The Hobby Today
KurtHorn
Posts: 1,382 ✭
I was reading a thread on problems with the hobby... here are a few observations I couldn't hold back.
Cmon guys, consistency in grading is impossible because it is like trying to quantify whether a Picasso is better than a Rembrandt. It's an art not a science. Eye appeal is a stated part of the grading guidelines. What looks good to you, may not to me, what looks good to PCGS might not to ANACS. If you don't believe me, try submitting the same gold coins to both companies...
As far as over bidders on ebay,... you should quietly bless them all. They are some of the people responsible for our hot coin market. Without people like them, the coin you buy for $300 today is worth $280 when you die 75 years from now. It's their excitement for our hobby that grows our collections' worth.
My tag line is "Ebay is the great equalizer." The reason I say this is because although I've been involved with coins for over 30 years. Each time that I've grown disinterested was caused when I needed some cash badly and I would go to sell some coins. Any way that I would try to sell them,... my local club,... my local dealers,... whatever. I took a huge loss. Ebay allows a guy like me, who's honest, to buy and sell - increasing the quality and value of my stuff without taking huge losses. If one day someone bids way too heavy on something of mine... I don't feel guilty. In America the real value of something is what someone else wants to pay for it. If they get it and are disappointed, then they can contact me and I'll refund them and re-list it. (I don't say that's my policy openly because there are buyers out there who are scammers too and I don't want to send up flags saying: ABUSE ME!) Anyway, through Ebay I'm on a more level playing field with the big dealers. You know the kind... Sell it for $100,... buy it back 2 days later for $50 beacuse (boo hoo) they have to pay for their shop or their table or whatever. I respect they have to make a profit, but they don't have to try and gouge me, ebay protects me from being at their mercy.
My vote for today's worst problems... Ebay liars and scammers. This can be combatted through better education. I strongly encourage any of you who can afford it to attend ANA summer seminars. I went last summer and I learned a ton, even after 30 years in coins. My wife wrote an article about her experiences there. It's pages 46 and 47 of this month's ANA's Numismastist mag. Her picture is on page 47. A picture of our class is on page 46. I'm the ugly fat guy standing to her, on the left as you look at the photo.
Cheers and Holiday Greetings to all! Let the abuse begin!
Cmon guys, consistency in grading is impossible because it is like trying to quantify whether a Picasso is better than a Rembrandt. It's an art not a science. Eye appeal is a stated part of the grading guidelines. What looks good to you, may not to me, what looks good to PCGS might not to ANACS. If you don't believe me, try submitting the same gold coins to both companies...
As far as over bidders on ebay,... you should quietly bless them all. They are some of the people responsible for our hot coin market. Without people like them, the coin you buy for $300 today is worth $280 when you die 75 years from now. It's their excitement for our hobby that grows our collections' worth.
My tag line is "Ebay is the great equalizer." The reason I say this is because although I've been involved with coins for over 30 years. Each time that I've grown disinterested was caused when I needed some cash badly and I would go to sell some coins. Any way that I would try to sell them,... my local club,... my local dealers,... whatever. I took a huge loss. Ebay allows a guy like me, who's honest, to buy and sell - increasing the quality and value of my stuff without taking huge losses. If one day someone bids way too heavy on something of mine... I don't feel guilty. In America the real value of something is what someone else wants to pay for it. If they get it and are disappointed, then they can contact me and I'll refund them and re-list it. (I don't say that's my policy openly because there are buyers out there who are scammers too and I don't want to send up flags saying: ABUSE ME!) Anyway, through Ebay I'm on a more level playing field with the big dealers. You know the kind... Sell it for $100,... buy it back 2 days later for $50 beacuse (boo hoo) they have to pay for their shop or their table or whatever. I respect they have to make a profit, but they don't have to try and gouge me, ebay protects me from being at their mercy.
My vote for today's worst problems... Ebay liars and scammers. This can be combatted through better education. I strongly encourage any of you who can afford it to attend ANA summer seminars. I went last summer and I learned a ton, even after 30 years in coins. My wife wrote an article about her experiences there. It's pages 46 and 47 of this month's ANA's Numismastist mag. Her picture is on page 47. A picture of our class is on page 46. I'm the ugly fat guy standing to her, on the left as you look at the photo.
Cheers and Holiday Greetings to all! Let the abuse begin!
"Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." - William Faulkner
NoEbayAuctionsForNow
NoEbayAuctionsForNow
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Comments
I agree that the ANA Summer Seminar is an incredibly valuable experience but unfortunately not all that many people are able to attend. It would be great if there were other effective ways to educate buyers. We've all "paid tuition" as we spend time in the hobby, but so many people are out there buying stuff worth ten cents on the dollar.
I understand that ebay needs to walk a fine line with respect to policing things, but the thing they could do right now is ban the listing of repros in the regular categories. There's no reason to allow that to continue.
New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.
NoEbayAuctionsForNow
President, Racine Numismatic Society 2013-2014; Variety Resource Dimes; See 6/8/12 CDN for my article on Winged Liberty Dimes; Ebay
I took the ANA grading seminar recently. I would encourage everyone to do so. Learned a lot and made new friends.
Knowledge is the enemy of fear
On grading, I'll only add that, as imperfect as the top tier TPGs are, it is a huge improvement from the grading abuses in the pre-slab era. It's still somewhat subjective, but consistent enough amoung the top tier TPGs such that a much more reliable industry standard is set -- for raw and for slabbed coins.
<< <i>Nice post Kurt. I like your tag line, too -- very relevant. On grading, I'll only add that, as imperfect as the top tier TPGs are, it is a huge improvement from the grading abuses in the pre-slab era. It's still somewhat subjective, but consistent enough amoung the top tier TPGs such that a much more reliable industry standard is set -- for raw and for slabbed coins. >>
Coinhusker, I totally agree. What I was commenting on was the slamming of some of the top TPG's. I do not find that the top 4 go, 1, 2, 3, 4. I have cracked coins from one TPG holder to another and my success rate does not show clear evidence that one is absolutely better than another. Plus the re-submitting for a higher grade I find happens because of the subjectivity of grading, not because there is some conspiracy amongst the TPG's. Some of those grading standards have changed over the years, but only because they reflect "market" grading. One last observation on TPG's. I find the net grading of ANACS to be very helpful. What it does for coins with problems is also a large improvement in the TPG industry. There should be some industry standards for coins that are still very collectable even though they may have a minor problem. I wish all the TPG's did this net grading instead of body bagging.
NoEbayAuctionsForNow
<< <i>I took the ANA grading seminar recently. I would encourage everyone to do so. Learned a lot and made new friends. >>
Absolutely recommend this for everyone. You gain a whole new level of confidence in your grading. And it's fun. And you see lots of great coins. I'm hoping to possibly -- possibly -- do the summer seminary for advanced grading.