I’m fairly new to this hobby and I apologize in advance if this is a stupid question.

Is there a difference between a mint chip and one that is un-circulated?

I have acquired a great deal of hard rock chips in un-circulated condition and I feel I know what to expect for an un-circulated chip.

I have however acquired a few chips from eBay auctions that I personally feel were misrepresented on the quality. They were graded as mint and I was expecting them to be in the same condition as the un-circulated ones. Is this correct or should I expect a different quality of chip?

In a couple of these auctions, I actually received chips that it was obvious they spent some time on the tables. They had obvious rounding on the edges and felt those were a clear case of misrepresentation. On this last auction, I just received a “mint” Hendrix chip. The edges were sharp but had a little grime on the chip as if it hit the tables. Also outside rim was little worn.

Please review this link to see an example of a couple of these items:

http://www.brianwatts.com/myCollection/MintQuestion.htm

Can anyone give me some direction on what to expect for a mint chip? I did read where it appeared a document was being prepared about grading but did not know if that was completed or still a work-in-process. I have not seen a guide on this topic myself.

Thanks in advance for your feedback on this topic.

Brian
R-5491