

 

again just my opinion from my limited experience on ebay

 

but again do what is right for you

 

michael

[astrostu]

Hmmmm ... well, I hope you're wrong. I just tried to take some pictures of the coin alongside my PF-68 accented hair piece for comparison. Lemme first say that I've never tried to take a picture of a coin, much less a slabbed one, and so I apologize for the quality of the picture. I do not believe it to be as yellow as you say, but it COULD be in the early stages of that. Perhaps you will be able to tell from the picture.

 

I'll take it into a local coin shop next week and see what the owner (who I've known since I was in middle school) thinks.

 

As for eBay buying, I definately have toned it down since my initial frenzy of buying half a dozen coins. Now I'm in the phase of watching what they go for as opposed to paying for them. It's interesting to see the trends of what goes for more and what goes for less of market value (according to PCGS and Coin World prices).

 

The picture I've included below is relatively poor, but there is a very slight color difference between the two where the coin on the left, to me, looks like more of an off-white yellow than the one on the right. I shot this with only a far-away overhead light and then a bright white flash.

 

[SilverDollarMan]

I have a 63d Frankie w/ W it means white.

[braddick]

Surprisingly, the "W" for white and the "T" for toned was stopped a bit over three years ago! NGC, wisely, did so and kept the " * " (STAR) for attractive coins.

 

If NGC had continued with the "W" your second, AH Kennedy would have also probably received it. Looking at the font on the inesert it was obviously graded somewhat recently, well after the discontinued use of the "W" by NGC.

 

As long as you paid under or about $50. per coin you did fine. eBay is a melting pot of opportunity and loss. Caution and luck with a slight mix of skill though will land you some good deals.

 

Welcome!

[astrostu]

As long as you paid under or about $50. per coin you did fine. eBay is a melting pot of opportunity and loss. Caution and luck with a slight mix of skill though will land you some good deals.

 

That's almost exactly what I paid ... the Accented Hair $56 and the other $46.50. If nothing else, this will serve as a reminder to me to listen to my skeptical side more often.

[Merc]

There is nothing wrong with either coin. I like NGC graded coins.

 

I'm a bit older than you. I just finished college forever last year! I might suggest some coin books too. Look for Scott Traver's books on coins. He gives lots of helpful advice in coin grading and how the coin market works. If you like JFK halves, that is a good place to start since they are not too expensive. Just remeber that they were made in the millions and are not too difficult to find in high grade. Beware of paying a high price for ones in high grade holders. Many people buy them in proof sets for a few dollars. Sure, they may not grade PF69, but you can find very nice looking ones grading PF 66-67 or higher in US mint proof sets. That could save you a few bucks for college.

[astrostu]

There is nothing wrong with either coin. I like NGC graded coins.

 

I'm a bit older than you. I just finished college forever last year! I might suggest some coin books too. Look for Scott Traver's books on coins. He gives lots of helpful advice in coin grading and how the coin market works. If you like JFK halves, that is a good place to start since they are not too expensive. Just remeber that they were made in the millions and are not too difficult to find in high grade. Beware of paying a high price for ones in high grade holders. Many people buy them in proof sets for a few dollars. Sure, they may not grade PF69, but you can find very nice looking ones grading PF 66-67 or higher in US mint proof sets. That could save you a few bucks for college.

 

Thanks for the advice. I've always just grabbed what I could from circulation, but this winter break something just told me that I should actually try to finish out a complete collection of SOMETHING. So I picked JFK halves because I already had most, they are inexpensive, but they also have some with silver. And yeah, they're inexpensive too.