High Grade 1901 2 1/2 Gold Quarter Eagle (Sister Coin)

Thanks for posting all the gold coins Eklections! Just so happened I improved my GPA (Grading point Average) by getting all three this round! I don't stay up on looking at gold as much as I'd like to either.

I spent a good deal of time looking at many gold slabs from their early beginnings and haven't really bought many nor traded much in gold coins. I learned the most probably from a combination of training with some of the best at ANA Summer Seminars, (I just can't say enough good about them, highly recommended, and they are addicting).

It is really to the coin generation that came before me that helped selflessly and are/were always willing to help a fellow collector. Later on I began dealing in coins (before slabbing), we only really used UNC, Choice UNC and Brilliant Choice UNC for most coins. MS60, MS63, MS65 in today's world. I had a pretty good idea of a low, mid and high end grade for coins by the time the extra in between grades starting sneaking in. I would imagine coming on to the grading scene today is quite daunting to a very novice person.

The other real big change has been in how AU coins are perceived and graded in the market. That has been my toughest area is grading the AU coins, I can usually tell in hand but I don't always seem to agree with the TPG's on AU numerics. I see AU53 they see AU58 more times than not.

The low to mid circulated grades haven't really changed much, and my greatest strength here is the fact I've seen a lot (a LOT) of coins since I started seriously collecting and buying coins starting in 1979, 33 years of seeing stuff helps.