I figure that currently there are either 30 or 39 distinct grades of UNC.

There are many of you out there (if not most of you) that were not in this hobby when the Sheldon pricing system for large cents was converted to a grading scale for U.S. coins. At the time UNC?s were graded 60, 63, 65 & 67. The were those out there at that time that were jumping up and down saying that greedy dealers would some day use all eleven grades (60 to 70) to grade coins so they could charge incrementally more for each grade while those selling the coins said no we won?t do that? Well guess what they started using all 11 grades of UNC and if you go to NGC?s price guide and check out Morgan dollars each UNC grade is priced individually.

Now we have the ?+?. A coin receiving a ?+? with its grade is said to be at the high end of its assigned grade, approaching the quality requirements for the next grade and it must have above-average eye appeal. The ?+? designation is used for grades 60 through 68. Now this concerns me. I always assumed that the differentiation between grades was linear. That is the grading scale from MS-60 to MS-70 could be represented by an 11 inch ruler with the requirements for each grade being representing by one inch of that ruler. MS-60 coins would fall in the 0 to 1 inch band, MS-61 the 1 to 2 inch band and so forth. Well what I find out now is that the ?grading band width? for MS-69 & MS-70 coins is so narrow or tight that it is not possible to designate a ?high end? for these two grades. Well what does this mean about the other nine grades? Do the grading requirements get ?wider? as you go down in grade such that when you get to MS-60, MS-61 & MS-63 the ?grading bands are so wide? you really don?t know what you have or are the bottom nine grades linear re. their grading standards? So if the grading standards for the bottom nine grades permit differentiation to the point that the grade can be determined to have a ?high end? by definition that grade must be capable of having a middle and low end. So now we have a situation were you try to sell your MS-65 and the dealer tells you, ?well you know that coin is really at the low end for the grade and I can not offer you what you want.? All coins not having a ?+? next to their grade automatically become low end coins for the grade. Why? Why not? You?re the one selling the coin can you prove it isn?t a low end coin? We now know if it was at the high end coin the label would indicate it. In effect each coin has now become a high end coin or low end coin. So at a minimum we have 20 grades of UNC (2 X 9)+2 and if you buy that those that matter can differentiate between low, middle and high end coins within the same grade we have 29 UNC grades (3 X 9) +2.

Well then how do you count an MS-63* (great eye appeal but not high end for the grade)? Since the grade has an assigned modifier it must be treated as a unique grade. The ?*? is used for grades 60 through 69 so we are really adding ten more grades. That brings us to either 30 or 39 grades of UNC depending on how you count the situation with the ?+?.

I can only guess this is what everyone wants because we got it. I would be happy with MS-60, 63, 65 & 67.

Happy collecting to everyone, 39 UNC grades or not, it is still a great hobby.