Royal Mint Quality & NGC Grading

[LawrenceChard]

On 19/06/2022 at 11:54, goldhunter said:

I am disappointed  by so many Auction houses, supposedly highly reputable ones at that, using the description FDC to describe coins which clearly are not.

Coins which have visible hairlines and handling marks are often given the FDC description.

This is often the case with the 1937 Gold Proof 4 coin set £5 to 1/2sov. Very few, if any ,of these 1937 sets are FDC

It is dishonest and is in breach of the trades description act, stop doing it.

On 19/06/2022 at 13:12, LawrenceChard said:

It could just be simple grade inflation, a.k.a. exaggeration. Of course, as FDC used to mean perfect, then the exaggerators a.k.a. salespeople would look stupid and dishonest if they had to start saying slighly better than perfect, much better than perfect, perfect+, perfect++, gem perfect, etc.

I have long suspected that it is used not so much as a coin grade, but as an acronym for the people the hope will bid for and buy it.

I think we should invite guesses and creative thinking to provide an expansion of the acronym F.D.C.

I wonder how may will be polite and printable, and how many will be ******* or terrible.

😎

On 19/06/2022 at 13:36, Stuntman said:

Fundamentally Deluded Classification?

Frequently Damaged Coin?

Fooled, Duped, Conned?

Flippers Don't Care?

On 19/06/2022 at 17:08, dicker said:

I replied on another thread yesterday along a similar theme.  

Whilst a punter on ebay may not know that fingering a proof with greasy hands they have just buttered their toast with would ruin its desirability, auction houses and dealers know what FDC means.  Others on eBay will no doubt have been offered less than spot by a dealer for a proof covered in Country Life fingerprints and chuck it on eBay.

I buy from auction but generally Victorian Sovs rather than coins that are FDC.  If I bought one that was less than FDC, But advertised as such, I would return for a full refund.

To @LawrenceChard‘s point, I see a lot of coins in 2x2 card holders with wholly inaccurate descriptions - primarily from the US.  The below vile example is, of course on EBay from the US.  You will find plenty more like this!

F*****g Deceitful ****s

Best

Dicker

On 19/06/2022 at 21:15, James32 said:

Funookin dim counters 

On 12/11/2022 at 00:59, StackemHigh said:

I still like the old description "FDC" or Fleur de coin (Preserved in the best possible condition)

On 12/11/2022 at 10:07, LawrenceChard said:

Yesterday I saw a pair of FDC Club silver medals, or more correctly a medal and a badge.

These were gifts the Royal Mint used to send to its biggest spending private customers.

I have seen these before, and there are old photos here:

https://24carat.co.uk/frame.php?url=fdcmedallionroyalmintfleurdecoinclubmember.html

The reason I was shown a set yesterday is that one of our team had spotted a spelling error on the certificate which came with them.

I will get a photo of the certificate, with and without the error highlighted.

😎

On 04/11/2022 at 14:27, SidS said:

A simple question, not a criticism in any way, is it disappointing quality or more that modern day collectors have higher standards? Or both perhaps?

As to what I mean by higher standards, twenty years ago, very few people in the UK used the Sheldon grading system. MS70 or PF70 were just some nit picking US distinction.

We simply referred to coins as UNC (basic UNC - including toned coins), BU (bright and full of mint lustre) or Gem BU (Sharp, well struck, a near perfect specimen). Basically three levels of UNC. Obviously for proofs you had simply: Proof, or for really sharp and unblemished pieces Fleur De Coin - FDC.

That was it.

I'm yet to be able to distinguish between MS68, MS69 and MS70. Seems eye appeal accounts for much of the differences. Which of course is entirely subjective.

You may be interested in this new Topic I have just posted:

😎