Posted by Skip Fazzari, Authentication Consultant to NGC

A set of high-magnification hand lenses is an invaluable tool for numismatists. However, magnification of 10× and up is only recommended for spotting signs of counterfeiting. Skip Fazzari offers these tips and more.

There are a host of things to see on coins. No matter what you are looking for, after a quick perusal, most collectors will seek some type of magnification to enlarge their view of the coin they are examining. I travel with an assortment of hand lenses. There is a 20×, a 10×, and a combination 3×/4×/7×. Beginning with an overall view to address shape, color, and design, a grader will also be looking at a coin’s luster and for imperfections that detract from its eye appeal. Error/variety collectors will be looking for doubling on its design, planchet/striking problems, overdates, and overmintmarks. Authenticators will need to look more closely at its surface for die polish marks, tooling, and characteristics common to counterfeit or altered coins.

Four or five powers of magnification seem to be the norm for many collectors. At these powers, an entire coin may be viewed all at once, which is especially useful when grading. Nevertheless, unless you are an experienced numismatist, you will not be able to see characteristics such as metal flow, die doubling, and counterfeit diagnostics on many coins when using minimal magnification. The micrograph shows the head detail of a genuine 1861-O “CSA Obverse” Seated half dollar. This view is close to what you would expect to see when using a 10× hand lens.

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By SCOTT A. TRAVERS

With the advent of independent third-party certification, many coin buyers and sellers thought all their grading worries were over.

No longer would they have to scrutinize each coin they bought and sold to determine its level of preservation. No longer would they need to concern themselves with grading pointers, grading tips, grading advice–these mattered now only to the experts at the leading certification services.

From now on, all Mint State-65 coins would be created equal, as long as they got those grades from the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation of America (NGC) or ANACS.

In short, buyers and sellers no longer would need to think for themselves and exercise their own common sense. This is not entirely true.

Certification services have made–and are continuing to make–tremendous contributions to standardizing and stabilizing coin-grading standards. In the process, they have dramatically reduced the risk that buyers might suffer significant financial loss because they purchased coins that were overgraded.

But certification services aren’t infallible. And though they strive mightily for consistency, they–like the coins they grade–inevitably fall short of total perfection. Some coins graded Mint State-65 by PCGS, NGC or ANACS are indeed better than others; some might even qualify as Mint State-66. Others, by contrast, might get a lower grade if broken out of their holders and resubmitted.

Over a period of time, subtle shifts in standards or in their application can result in the existence of whole groups of coins that are undergraded or overgraded relative to the rest of the coins from a given grading service.

For example, in 1994, David Hall, founder and president of PCGS, admitted on my radio program–a weekly talk show called One-Hour Coin Expert–that during its early years, his company was reluctant to assign the grade of Mint State- or Proof-68. He candidly agreed that a number of the coins graded Mint State- or Proof-67 by PCGS during that early period might well receive a grade of 68 if submitted today. And that could increase their current market value by many thousands of dollars.

Just because a coin is in a holder and just because that holder carries a grade assigned by a certification service, there’s no reason why you–as a buyer or seller–can’t and shouldn’t resubmit that coin to your own personal grading service … your own common sense and your own store of knowledge … and render an expert judgment of your own.

Knowledge is more than power; in the case of rare coins, it also can mean enormous profit.

With that in mind, here’s my personal list of the top 10 coin-grading tips of all time:

(1) Check the high points for wear.

Even if a grading service certifies a coin as Mint State-63, that doesn’t mean it won’t come back with a lower grade–possibly even AU-58–if you resubmit it. A coin should stand on its own merits; you should buy it for itself and not for the plastic.

Look at the very highest points of the coin. If they’re lighter in color than the rest of the coin, or if you see friction, the coin may not be mint-state; it may be about uncirculated.

Telltale signs of wear are indicated by the color of the high points. On coins made of copper, the high points after friction are dark brown. On coins made of nickel, the high- point color after friction is dark gray. On coins made of silver, the color is dull gray. And on coins made of gold, the high-point color after friction is dull, dark gold. (more…)

In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Platinum American Eagle Bullion Program, the US Mint is issuing a special commemorative set. The Mint will be selling a limited edition two-coin platinum set. This set includes a proof 2007 W $50 Platinum American Eagle and, for the first time in the history of the program, a reverse proof 2007 W $50 Platinum American Eagle.

Coins from these sets will be pedigreed as EAGLE 10TH ANNIVERSARY. A special NGC commemorative label will also be available. Because the regular proof version of this coin is available individually from the US Mint, special instructions must be followed in order for coins to qualify for this pedigree. Coins must remain in the sealed shipping boxes used by the US Mint, and the entire unopened package must be forwarded on to NGC for certification. NGC must open these boxes in order for the coins to qualify for the EAGLE 10TH ANNIVERSARY. The reverse proof version does not require this special handling, and will be eligible for the EAGLE 10TH ANNIVERSARY label and pedigree even if submitted without its original packaging.

US Mint coin boxes and certificates will be returned to the submitters. Note that the Mint’s shipping boxes are not returned.

Additionally, these coins must be submitted using the Modern Special Tier or higher level service, and submitters requesting this designation and special label must submit these coins on their own submission invoice. The five coin minimum for Modern Special Tier will be waived for submissions of Platinum 10th Anniversary Eagles, and the 10th Anniversary coins cannot be mixed with other coins to qualify for this pedigree. (more…)

By Jeff Starck COIN WORLD Staff

In determining whether a given coin has “eye appeal,” it all depends on the person you ask. To some, it’s a simple matter of taste, but to others, it’s so obvious as to have specific requirements and characteristics that a coin must meet.

The fact is, eye appeal is neither that loosely defined nor that strictly determined. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

A definition

Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, simply put, in determining a coin’s grade, eye appeal is the element that “grabs” the viewer. Eye appeal is the overall look of a coin, according to a “coin lingo” guide at the Professional Coin Grading Service Web site.

Coin World columnist Q. David Bowers wrote in an April 9 column this year that, “eye appeal is a matter of opinion, but if a coin appears to be beautiful to your eyes, chances are good that when your collection is sold someday, buyers will feel likewise.”

In an earlier column, in the Feb. 5 issue, Bowers provides some questions to ask about a coin to determine its eye appeal. “Is the coin richly lustrous, or is it grainy or ‘greasy’ in appearance? Are there stains or spots? Is it dull gray, brown or even black? In a word, is it beautiful? Does it beckon, saying to you, ‘Buy me!’ ” Read Full Article