1998 d Penny

[Bonnie]

I sent in my 1998 d penny to PCGS and they graded it a MS 67 proof like. I could not find any value for this on their website. My 1940 d nickel came back a 66 full steps, not worth much according to PCGS but I was thrilled with the full steps designation.

[Petespockets55]

Congrats on the submission. That 1998 D shield cent sure does glow.
That 1940 as full steps is nice.

Congrats on your images also.

[MintErrors]

Sometimes, not always, the third party grading service will allow you to look up the coin via the certification number and from there, they might add in pricing as well.

[Bonnie]

So... why does the true view image from PCGS look so muted on the shiny coin? As a beginner to coin grading, I try to use the PCGS photos to compare my coins but in this case it wouldn't even look the same. PCGS must use some kind of filter to take pictures? https://www.pcgs.com/cert/47372882 I can tell it's my coin from the marks but it just looks so different. I think that's what makes it difficult to self grade coins to send in for grading. Now the nickel actually looks better than my photos, so they must have a filter on those as well? I just wish I knew how they photograph coins. https://www.pcgs.com/cert/47372881

[MintErrors]

In my opinion, that is a question for the third party service. It's difficult to guess their exact setup. Best guess is they focus on getting the lighting just right to accent the entire coin and less on making the photo perfect for everyone's taste. They may use more or less lights. They may use a more subdued room with darker paint on the wall. They may diffuse the lights to limit glare. Again, it's difficult to assess with limited info on the subject.