teenager grading at PCGS

PTVETTER

I heard that PCGS has at least one teenager grading at pcgs. I believe he speaks english very well, not saying the same for some of the other graders. LOL

What are you though's about who is grading Your coins??

Russ

In my business, I've learned that one should never judge the skill level of others based solely on age.

Russ, NCNE

clevegreg

Good point Russ, especially in your business, but I have heard for years that PCGS takes college kids and "teaches" them how to grade. I'm glad that someone else has heard the same.

Greg

PTVETTER

I agree, but experance takes some time

kieferscoins

He is very knowledgable and has been in the business for years. His name is Ryan Carol and he taught in the advanced coin grading class last year at the ANA summer seminar on behalf of PCGS. I would trust my coins with him any day and would rather have young eyes than older eyes grading my coins. here are the grading teachers:



Cameron Kiefer

NBSQLGeek

Yeah college kids are cheaper labor. Im fresh out of school and my company hired me dirt cheap to build and manage databases. Bonus is after 2 years Ill be making $80K.

One draw back on the college kids, is its risky, do they really want to work or are they gonna be slackers?

LucyBop

Yeah! The Young Kiddy-o's have great eyesight! Whomever the old guy was that gave my Frankie a ms62 needs new glasses!

clevegreg

Hey kiddy, I resemble that eye remark ...LOL

kieferscoins

Lets not turn this into a rag on college kid worker threads. Within the coin hobby college kids and Yn's in general work hard to get a job because they are far and few between. When one appears they don't slack because the chance of doing your favorite hobby and get paid for it is the chance of a lifetime.

Cameron Kiefer

PTVETTER

This is just a Qusetion but I am concerned with PCGS staying in busness.
Just look at what is going on the busness side.
Reverse stock split
Rick leaving for NO apperant reason (I don't think it was the weather)

truthteller

Kiefer,

Please, oh, please don't tell me that photo is of the PCGS grading room.

TRUTH

kieferscoins

That is inside a Colorado College classroom. The windows were taped and the lamps were on. They were posting the grades we gave each coin on the board and you can kind of see how off we were on some. Ryan Carol was giving his grade on the coin. Notice the abundance of drinks on the table. Mountain dew was popular with them.


Here is when they were wearing Dunkin Doughnut hats:


Cameron Kiefer

NBSQLGeek

Colleges still ahve chalk boards?

LucyBop

Cameron Kiefer can grade my Frankies anyday!!!!

PTVETTER

I have three shipments in to be graded, Mayby I should have waited?
Oh well that's life.
I'll take a few good grades for Christmas.

HO ho HO

LucyBop

Hmmmm.... PTVETTER, I'm sure your sending in some winged libertys, I hope Santa is good to you and you get some high grades...

tompkins

<< <i>Notice the abundance of drinks on the table >>

Are the drinks for dipping the coins to make sure the fingerprints stick??

Blackhawk

You're probably just saying that because you used a loupe to see that all his grades on the blackboard were MS66 and higher.

a2labmom

To me, it doesn't matter the age of the person grading my coin(s). What matters is their knowledge and expertise. I could care less if it was a 18 year old or a 58 year old. Just so they grade fairly and accurately.

PTVETTER

Grader fairly and accurately. Do you mean the First time

darktone

From what I hear Ryan Carol is one of the best graders of modern and classic coins in the business and I have the utmost respect for a person so young to reach a level of excellence such as this. mike

Legend

Nothing to fear. Ryan is regarded as capable and competent.

Teenage wiz kids are nothing new. There have been many who have gone on to HUGE successes:

Jim Halperin (owns some small Texas company!)

Kevin Lipton ( who is acknowledged to be one of the brightest dealers ever.

Mark Slazberg (runs NGC)

Eric Streiner (who now at 21 sold a $10 million dollar deal-the Nafzger Large Cent Collection and who at 25 was semi-retired)

Jason Carter (a world class wholesale dealer who at 19 reached "superstar status")

Micheal Berkman-the new kid on the block. He is currently attending college in his spare time. At 17 he began working for one of the largest "wholesalers" in the biz.

The list goes on (I'm sure there are many names I have missed). ALL these guys are REAL grading wiz's. They have all (except young Mr. Berkmn who I think just turned 18) have gone on to reach the very top leve;es of our business. Ryan is in the same class as all the "superstars" listed above.Its amazing, but they ALL have incredible natural ablities.


Laura Sperber
lsperber1@hotmail.com

Dog97

So who was that company that used winos from Labor Finders?

Coin Finder

None of those graders looks 18!!

Whaich one is he??

18 years is not that young if you have studied coins since you were 5.

Tbig

kieferscoins

In the first picture he is the one on the right. He isn't in the second picture I posted.

Cameron Kiefer

Ogden

How do you grade fairly when pops are parts of your grading? Seem like so often going to a grade that increases the value considerably is difficult to attain. If it should, it should, if not, not. Don't look at the pop, just grade the coin and let the chips fall where they may.


Ogden

KoinKollector

I heard that hes stuck grading modern coins all day.

Johnscoin

I'll second several of the thoughts on Ryan's grading skills. I've known him for some 7 or 8 years from attending the summer seminar. He's a nice guy and an impressive grader. So, have no fear over his grading skills.His dad is also a big time dealer in Florida, for whom Ryan worked with before going on to PCGS after high school.

wingedliberty

I boils down to this.


1.Experience says alot, but the individual talent is everything.
2.I know a teenager who has 90% penetration of getting the grades he wants with the big three
services. He is simply good at grading. I also know those who have been dealers for 40 years who
cant tell the difference between VF and AU.

misterR

Does this explain the change in the grading standards for business strike Ike dollars in the last year? There must be some reason for the change.

Cam40

Does this explain the change in the grading standards for business strike Ike dollars in the last year?
Seems likely,the kid has had it drilled into his head to grade those giant moderns with an electron microscope huh.They sure dont grade anything like a Morgan.Its a time-factor issue obviously.
Really old coins get more benefit in grade,especially Keys and popular varieties.

supercoin would probably have the skinny on past and current Ike grades.I,d like to hear him weigh in on this...

misterR

If the kid is grading all the "modern" submissions maybe using one of the more expensive levels (for business strike Ikes) could be the answer to the problem. Just a thought.

airplanenut

<< <i>Here is when they were wearing Dunkin Doughnut hats: >>

Krispy Kreme, Cameron... not Dunkin Donuts

kieferscoins

<< <i>Krispy Kreme, Cameron... not Dunkin Donuts >>



Sorry, I don't know the difference.

Cameron Kiefer

dragon

Hmmmmm........I had heard that PCGS recently hired Stevie Wonder as a finalizer, perhaps that would account for the fingerprint issue.


dragon

LucyBop

PCGs needs to hire the HepKitty, I betcha all the Franklin people would be happy with the grades they would be getting! And HepDaddyHall would love the music I would be playing!

dorkkarl

"why must i be a teenager in lo-ove"

hey lucy bop, dion & the belmonts, right? or was it just dion solo?

K S

LucyBop

Correct Mr. Karl, Dion and the Belmonts, a killer classic 50s ballad!!!!

KlectorKid

<< <i>Sorry, I don't know the difference. >>

How can u write a smiley after saying that! KrispyKreme and Dunkin Donuts are totally differant!

Gilbert

Sorry for posting so late in this thread, but I couldn't help noticing this comment:

I've known him for some 7 or 8 years from attending the summer seminar.


So, Johnscoins, has this kid (no offense intended) been teaching or grading for PCGS since he was ten or eleven? You've confused me.

kieferscoins

<< <i>So, Johnscoins, has this kid (no offense intended) been teaching or grading for PCGS since he was ten or eleven? You've confused me. >>



I know what Johnscoins meant. He meant that he has known him for the last 7 or 8 years - He was a YN at the summer seminar for years but did not grade for PCGS when he was 10. He probably showed his good grading ability then also. You can tell the YN's that have it at the seminar. They know what they are talking about and even the adults ask for opinions from them.

Cameron Kiefer

Mike31415

I've known Ryan Carroll for several years now and I consider him to have one of the best eyes in the coin business. I would trust him to grade anything from proof Jefferson nickels to a gem $20 St, before he started grading at PCGS he bought and sold thousands of coins with the best in the business and was very successful. We need more graders like Ryan!!

Mike

Johnscoin

Sorry to confuse. Thanks Cameron for the clarification.
I've known Ryan for 7 or 8 years, and he worked for his father at that moment, quite succesfully.
He's only been at PCGS for almost a year now I think?

ANACONDA

My opinion.....



Age has very little to do with competency when it comes to grading coins. It has some, but very little.

Obviously you need to be old enough to have seen many coins in holders - your recollections of those viewings are the programming for your "hard drive".

Your memory, your confidence and the quality of your micro processor are the main elements to a person's ability to grade coins.

The ability to recall information is governed to some degree by intellect but they don't overlap too much. Both are important for good grading skills.

adrian

clevegreg

Well from my last submission, it appears to me that either the "hard drive" they are using is corrupted, or they need to upgrade their micro processor

Greg

Bear

As long as coins are graded correctly and consistantly,

they can have a monkey do it and I wont care.The only caveat,

is that the monkey must keep its fingerprints off the coins.

MrKelso

Young Whipper Snappers Good at least we got some fresh eye's that can see over there because from what i have been reading the old eye's haven't been doing such a good job.

BigE

I'm sending in a loli-pop with my next submission-----------------BigE