Grading...how hard is it?

[IndianaSmith]

The title was not intending to detract from anyone who has years of experience in grading coins. I'm smart-enough to know that it takes years to become skilled at many things.

My questions are:

I just picked-up an '08 copy of the Blue Book (RS Yeoman), and it includes some grading guidlines/specs. Are these pretty much "standard" across the board?

That said, if someone were new to all this, was reasonably intelligent, knew not to try & "stretch" a coin into a grade it isn't.....how close could one come to being inline with the grade of a "professional"? I'm talking "average" coins/finds, not a $10,000 rarity, more along the $50 & less scale.

Thanks
Smitty

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[oldplacesnofinds]

You can take take 2 top professionals and get 2 different grades. Does that answer your question? Grading is not a science. There are close guidelines to follow and a few small areas left to the graders. If you want to learn more on grading, pick up the book called, Photograde. It is a Whitman Guidebook and will really help you understand, with pictures, how to grade your US coins.

 

[teverly]

Grading is pretty subjective.There are guidelines,but even when you send them to PCGS they are graded by several people to achieve the grade they are given.
If you are really interested try and find a copy of a book called Coin grading and counterfiet detection.It is put out bY PCGS.
The cover says the standards for grading mint state coins are explained in detail.But the book also covers circulated examples,explains luster,marks on the coin,handling ect.....
Very informative book....even for us amatures!!!

 

[VERMONTPACKRAT]

Whitman, The official American Numismatics Association, Grading Standards.
This book has pictures of almost every U.S. coin in all grades up to uncirculated.
Very nice book. I have all the books mentioned so far. I like the ANA book best.

VPR

 

[IndianaSmith]

Thanks all for the advice on those books, something I'll definately check-out & add to the forming collection.

Smitty

 

[coinman66]

Grading... how hard is it?
Hard to Very Hard if your a beginner.

 

[cosmic]

Get the ANA book..

 

[Jeffro]

The tips in the Red book are of SOME help, especially to the layman, but by no means are they anything to go by for selling and buying.

Get the books already mentioned and I'd also recommend "A guide to the grading of US coins" by Brown and Dunn.

 

[iwas1ncthr]

I completely agree with everyone who has written on this subject. AS stated you can have 2 graders and end up with 2 differant grades. For instance you can find complete sets graded and slabbed by SGS that claims all the coins are either MS 70 or PR 70. Now, if you look at the PCGS price guide and see what you 2005 statehood quarter is selling at in MS 70 one would jump up and down over this because you now have a set of quarters worth over 7200$$$ in MS 70. Problem is no one I know would ever buy this coin and many say your lucky if it grades MS 63 from them. PCGS and NGC are the 2 top dogs in the business do I agree they are the best? Nope! I have seen an MS 62 from PCGS that shouldn't have made above AU and so on. When grading the MS or PF of a coin, it is really a game for those big companies who make lots of$$$ off the customer. Even the middle grades of F-VF-XF but people notice that on the semi and key dates these grades can determin the value from a couple $$$ to thousands if it is given just one grade up. For investment purpose I would say by all means have your coins graded but for the average collector putting your coin in an air tight or even buying one of those cool looking slabs is about 20$ cheaper that having someone opinion of what your coin should be. When I was selling my own on eBay I was making a killing on the new California quarters. I was getting about $200 each for a quarter that had a die break all because of the rush after the Wisconsin state quarters. I also notice that just because they came right out of the bank roll that they were not 100% BU. The basics of grading is the best way to go and if you are gonna sell them you can always put up what grade you think it should be but be sure to state that it is "in your opinion only" and leave the grading to the bidder this way the bidder understands what you are looking at for the price and that they will have an idea of how much they need to bid if indeed you are selling coins. If for a personal collection I would just hit your local coin shop and buy them in the 2x2's or buy the proof & mint sets. I got lucky in 1999 when the silver sets were for sale. I bought 10 sets at around $360 and today each set is going for upwards of $400 each. Same with the 2001 mint and proof sets. I have a total or 20 2001 sets between the clad and silver proof sets and each has the 2001 Sac dollar selling at around 80-110$ on today's market. I hope this helps ya out a bit and good luck on beginning the grading. It's a fun and sometimes disappointing time but you will get to know it better as time goes on.

 

[Don in SJ]

Here is a decent ON-LINE site that shows rough grading of coppers that we find, it might be of use to some of us.......


http://www.uscents.com/coppergrade/index.html



Don in South Jersey