Frosting on SOTD sovereigns and how they grade

[Aran]

Hi. There seems to be a fair amount of disappointment with the quality of the Platinum Jubilee SOTD Sovereign. In many cases little areas of missing ‘frost’ give the appearance of black marks or little ‘nicks’. As a result many forum members are concerned about how their coin will grade and are sending them back to the RM (not sure if they will get replacement or refund?).

I decided to look at my previous MS70 SOTD Matte Sovereigns and, without exception, they all have the same issue. Either I’m unlucky (though NGC deemed them fit to be 70) or this is part and parcel of this type of product.

I’ve attached a few photos of the 2021 95 privy SOTD Sovereign to illustrate what I mean. (I’ve used a x10 loupe which shows defects invisible to the naked eye).
To those who are considering sending back their SOTD Sovereign to the RM, maybe you might reconsider?

[James32]

Well I'm currently on the phone with royal mail trying to get the postman to turn around 😁

[Aran]

Hi All. I previously posted photos of a SOTD 2021 Sovereign which graded NGC MS70 Matte although there were areas of missing ‘frost’ which can look like black spots under the light. This missing frost caused many members anguish with their 2022 SOTD Sovereigns in February, leading to some members either selling their coins on the forum or returning them to the mint.

I’ve just received two 2022 SOTD’s back from NGC. Both have graded MS70 Matte although there are spots visible to the naked eye.

Moral of the story? NGC do not regard these as flaws and will give them the top grade. So unless the marks really annoy you, maybe best to keep the coins? They are present in all ‘my’ matte SOTD’s in one shape or form.

[James32]

18 minutes ago, Aran said:

Hi All. I previously posted photos of a SOTD 2021 Sovereign which graded NGC MS70 Matte although there were areas of missing ‘frost’ which can look like black spots under the light. This missing frost caused many members anguish with their 2022 SOTD Sovereigns in February, leading to some members either selling their coins on the forum or returning them to the mint.

I’ve just received two 2022 SOTD’s back from NGC. Both have graded MS70 Matte although there are spots visible to the naked eye.

Moral of the story? NGC do not regard these as flaws and will give them the top grade. So unless the marks really annoy you, maybe best to keep the coins? They are present in all ‘my’ matte SOTD’s in one shape or form.

Can a seller get a refund 🥳

Very happy it worked out for you,would still bug me though so I think we both got the outcome we wanted.

[TeaTime]

It's an eye opener for sure - If production flaws do not count against the grade of a coin then any coin that is minted and placed directly into packaging for distribution should grade at 70. The only exception would be a coin that suffers damage during transit from the mint to the customer.  

That would mean that the RM - who claim a 68 graded coin is acceptable - are admitting to damage occurring as part of the packaging process.  

This also, perhaps, highlights the obsession with obtaining a perfect grade as a bit of a nonsense. Most people equate a 70 grade as being a 'perfect' coin when, in reality, a 68/69 graded coin can have more aesthetic appeal to a collector..