For those who will admit that you don't want to know how to grade like a pro...

dorkkarl

i say, more power to ya!

K S

MrEureka

i say, more power to ya!

Until it's time to sell.

dorkkarl

i'm not selling!!!

K S

aem4162

i don't know how to grade like a pro. easy to admit.

roadrunner

The biggest mistake collectors can make is grading like a pro. YOUR STANDARDS HAVE TO BE TOUGHER THAN THE PROS. That limits your margin for error on coins that are close or liners. Pro grading limits your upside if you are grading like everyone else. While you may have to pass on some coins that you are a bit too tough on, you will minimize or eliminate your mistakes. And mistakes are very hard to recover from. It's more so the mistakes, and not the winners, that decimate the value of your collection. For people like Dorkkarl it doesn't matter what things cost, so by association, it doesn't really matter if you grade good or bad. Money is no object, just buy what you like, whether it's $900 for a shipwreck 1858-0 AU half dollar or a PVC covered 1909s vdb cent.

Your conservatism will also be rewarded by holding higher-end coins, and ultimately getting PQ or next grade money for them down the road. You will always find coins to buy with your money, no matter how tough you are. The money always runs out regardless of one's standards. There is always another nice coin just around the corner.

No, you really don't want to grade like a pro unless you plan on being in the business day to day. And for every person that grades a little too tight, there is someone who is grading a tad too loose.
That's the dealer who ultimately goes out of business or the collector who realizes he got the shaft and leaves the hobby. By grading a tad tighter, when you do make a slight mistake by calling a coin PQ when it might be average, you won't lose anything. And this is going to happen to you time and time again. On the flip side, that PQ coin you snared for typical money, might just upgrade someday.

roadrunner