Grading question

[cooper8273]

Hello

just a general question - how do you grade a coin when the sides are different? For example, if the front grades at VF but the back is just VG, do you split it and call it F or do you go by the lower of the two and call it VG? I know it depends on the coin, I'm just looking for a general rule of thumb.

thanks!

[cranky]

I believe you answered your own question. Most often it depends on the coin.Most Variety and Error collectors seem to grade lower most the time at least that's what I've been told.
As far as split grade I go with the lower except on certain coins. A good example would be 1922 No D Lincoln Cent.

[GrumpyEd]

I bias it a bit towards the obv, maybe 60-40 and average it.

[rlm's cents]

Here is one definition (see http://www.coingrading.com/grade1.html for the rest);

For example, a proof coin with an 18 obverse and a 21 reverse could be graded Proof-63/65. However, its overall grading would be Proof-63 since a coin's grade is largely determined by its worst side.

Still, usually the obverse of a coin is considered more important than the reverse. The consensus today is that the value of a coin is determined approximately 60/40 obverse to reverse. In other words, the obverse is about 11/2 times more important than the reverse. Practically the only exception occurs in the case of certain commemorative coins and patterns. In these cases, it is somewhat ambiguous which side is the obverse. Both sides are of approximately equal importance in these instances.
For this reason, it may sometimes be considered permissible to upgrade the reverse grade a bit if the obverse is toward the upper end of the scale of its grade. For example, a coin with a 20 obverse and an 18.9 reverse might still be graded MS-64. However, a coin with an 18.9 obverse and a 20 reverse (a far more common occurrence) must always be graded MS-63.

They appear to be somewhere between 60/40 and worst side rules.

[jfines69]

I would think that grading would be based, for varieties/errors any way, on the side with the variety/error!!!