Grading Question

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Occassionally I stumble across a note that is unevenly worn front vs. back.  Typically a note that has been stored in a wallet for a long time.  I am currently looking at a note that on the front looks VF and the note has a body of a VF,  but on the back there is enough design worn off in the vertical and horizontal crease that I would grade it at VG+.  So how would you grade the overall note??

If you must apply a single grade to the note as a whole, I'd recommend using the lowest common denominator, ie VG+.  Of course you could describe the note as it is, F front and VG back, providing as much detail as you did in your original post.  This of course means you have to use much more space to describe the note, but it does give a more accurate picture than trying to slot the note into the current grading system.  I'm of the opinion that the grading system used should fit the note, not the other way around.

Hi Eyevet,

This is a great looking thread and something I wrestle with all the time. I would love to have a look at the note and weigh on the subject.

At 1st blush and assuming my opinion of the face and reverse side was the same as yours this note I would grade gFine or Fine+, possibly even F/VF.

The fact that the paper has the body of a VF is strong evidence that this note needs a grade of Fine or better depending on how bad that reverse side design loss is. The face is also weighted more heavily than the back in terms of resale value potential, there are exceptions like the USA Battleship issue.

Troy