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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,323 |
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Valued Member
United States
113 Posts |
Is grading largely subjective and, thus, may differ from dealer to dealer? In your experience, have much variance have you noticed? Also, is there a standard or official authority to grading?
Thank you.
Stephen
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Pillar of the Community
United States
533 Posts |
Have you tried a search? Just kidding. To get a good idea of what different grade mean you can go to PCGS's website and they give a good overview. Beyond that, I use two books to help me grade. "Photograde" and "ANA's Guide to Grading" or something like that. There are objective standards but how they are applied is subjective. i.e. my "Bold Bands" may not be your "Bold Bands."
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Valued Member
United States
436 Posts |
I'm still learning the skill, but spend some time looking at the grading threads in this forum, look at lots and lots of the coins you are most interested in that are already slabbed, get a photograde book, and practice. Once you get a feel, you'll be able to tell if a dealer is an accurate grader or overgrader. However, if you feel he's an overgrader, but his prices are consistant with the grade you feel it is, buy it anyways!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2797 Posts |
Quote:
Is grading largely subjective and, thus, may differ from dealer to dealer? In your experience, have much variance have you noticed? Also, is there a standard or official authority to grading?
Thank you.
Stephen When you caveat this question dealer-to-dealer, you throw "conflict of interest" into the grading equation. The seller tends to be more liberal in the grade, whereas the buyer is conservative with the grade and $$ to obtain it. It's best to learn grading from an unbiased classroom. The major TPG's reputation depends on their perceived unbiased approach to grading. Check out various coins in PCGS or NGC slabs to get you into the ballpark. These will definitely help you to establish eye-appeal as one of your criteria. Photograde is also a good resource for the technical side of grading. The more you practice, the better you get. Of course, every coin you own will be one grade higher than others grade it.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
533 Posts |
Sorry to double dip but Seatednut reminded me of something. I've read forum posts, books and online articles on grading and the best advice I can give is to practice. The books and pictures will only take you so far. I say this only because I could have saved myself a good bit of time by studying coins under magnification rather than flipping through books. "Photograde" can get you started by telling you what to look for but practice is key.
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Valued Member
 United States
113 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I'm a really lousy grader of coins. And I know many dealers that I suspect are worse than me. One dealer I like since I know he grades almost every coin as Good, Very Good or really Good. Don't think I've seen more than one of his with a Fine on it. Anther dealer I know from coin shows is just the oposite. Some of his coins are just Good and he says VF. And as far a those grading services. I have heard so many times people on these forums people saying how they take a coin from one TPGS and send to another one for a different grade and they say it happens many times. Then too right on this forum I've seen members say to send a coin to some place and you'll get a really high grade. My favorite TPGS story is a dealer I know purchased a 1916D Mercuy Dime and sent it in to be graded. It came back in a body bag as a fake. He then sent it in to a different TPGS and it came back graded and slabbed. You should remember that grading is sort of pending a person's eyesight, likes and dislikes, burnt toast for breakfast, arguments with a wife, several straight days of rain and cloudyness. Or the oposite. Great food for all meals, wife helps wash the car, kids all doing their homework without being told, Sun out all day, stocks on the stock market your 401K is in just went up 50%.  Myself being a really bad grader of coins I really, really look more closely at what dealers are trying to sell me. I just can't rely on their guesstamations. You can really see that too right here on this forum. Put up a ocin and ask for a grade. If all agree, that would be really odd. |
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Valued Member
United States
113 Posts |
Very true, Carl. Being new, a lot of what I buy is based upon the honesty of the dealer. He seems very honest and explains how he grades and when black and white turn gray, he simply gives my the better price. My fear is ebay. |
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Moderator
 United States
16677 Posts |
Grading is definitly subjective from dealer to dealer or collector to collector. With that said, there are some great books out there to help with the grading process. Photograde has already been mentioned. It's a good visual tool to help with the identification of various levels of wear. The PCGS Grading and Counterfeit Detection guide is an excellent book. As far as ebay, use caution especially with lacking descriptions and small pictures. My advice also on ebay is if there is no return priveledge offered, don't consider that auction. swcoin.ecrater.com
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3640 Posts |
I honestly think overall grading of coins has gotten quite liberal. Even the top TPG's are guilty. Mistakes are made naturally and it is only people who do the actual grading. For the average collector you can practice and I mean you have to really look at a lot of coins but you can ballpark it anyway. I had learned grading (and it was confusing) using the old % system. It used different criteria and each was assigned a value or score. Then the total etc. was used to reach the grade. Also it used to be set in stone that the worst side of the coin got the grade regardless. I.E.: obv. AU50 rev. MS 62 final grade was AU50 case closed. Now it does not work that way. I feel that ANACS still does the better and consistent grading. It may hurt sometimes like the truth can but ? I had an 1847 Seated Liberty dollar graded by them. Before sending it in I along with many others gave it an easy AU-55 possibly 58. It came back AU50. I was o.k. with that even though I think that was the only time they ever made a mistake :) |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I've said this many times before. I'm from a time back when all there was, was G, F, Unc and Proof. Basically that is what is stuck in my head. When someone starts telling me the G-4, F-12 stuff, I say yeah, right and move on. If a coin to me is either G, F, Unc or Proof, that's enough. And even then I sometimes blow it.
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,323 |
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Posted 11/02/2009 2:09 pm
