A Tricky question???????

[Shake-N-Bake]

Hello everyone,
I have a common question based on information that is in lot of post, including mine. If a coin is pulled out of circulation, can it still be called uncirculated? I have found several coins that could be included in this topic. I understand that it is coming from circulation but if they are flawless what would they be called then? For example I am working on two roll sets at this time, Nickels and Pennies. I have been finding lot of 2000 - 2008 that could easily pass as uncirculated. I am just wondering what the politically correct term would be for those coins. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,
Jason

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Treasure of Victoria Peak - Grab it through Amazon!

[Scott (Mich)]

There are a couple of ways to look at the word uncirculated when it comes to coins. Being uncirculated is a grade and it also can be considered a state of being I guess. Are any coins shipped from the mint itself truly uncirculated? I guess the real uncirculated coins would have to come right from the mint to me or you.

You sure can get one in change and it still can be in a mint state condition . Send a really nice clean coin to a grading service and they will grade it how they see it without knowing if it was spent at one time.

I have been to a store where the cashier opened a new roll of coins and handed me some in my change. Are the new coins I received in mint state uncirculated condition? You bet even though technically they were in circulation for just a brief time.

So if someone looks at a coin they can say it has an uncirculated or mint state grade without knowing it's history.

It's kind of complicated, but I think many numismatists do not use the word uncirculated but instead use the words Mint State. The main grading firms (NGC, ANACS, etc..) use MS-60 to MS-70 to describe how flawless a mint coin can be. The value of a coin can change drastically from Mint State 60 to Mint State 66 or higher. Just check out ebay prices on a same coin but in different mint state (MS-60 & up) grades. Some people that get a grade of MS-64 or lower from one place have been known to break open the slab (plastic case) and send it to another place in the hopes of getting a better grade. Just one number grade higher once you are in the mint range could mean thousands of dollars of value in some rarer coins.

The problems with grading is that there is no computer program that does it exactly the same yet, coins are graded by professionals with magnifying glasses and microscopes and it still comes down to that professional's opinion, so you could get two different grades from two different places or even from the same place at a later date.

Happy Hunting,

Scott (MI)

 

[jim4silver]

That's a good question shake n bake. I feel that uncirculated goes towards appearance and not actual status of were the coin has been. After a coin is circulated, it generally shows wear, even though very minute marks that would technically make it not a mint state (MS) grade coin if examined by an expert. But is is very possible to get a coin in uncirculated condition from a cashier who just opened a roll from the mint, etc. A coin can still be MS even with bag marks and such. The wear and tear that takes a coin into AU or lower is rub marks. You can see this on the high points of a coin under the right magnification.

On this subject, I am not much of a fan of buying the high premium MS gold coins such as the pre 1933 gold. It is so subjective and you can wind up paying double or triple the price of the raw gold just because somebody somewhere gave the coin an MS 65 instead of MS 64, etc. I know a person who told me he "lightly dips" the gold coins before he sends them off, and they always come back graded, often times MS grades. The service he uses to grade the coins is not one of the low end ones either.

Jim

 

[sneak]

AU

 

[enamel7]

I hate PC!!!!!!

Happy Hunting!

 

[Immy]

"Uncirculated" isn't the official term used in numismatics to describe a coin with no visible sign of wear - "mint state" is the accurate term (mentioned above by Scott and Jim) but UNC is so ingrained in the collecting vernacular it's become synonymous with MS.

Since there is strictly no wear on a Mint State coin, the grades of 60 thru 70 focus on visual factors such as sharpness of strike, contact marks, luster and overall eye appeal.

An MS-65 coin fresh from The Mint could easily circulate for a few months and still end up grading MS-60-62. If you restrict the word "uncirculated" to the AU grade there's no confusion. In fact, I wish they'd change AU to AMS or "About Mint State." "Uncirculated" is just confusing enough to ellicit discussions like this.

 

[1996]

This question seems answered to me, but I'm going to say what I know anyway. A coin that comes out of a previously unopened bag from a mint is an uncirculated coin. Depending on how the coin was sitting in the bag, how the bag was store, or if the bag was treated roughly, can have to do with how the coin looks. You can buy an uncirculated coin, that is one hundred percent uncirculated, and looks like something you would pull out of your pocket, and it is worth more than one that looks flawless that you get in change. Uncirculated isn't a grade, it is just uncirculated.

 

[mistergee]

many of you may remember my score on Oct. 26th of this year
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,197363.0.html
i found 16 rolls of 1963 Ben Franklin halfs in thier original rolls...all these coins are in unbelievable condition just short of full bell lines(there may be one in the 12 unopened rolls)....yet they all show some flaws....many have bag marks and all i looked at had full bell lines except for a "smudge" to the left of the clapper....i have a hard time trying to put a grade on them.....i'm not sure if they fall in the AU category or the MS category....guess i'll have to send one or two of the best to get graded....anyone know what they charge?