With increased competition, how can a numismatic cataloger distinguish himself once review time come

Longacre

It is getting close to year end, and with it, that lovely process called annual performance reviews. Although I do not want to address my question specifically to the Stack’s/ANR merger and the increased team/competition there, it probably applies generally to the entire universe of professional numismatic catalogers at the various firms.

How exactly does a professional cataloger distinguish himself among the other masses of catalogers at their firm? It would seem to be difficult to quantify the value that a good cataloger brings to a particular sale, even though we all agree that a well written catalog results in higher prices realized. In the tax world, quantifying your existence to an employer is very easy (you list how you saved the company/client $100 million dollars in taxes, and compare that to the pittance that The Man pays you annually). However, for a squishier position like a cataloger, how exactly does one go about defending your existence, especially if you are a member of a large cataloging team? Is this dilemma unique to catalogers in terms of quantifying their benefit to their employer, or can it also apply to photographers (good pictures sell more coins), good consignment directors (good ones get more consignments), good catalog layout people (good looking catalogs sell more coins), etc.?

ABC123

Buy the Coin, not the Holder or Hype !