Which is more desirable?

[Tradedollarnut]

Which would you rather have - a set of AU58 coins or a set of MS60 coins? Why?

 

Personally, I'd rather have the AU58's. Almost without exception, these are nice looking coins with a bit of rub or luster impairment in the fields that look 10 times better than the beat up MS60's. In many cases, the market agrees as AU58's regularly trade for more than MS60 money.

 

So why doesn't the Registry recognize this? Would it be possible to accomplish in this computer age? Or do we need to abandon the artificial 58 limit for AU coins and the artificial 60 floor for UNC coins and blend them together in a range from 50-70 that designates the entire quality of the coin?

 

[EVillageProwler]

I'd rather have a bunch of coins that have extra oomph due to eye appeal. If they're AU58's, then that's fine w/ me. I rarely like a coin graded MS60. (I've seen only 2 that I've ever liked, an 1856 dollar and an 1874 TD. Both seemed undergraded to me.)

 

EVP

 

[michael]

in general if the coins in 58 holders have great eye appeal then the 58 coins are better for me!

 

also usually 58 coins i have seen are much better then 60 coins

 

also for me when someone says they got a coin in a 60 61 sometimes 62 holder i always expect it yto be a dog

 

and usually to most all of the time it is...................

 

usually i will not even look at a coin in a 60 61 holder even 62 and within my speciality of pre 1915 proof cioins usually 63 coins are really banged up hairlined coins i am sure there are exceptions to the rules i have no doubt but usually my experience has been per the above

 

sincerely michael

[EVillageProwler]

pre 1915 proof cioins usually 63 coins are really banged up hairlined coins

 

Grading standards have really loosened the past few years... I acquired a small bunch of low-grade PF SD and TD specimens that were all graded a while back. These coins all look at least as *worst* as most of the PF63's I see available today.

 

EVP

 

[coinman1794]

There are a lot of superb AU58 Capped Bust halves that will go MS60-61 the second time around. And, MS60-61's can go AU58. So, in the case of choice, original Bust halves, the quality of the 58 and the 60 are literally equal. In most other series, however, the difference is so extreme that AU58's generally win out in eye appeal.

[Fairlaneman]

Guess.

 

 

58's talk to you and 60's say nothing.

 

Ken

[Hoot]

For the most part, I agree that the 58s are great values. However, they are not always. Some 58s truly take off where the MS60s left, baggy and weakly struck, but mildly handled. One has to be careful with the generalization. Now, if the scales were to overlap.......

 

Hoot

[Oldtrader3]

I am with you in generally preferring AU58 coins over MS60/61 coins. However, a lot of the larger gold coins (Eagles, Dbl. Eagles) are often pretty beat up in AU58. I think that silver coins fair a lot better in this respect.

[keithdagen]

I agree that for some gold coins, MS-60 can sometimes make a huge difference over AU-58. I especially notice this on Type 1 and Type 2 Liberty Double Eagles. The difference in luster is amazing.

[BillJones]

I'll take the AU-58s. There are darn few MS-60s that have any eye appeal at all. At any rate manycoins in MS-60 though MS-62 slabs are sliders any way IMO.

[MikeKing]

I like AU 55-58 CC Gold Double Eagles more than MS 60-63.