St. Patti's Day question: Is grading becoming more like throwing darts?...

dizzyfoxx

...It just takes a little breeze to go from a bulls-eye to missing the board... But just give the dart a few more throws and you'll eventually hit the bulls-eye.

Myqqy

But just give the dart a few more throws and you'll eventually hit the bulls-eye.

Just what exactly are you trying to say??

seatedcollector

the fundamentals of grading change with every person that handles the coin. i can see how one grading service may not see something as minute as friction (from wear) on a coin, while another service may imagine its there when it isnt. hell, its not like they are experts or anything. what i find especially difficult to understand is how a coin with AU details but cleaned becomes an XF theoritically, if a coin has unc details, but has three scratches, two holes, is cleaned and then scratched again it is an AG ? no, its a BU coin with damage. an XF coin that is cleaned is an XF coin that has been cleaned. maybe that just makes too much sense.

Coppernicus

This kind of thread is just sour grapes to me. So, you think PCGS graders are just throwing darts? I'll guess you didn't get the grades you had hoped for. In my submission experience, I have received fair grades (admittedly, only on Lincoln wheats).

Oh sure, I had hoped for one grade better on some, but I wouldn't turn my disappointment into a criticism of the PCGS graders. Rather, I first look at my "owner's bias" and try to do better next time.

Chances are, your problem is not being a strict enough grader rather than PCGS throwing darts. On the PCGS crackouts I've submitted in hopes of a higher grade, almost all of them have come back at the same grade. Pretty consistent in my book.

Mike

LincolnsRule

I'm with the darts theory. I've had crackouts come back 2 grades lower. I'll send in three similar submissions, one I'm 100% right, one I get lke 0% right, the other may even have some overgraded coins. It's all whos doing the grading that day. (or where the dart lands).

LincolnsRule

I've learned there is a VERY fine line beteen say ms66 and ms64. Take a coin that would be an easy ms67 except for one hit. Is that hit small enough to only knock it to ms66, or is it large enough to knock it out of gem? It's a dart throw every time.

jom

<< <i>But just give the dart a few more throws and you'll eventually hit the bulls-eye. >>



Unfortunately, most of the time the dart ends up sticking me in the ass.

jom

Steve27

"Is grading becoming more like throwing darts?..."

No, it always has been.

Hobbyist

Ever see dart competitions on TV? The camera typically focuses in on one, very small area of the board that the thrower will be trying to hit on that turn and the thrower almost always hits that one small area.

A pro is going to hit the mark almost all the time or just miss is by a very small amount. A wire hugger so to speak. Very rarely, they might miss the number by one slice of the pie or flub it totally.

An experienced thrower, like myself, is going to hit what they aim at most of the time but there will be more scatter, more misses, larger errors and more total flubs.

Someone who has little skill whatsoever will only hit their number mostly by luck and may miss the board altogether.

So, in a real sense, throwing darts might not be a bad analogy.

fc

the only reason people truly care about a one point
difference in grade is the money.

i am happy if my coin is graded au53 or 55. i really do not care
for this whole crackout upgrade game nonsense.