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PCGS Grading versus the old time books
Coin Finder
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Whick old time grading book is PCGS most apt to be closest with?
For example, is PCGS grading closer to ANA standards or Photgrade or Brown and Dunn or Red book etc....
Mark
For example, is PCGS grading closer to ANA standards or Photgrade or Brown and Dunn or Red book etc....
Mark
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Comments
Brown and Dunn was a grading book from the 1960s that had line drawings of coins. The standards were much stricter than current standards, though some of the standards, such as three letters of LIBERTY showing for the VG grade of Seated coins and all letters showing for FINE, are still in use. Photograde came out in the early 1970s and was much more realistic, i.e. in tune with what the numismatic community was using. Both books concerned themselves with grading of circulated coins. The market focus since the mid-70s has been on the higher, i.e. Mint State grades. PCGS standards were based on the standards used by reputable dealers in the mid-1980s. The PCGS grading book reflects those standards.
David