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Why do grades change/ never opened from original grading
oldguy
Posts: 176
in Q & A Forum
I have sent coins back in for grading, and they come back better, or sometimes lower.
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oldguy
Posts: 176
oldguy
Posts: 176
Comments
1. The coin may be a "liner," i.e. a coin that's right on the line quality-wise and could be view as one grade by many experts or a grade different by other experts. I think about 5% of coins are liners.
2. The coin may have changed. Maybe someone "dipped it" and it looks better, or worse.
Coin grading is not an exact science. That's why we use the consensus grading method at PCGS and no coin ever goes out without at least two experts agreeing on the final grade. The marketplace is pretty efficient and the liners will be re-submitted by dealers who specialize in this arbitrage. I think it all works pretty well. And I think the retail end user gets a nice product that's properly represented. While things aren't perfect nowadays, it's certainly a lot better for coin buying public than it was in the wild, wild West days before third party grading.
David