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 Replies: 16 / Views: 2,933 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1267 Posts |
As is the case in many earlier threads there is a relatively predictable pattern which develops in a "Grade Opinion" discussion. There are those members who can be counted on to praise the coin and give a relatively high grade and there are those who will find fault with the coin and normally grade below what the coin owner expects.
My question to the forum membership is this, How Do You Grade, when asked to speculate on the grade of a coin by another forum member? Do you assign a grade like a prospective buyer or dealer or do you grade like the coin owner and collector?
Take Care
Ben
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
Hi Ben thats an interesting question .
I like to think that I grade only on the technical aspects which can be obtained from the picture or scan ,, but I'm sure that somewhere in the equation some aspect other that comes into play ,, and If I were to guess which it is it would be my buyer side which looks with a more critical eye at the coin .
So I'm probably one of those that looks for the faults on the coins more often .
Metalman
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Valued Member
United States
152 Posts |
Ben, I don't know if I should throw in my opinion or not as I haven't graded anyone else's coins... but I look at them and try to learn from the posts made. Also as you know recently I have posted pics, again to learn about my coins. I would prefer your honest opinion and have faults brought up and discussed so that I can see what you're seeing... sure if you dump on my precious purchase  I might feel slighted... but I need to get over it if I am truly trying to learn something and that is what I am doing... so for me keep being critical, oh yeah... don't forget to tell me it's a nice coin though...  just a newbie opinion... Kim |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1984 Posts |
My grading reflects how I would grade it if I were going to place it in my own album. I point out flaws because everyone should learn to look at coins and notice these things. Rim bumps, cleanings, scratches, fingerprints, strike problems, artificial surfaces and colors...if someone asks for a grade I assume they are looking for honest straightforward opinion and not puffery or flattery. If all people want is an elementary school book report (I read it. It was good. I recommend it for everyone.) then there's not much point in posting coins for grading and opinion.  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5953 Posts |
I use the grading section for practice. I know very little about grading US coins in general. The only ones I feel anyway near comfortable with are 2 Cent coins and Jefferson nickels I tend to be more critical of a coin as I look at it as if I was considering it as a purchase. If I am at all unsure a coin meets the criteria for a certain grade I will always go one point lower. I also dis-agree with the new ANA grading standards so there are a fair few people out there who consider me a harsh grader because I am still using my 1970's Photo grade as a reference. |
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Moderator
 Australia
16806 Posts |
I'm one of those "pessimistic" graders, simply because I'm grading by the English/Australian standard, rather than the American one. When I remember that this is an international forum, I'll usually dual-grade eg. "Australian VF, American EF". Of course, I'll usually only offer an opinion on English or Australian coins, where such a standard is quite appropriate. You Americans can grade American coins however you like. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
812 Posts |
I grade coins on the Forum the same way I grade coins in my collection: based on the current ANA grading standards, with a slight conservative lean. (If I am unsure after comparing the coin to the ANA book and its descriptions, I break out Photograde and Making The Grade articles.) Maybe, when the day comes that I start to sell coins from my collection, I'll see the merits of a more liberal point of view. However, I have limits. I feel comfortable grading AG-EF, kinda "iffy" in the AU range, and leave the counting and location of marks and the measuring of luster (the requirements of the MS grades) to others. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2443 Posts |
When I grade, I usually grade what I would give it if I saw it myself. Sometime I'll factor in how a TPGS would have graded it. Either way you cut it, the forum is better than SGS or those other ones.
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Valued Member
United States
330 Posts |
When I offer my opinion about the grade of a coin I try to have no attachment to the coin. I do not put myself in the buyers, sellers, owners, etc. position. A seller wants to have a higher graded coin to make more money and a buyer wants an under-graded coin to find a deal. I grade based on my market experience. I reference coins I own and coins I have viewed. I use Making the Grade and reference ANA grading standards when needed. I usually chime in on the Lincolns and silver stuff (Morgans, Walkers, Franklin's, Peace, Merc's). I only offer my opinion as that, no guarantee of accuracy implied. I like to see when others find things that I missed. You can, however, send me your coins and I will slab them in a nice JGS holder.  Jim |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2797 Posts |
This is one of my favorite threads in the forum. I glean from experts and offer my opinions based on experience.
For Mint State coins, I approach grading in three steps ... 1. I form an opinion of the coin based on first impression (eye appeal), 2. Assess the strike based on characteristics of the type, year and mint, and 3. Look for detractors (dings, scrapes, lines, corrosion, and other damage). Then I start the math ... for MS coins a bold, full strike starts at MS65 and I subtract for damage/anomolies. A weak strike starts at 63. If the strike is full and no damage is visible, I will add to MS65. This is a simplified explanation to my approach but may explain why I offer the grades that I do. One caveat ... nothing beats having the coin in hand. Grading from photos requires pictures that accurately represent the coin in hand.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1267 Posts |
Great thread, Ben!  Grading from an image is usually a best guess as an image can only capture a single look. I usually form an opinion within a few seconds of looking at both obverse and reverse (with an emphasis on the obverse), and then look for the reasons why (strike, eye appeal, luster, signs of wear or problems). Perhaps a little backwards to some, but my first impressions tend to be fairly accurate and I have learned to go with them. As for my grading standards, I try to follow the more stringent guidelines of what the coin would get from pcgs (the toughest of the big three) as that is the TPG that really seems to set the standard (the market will pay more for a pcgs slabbed coin than the same grade from ngc or anacs). How many times have I heard "but would it cross at the same grade to pcgs?". As such, my grades may be a little lower than others, but I have seldom had any disappointments when I send a coin off to be graded. Edited by hadleydog
11/16/2007 08:20 am
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1267 Posts |
I consider my grading to be a little more liberal than most. I honestly feel that photographs consistently DON'T capture all the beauty/condition/appeal of a coin. Thus I tend to take that into consideration when posting a grade.
Take Care
Ben
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2600 Posts |
Ben, like you, I try and take into consideration that the pic typically does not do the coin justice. After that, I grab one of my books and grade based on that input first. Then, after that I go back and look at things that would cause me to grade it up or down and and I always try and delineate these thing. These would be things like and annoying nick on a rim or maybe a stain that effects the eye appeal. I probably tend to be more liberal with coins that I like, i.e. Lincolns, or truly rare or special coins. Anyway, right or wrong, my final analysis is as a buyer, not a seller.
Jim
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1173 Posts |
I try to grade as accurately as I can, and call the coin as I see it. I do, however, try to find good things to say about all coins, even ones I would not personally keep in my collection. Each collector has limits on spending ability, as well as different tolerance levels for rim dings, scratches, old cleaning and so forth, so I try to never criticize the collector, but to critique the coin. I agree that photos often fail to capture the full essence of a coin. Most of us are "average" (read "mediocre") photographers or we are stuck using photos from ebay or elsewhere. Color, contrast, focus, depth of field, lighting combine to alter the view of the coin from what one would experience if holding the coin in hand. Considering the limitations of photography, no one should ever accept grades based solely on one or two pictures of a coin as "gospel"...even from the most experienced collectors on the forum. If multiple pictures are provided with differing views, and a consensus is reached by several knowledgeable collectors, then one can begin to firm up an opinion on the grade of the coin in question. This really isn't any different that what happens when looking at coins in hand. Edited by hunter20ga
11/16/2007 11:45 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2764 Posts |
Woah.... I just realized that this thread was "dead" for 10 days and all of a sudden, hadleydog waked it up. And then 3 members stormed in and put 3 posts within 30 minutes.....  "You waked up the dead and brought it to life"......  Well, I am not an expert in grading anything, beside women - but sometime I am wrong too.... . Coin grading is what am trying to learn every day and I have not put up a grade for any coins on this forum yet. Soon, I'll put up some copper coin (large cents) and ask your your opinion - after I finish getting them scan. I thing I have learn from one of the dealer at the shop that I go to: He always start at the lower grade and work his way up (staying on the conservative side) and then he look for characteristics that will enable the coin for the next grade level..... This seemed to be a good approach to me, and I am using it. I do agree with Ben that Buyers and Sellers are usually on the opposite end of the scale when it come to Grading Coins; especially with weak strike or border grade coins. |
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Valued Member
United States
390 Posts |
I like this forum because it helps me learn about grading. I have certain coins I like and others that I don't collect. For the ones I don't collect, I may look at the thread, but not comment since I would not be adding to the thread. For those coins I know better, or like, I will look at the picture for a first guess. Then I like to go over the Heritage Auctions and look at closed auctions for that coin several different grades to give me a perspective of what NGC or PCGS are grading coins at (I only look at those two TPG's). I try to give my reasons for the grade I guess at, but I don't always compliment the coin, which I guess wouldn't hurt to do. :) This is agreat learning vehicle for all of us and only makes us sharper in the long run. |
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Replies: 16 / Views: 2,933 |
Posted 11/03/2007 2:36 pm
