When to have coins graded
goldfixer21
Posts: 82 ✭✭✭
in Q & A Forum
I own a jewelry store , and occasionally purchase coins from customers. While I am in no way a skilled coin collector, I do know enough to make fair offers on most common coins. Where I do struggle though is determining what coins are worth having graded and slabbed. For example, I just purchased 110 UNC Morgans, and 25 UNC Walking Liberty halves. There were 2 nice CC Morgans, which I am having graded. The rest are common dates/mintmarks, but they are beautiful examples. I am struggling with the ability to discern the finer details that separate a nice common uncirculated coin from one that may be MS 66 or better. I've been confidently grading diamonds for 36 years, but have zero confidence grading coins
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@goldfixer21
As with your expertise with diamonds, grading coins takes years of experience.
The following maybe helpful:
https://www.pcgs.com/photograde/
Edit to add:
Also, these vids maybe helpful:
https://www.pcgs.com/education
“Watch & Learn from PCGS Experts
PCGS, the world’s leading coin authentication and grading company, shares critical skills for precisely and accurately grading coins. Each video is hosted by PCGS Director of Education, Michael Sherman, and is designed to assist collectors in making informed buying and selling decisions.”
Join a coin club. It will pay off quickly.
I just watched some of the videos, very informative. Thanks for suggesting them!
Goldfixer & @Insider2 said:
I am a member of 2 coin clubs. Total MS about 100 members, 2 small towns/municipalities on Vancouver Island.-Canada.
( some very knowledgeable and experienced members left the larger club recently in disgust, because their knowledge and experience was ignored by management )
I assure you, that simply joining a club is not your solution. You must get active and slowly gain experience.
To find someone within the club will be your aim!! And, it is nearly impossible as almost everyone goes on "their long time" experience which is: buy low sell high! Translated into numismatics this means buy as VF20, dip it, and sell as AU50.
A so called "learn to grade" evening was a total Zero. 5 members to a table giving their "experienced" opinion about grade...examining one coin... the majority wins! None of the members had any grading experience to speak of. all they did is use a graded coin as a grade sample and compare.
Grading???? Not!
Better is to find yourself an experienced, honest and fair dealer and make some kind of a deal with him.
Considering that the coins come to you at a very low cost, probably somewhere around BV+5 etc, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Grading you can only get comfortable with by getting tons of experience as Grading is very subjective!
Even our host will experience the occasional grading issue!
Good luck
If you are able to post some quality photos here a few members may be able to give you an idea of grade.
I'm going to look through them this weekend. I'll pick out what I think are some better ones. I'll post some photos and see if I'm as inept as I think I am.
Here are a couple of them that I randomly picked out. I believe they are both MS 63 or better. Am I close?
63 looks about right