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Grading and Magnification

AndroidAndroid Posts: 726 ✭
in Q & A Forum
Do PCGS always use some sort of magnification when grading coins?

Thanks!

Andy
We are finite beings, limited in all our powers, and, hence, our conclusions are not only relative, but they should ever be held subject to correction. Positive assurance is unattainable. The dogmatist is the only one who claims to possess absolute certainty.

First POTD 9/19/05!!

Comments

  • homerunhallhomerunhall Posts: 2,496 ✭✭✭
    Depends on the coin and the grader. For example, I've always had to use a 5 power to grade 3 cent silvers...they are just way small. And full step Jeffersons...gotta put a glass on every coin. Some graders use a glass on almost every coin...some use a glass on 50% of the coins...some use a glass on 20% of the coins. It depends on what you're used to and whether your near-sighted, far-sighted, or normal-sighted.

    Here are a few interesting related thoughts.

    Nearly every grader/dealer in the world uses a regular light bulb. A few use halogen lights. There are two old timers that still use tensor lamps when they grade, PCGS founders John Dannreuther and yours truly. It's really a matter of what you're used to. I can look at a coin under a regular light bulb, but they look different. My brain has processed the look of millions of coins viewed ubder tensor lamp light. I simply see "more" with a tensor.

    Many world class graders are near-sighted. Near-sighted people have significant extra magnification close up. I would love to have lasik surgery, but I'm afraid I'd lose my coin grading "eye."
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