Somewhat Off Topic: You coins and coin pictures in the grading challenge

stujoe

<FONT face=Times size=4>I posted this in another thread but thought I would create a new one also...

I am always looking for coins to put up in the grading challenge. So, if anyone has a coin of theirs that they would like to see in the challenge, let me know. Raw, Slabbed, MS, Circ, Classic, Modern, Common or Key. It doesn't matter. As long as the picture is clear, about 400x400 pixels in size (I can always shrink larger pictures), and is about the same quality of picture that you usually see on the Grading Challenge (and I see pictures here all the time that are much better than the ones I take), I am open to putting it up. The only other thing is that it has to be your coin picture so as to avoid any copyright issues. I always offer to provide a credit and a link to auctions, website, etc.

Same goes with the museum pictures. I am always looking for great coins (great can mean a lot of things from beautiful to interesting to ????) to feature there too. I really only use 1900-Present coins there right now but if I had enough other stuff to feature, I would expand it over time to include all US coins.

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EVillageProwler

Hi,

Not to be a pain in the butt, but what do you hope to gain from this grading challenge? It is generally accepted that it's very difficult to grade from a 2-D image because you can't swivel the coin to check for hairlines, depth of contrast and luster. A 2-D image is ok for discerning detail and marks, but that's only a small part of grading.

Regards,

EVP

dwood

I find its "good practice." True, you can't accurately grade a coin without hoding it (even a 3D image wouldn't tell you critical things such as color, weight, etc), but this challenge is good for honing one's eye for an initial grade from which to work. Sometimes I'm off by 2-3 grades, but I try to make an assessment within 10-20 seconds and go with it. On the series I collect, I'm usually within a grade of the concensus. I like it, and greatly appreciate the effort/opportunity!

darktone

True you really can't grade from an on-line image but I buy several thousand dollars worth of coins each year from on-line sources and I only have digital pictures and scans to go by in determining if I will buy or not so any help I can get from a "grading challenge" would be greatly appreciated. I really like when fellow forum members do guess the grade threads as these not only sharpen my on-line grading skills it also helps me see how others percieve the same image and this helps in my buying and selling. I have seveal coin pictures I can donate. mike

stujoe

!. Entertainment.

2. Fun.

3. Maybe a little education and hobby promotion.

Yes, it is difficult to impossible to grade an actual coin from a photo. One thing I say on my site is that you cannot grade the coin I have in my hand only what you see on the screen. That is why I don't post "The Grae" of the coin whether it be in a slab or a 2x2. You can only grade what you see on your screen. It matters little if the coin is EF but the picture makes it look VF. You are going by what it looks like in the picture, not the actual coin.

Now, I think people can grade circulated coins rather well from a decent photo. The standards are more defined for them, the grade range is broader, and you are working off of visual details more than anything else.

MS coins are a different story although you can tell strike, marks and some idea of eye appeal from a photo. Lustre is a different matter, though and that is important to an actual grade. However, I still think it can be useful and educational and help inexperienced graders get an idea. If they are grading it MS66 and the spike is at MS63 or the other way around, it might be educational for them.

Even with all of the limitations above and some I haven't mentioned (hardware being one), after a hundred or two hundred votes, There is more often than not, a bell curve with a 'consensus' grade winning out. Sure there are some grades way up or way down (and some coins end up with multiple spikes or a flatter range) but the same thing would happen if I handed a coin to one hundred people of various grading expertise and experience and said "Grade It."

stujoe

<< <i>True you really can't grade from an on-line image but I buy several thousand dollars worth of coins each year from on-line sources and I only have digital pictures and scans to go by in determining if I will buy or not so any help I can get from a "grading challenge" would be greatly appreciated. I really like when fellow forum members do guess the grade threads as these not only sharpen my on-line grading skills it also helps me see how others percieve the same image and this helps in my buying and selling. I have seveal coin pictures I can donate. mike >>



Yes! You can't grade the coin I have in my hand (or the someone else's hand) but you can grade what you see which is going to be quite close to what others see too! Thanks.

mbbiker

I think they are good, they help me learn how much wear can be on a coin. I don't see alot of coins because there is no dealers near me and only 1 show a year so these guess the grade threads help me with my grading 364 days a year even if it is only 2D. I also think a guess the grade is a way for people to show off there new coins.

HillbillyJim

STUJOE... You have a great numismatic site going, thanks for sharing.


Jimmy

stujoe

Thanks Jimmy. And thanks for the new addition(s):


http://www.thestujoecollection.com/museum/halves/btwboard.htm