Is your slip showing?

RLinn

Heard a lot on these boards about shifting grading standards and market grading at the various services. Have your personal grading standards evolved over the years or have you ever found yourself "market grading" one of your own coins?

kryptonitecomics

I know that market grading is a common practice, and most of us see it everyday(1933 Double Eagle ). I find that I have always graded on the conservative side as opposed to overgrading my coins. As an example, I recently went back through about 80 coins I purchased at least 5 to 10 years ago to verify the grades. I had purchased and graded these coins when I first started collecting and I wanted to see how accurate I was back then. 20 of the coins graded at least 1 level higher than I had originally graded them and none graded lower. I can also tell you with the lower graded Lincoln's and Indian Head penny's I grade a lot more conservative than PCGS. I look around on Ebay and check out PCGS graded circulated coins, and I find a lot of them are overgraded according to ANA and Photograde standards.

ARCO

I haven't been grading that long, but have noticed a much more strict grading standard From the old timers. I bought a whole gaggle of coins from an elder East coast collector. His fines, were my VF30's and I thought I was pretty strict and conservative. MAN I LOVE, buying coins from older collectors who are selling!! Won't last long though.

Tyler

dragon

Market grading huh? Is this the new in vogue term for overgraded, or is this the polite term like calling a raging lunatic "eccentric" ??

Dragon

Gilbert

ARCO

I have had an experience almost directly opposite yours. I have purchased some 30 - 35 coins from one of the large companies, expressed a little dissatisfaction with what this company called "the pick of the litter," and the company Prez was kind enough to offer to "personally evaluate" each and every coin.

Of course his opinion was essentially that the coins are "the pick of the litter," and my opinion remains that the company is a tad misleading in their published acquisition strategy.

Resolution: I order, evaluate, and return anything that doesn't meet what "I" define as "the pick of the litter." Of course, the better resolution would have been for the company (and/or its Prez) to say, we have a really eccentric/picky/exclusive (whatever suits your fancy) customer here WHO HAS DEFINED HIS CRITERIA IN WRITING; please do not send any coins that do not meet that criteria.

Bottom line: I am not wealthy and have to make the most out of my dollar.

I have found though, that no matter the company, or their advertisement, their priority number one SEEMS to be to bring in the dollars. Of course, there are exceptions - and I am still looking for them.

No, truly, I am just a picky so and so, I tell everyone that and hope we don't get bogged down in attempted transactions that aren't going to satisfy me. I hate to return merchandise; it makes me feel bad, and has the potential to disrupt cordial relationships. As a DEALER/SELLER, wouldn't you prefer to know in advance that customer number ? isn't going to be happy with this piece, so I won't send it, or is anyone interested in customers like me anymore?

mdwoods

From my own experience, I find that I usually grade a point or so higher than PCGS. But a little tougher than NGC, at least on Modern coins. Very modern coins to qualify that last statement. And there are exceptions to this as well.

And anyone that doesn't agree with me can force pimento stuffed green olives into their nostrils. (Could I have used the word nares instead of nostrils?)

P.S. If you want to see tough grading, check out the EACs standards.

RLinn

The reason I asked this question is that I have a number of Washington quarters and type coins I accquired raw in the 60s that I have been having slabbed lately. To my surprise many of them are coming back consistently 1-2 grades higher than I anticipated. The 70 point grading system wasn't used in the 60s (well maybe sparingly for early copper) but as it becaame the standard, I thought I was a reasonably good grader on coins I frequently graded. I have been finding it a real challenge to find coins that I think fit the slab grade. I wonder if the registry set craze has contributed to the problem in a positive or negative way? Maybe I'm just too picky.

nwcs

I follow the blended approach, more closely related to market than technical. Mainly because technical doesn't account for enough. If there are striking defects (rusted dies, die cracks, etc) they cannot be counted in a technical approach. But they are accounted for in a market approach. The issue is how much subjectivity do you allow in. Also market grading has one consolidated grade while technical grading has two grades. Easier to speak the same language. But ultimately, it is an opinion game.

RLinn

<< <i>ultimately, it is an opinion game. >>



So right! Its that "eye appeal" thing that everyone has a personal preference about. You know, toned or blast white; location of grade lowering marks bother some far more than others. I guess it really boils down to "Do I like the coin" for the collector and "Can get a fair profit" for the dealer.

Gilbert

RLinn

Washington quarters, pre 1964, have been an enigma to many. If I remember correctly, there isn't a complete text dedicated specifically to the series; yes, the doubled dies, and a Volume on the '30s and '40s, but no complete text. So generally, the standard (if you want to call it that) has been and continues to be determined by what the grading services think the market will accept. Another thing, and this is my opinion only, the Washington quarter dies SEEMED to produce so few well struck coins/or is it so many coins were struck per die, essentially until they crumbled, that we all agree when a coin is outstanding. Its the ones they show die-work and cracks, etc. that we tend to want to punish; the grading services seem less harsh.

Or is it all in my mind?

Dog97

My grading standards have not evolved over the years. I always have been and always will be a tech grader. I use descripitive adjectives to describe a coin rather than overgrading I mean market grading.

BlueCole

I tend to grade low 'cause i've just started grading, and i'd rather be wrong on the low side rather rthan the high side.

B.

ldhair

My standards have never changed. I have found a need to keep learning. I came up in the hobby when high grade MS was not near the concern it is today. Today every coin type is a different ball game. There is much to learn. A while back Supercoin gave me a quick grading lesson on Ike's. I never knew all the factors a person must look at. Silver and clad are graded differently, some years are cut some slack because most are not as nice as other years. There is so much to learn. I fear that by the time I get caught back up on all the grading, there will be a whole new list of concerns.