"EricBabula" wrote in message
...
On Apr 8, 3:30 pm, "Scurvy Dog" wrote:
I rec'd my War Vets and Boy Scout BU dollars within 10 days of ordering
them.
Both appear to be MS70, since I can't seem to spot a single flaw on them
under
10X magnifcation.
Well done, US Mint.

Hurry! Get them to PCGS right away!

And be sure to ask for their new zooper-dooper Secure Plus slabbing.

According to the item in this week's Coin World, this is an interesting
development. The Secure Plus coin gets a hi-def scan that's detailed enough
to serve as a unique fingerprint for each individual coin. Grading is
largely tied to the scan, not to fallible human eyes squinting through a
magnifier.

If a previously submitted Secure Plus coin is cracked out and sent again for
grading, they tie the new scan to the scan from the coin's previous
submission. It automatically will get the same grade as the last time.

If PCGS is to be believed, by taking much of the human element out of
grading and by databasing the scans, this will help put an end to
human-error grade inflation, repeated crack-out submissions in the hope of
getting lucky with a higher grade, and it can identify any changes or
cleaning/toning treatments affecting the surface after the coin was
previously submitted and scanned.

This could go a long way toward the goal of bringing more law and order to
the grading process. (It also may put the CAC sticker people out of a job.)

However, it's also going to intensify the price differentials for
hair-splitting variations within a grade. They claim that the scan will
positively and accurately separate specimens within the 10-point range for
each grade, allowing the grader to more accurately assign the coin to the
low, medium, or high range of any given grade. For example, a specimen of a
PS-66 could score from 660 to 669. Those scoring at 668 will be graded
PS-66+ whereas a 665 specimen will only get a plain PS-66. Human graders
cannot always accurately grade down to the 3rd digit whereas the scanner
supposedly can. So sellers of slabs with a + grade will have yet another
marketing ballyhoo to add to their blurbs - "it's a Secure Plus PS-66+".
While this time the + may actually be a reliable descriptor, it remains to
be seen just how meaningful it is except in the minds of dealers.