how red does a coin have to be

[Jordan0693 3]

How red do coins have to be to be classed as being red

[Paulus 1,942]

How red do coins have to be to be classed as being red

Oh joy, this topic again ... Chris (Peckris) is the authority on TPGs' assessments of coin colours I think

[NRP 38]

At least 75% full lustre on both sides?? Maybe more?

[azda 973]

It could be blue because we really don't care

Much here what an american TPG says about a coin on a slab

[Peckris 579]

How red do coins have to be to be classed as being red

Oh joy, this topic again ... Chris (Peckris) is the authority on TPGs' assessments of coin colours I think

Thank you Paulus

No coin has to be red. Red lustre is very very rare. Lustre is usually in the spectrum from yellow to orange, sometimes 'golden'. (Unstated subtext: why do Americans mangle the English so? Why can't they just use terms we all understand instead of redefining common words to mean something they just don't.. Oops, did I say that out loud? )

To answer the question you thought you asked... coins with lustre are usually described according to % of lustre remaining (at least, on this side of the pond they are). BU means all lustre is there, ABU means (depending on dealer) somewhere from 75% - 95% lustre, lesser shades can be described with a % e.g. UNC 30/70 which is understood as 30% lustre on the obverse and 70% on the reverse, and so on. So if by 'red' you mean BU then virtually all lustre should be present.

A further complication is where lustre is present (even full lustre) but it has faded from brilliance to a subtler shade. Colin Cooke Coins for example use the term "lightly toning" to describe this state, which only rarely would command a premium, most often it would be a reduced value.