If slabs never existed, would numerical grading still exist?

Aegis3

An apparently simple question. Obviously numerical grading can exist without slabs; after all, it has in the past. But let's say slabs never came about. We'll ANACS to still be issuing photocertificates for as long as they could, though w/o a guarantee they'd still be doing so now. So, would the system of numerical grading fail, and how would it fail? It would seem that if, eventually, all 11 numbers between 60 and 70 would get used w/o slabs, that the micro-differences in these grades might lead to a revolt. But would numbers such as 61, 62, 64, 66, 68, and 69 get introduced w/o slabs? Perhaps if the numbers used did not multiply numerical grading would still be around. So, I end without an answer. If there were no slabs, there may still be numerical grading, or perhaps not and we'd move back to descriptive grades (which frankly, I think would be a good thing). Thoughts?

MORGANHUNTER2

Yes

JRocco

This hobby did exist before the mid 80's.

Back then the uneducated collected with their wallets and left their brains home....
Today the uneducated collect with their plastic and leave their brains home....

Like they say...somethings never change.

edited to add... none of this rant is directed at you Aegis3, cause I know you have your stuff together.

Newmismatist

I think Sheldon proposed numerical grading in the 1940s - I think ANA started using it in the late 60s, or early 70s. Paramont used it on their slabs for the distribution of the Redfield hoard -

All of the above predate PCGS & NGC

TwoSides2aCoin

I'd only care about filling an empty hole in a Whitman folder with ANY old coin.
Slabs are for the real nice ones that should be protected, not necessarily for a numerical grade, but for preservation of condition.
I think the numerical grade helps establish market values as it pertains to INVESTMENTS.
Collecting them is still fun.

Stuart

Yes.

I personally don't think that there is anything inherently bad with numerical grading. However, in my opinion I feel that many collectors place too much commercial emphasis on the numeric grade, as opposed to appreciating coins for their true aesthetic beauty, symbolism and their historical significance.

SilverEagles92

Yes.

The Sheldon grading scale existed a long time before TPG's came about.

Boom

Ditto what Stuart said!

Aegis3

<< <i>Yes.

The Sheldon grading scale existed a long time before TPG's came about. >>



Since a few people said something like this & only this: but this only shows they can exist together, not that they would continue to do so. Since this definitely is a hypothetical, something more is needed to think that just because raw coins and numerical grades existed together in the past means they would continue to do so now if slabs were not around. (And also if you think numerical grades would no longer exist. As should be clear from my rambling first post, I have no idea which answer could make more sense.)

ricko

Grades existed before slabs. Slabs came into existance for authentication.. but grading quickly become a priority, particularly for those who cannot or will not learn to grade. It is now a crutch for dealers, flippers, speculators and neophytes. Cheers, RickO

garsmith

Numerical coin grading was around well before the TPG's and slabbing!

Writersblock

I think without slabs we would still have the numeric grading, but I seriously doubt that we would be using 11 MS grades More likely we would have 60, 63, 65, and 67 which is what we had a few years after the grading scale was adopted and before the slabs came about.



<< <i>Grades existed before slabs. Slabs came into existance for authentication.. but grading quickly become a priority, >>


Actually slabs came into existance for grading or more accurately "Hairsplitting grading". Authentication came about long before slabs and there were several companies doing it. ANACS spent 14 years weeding out the fake coins (And publishing the diagnostics that allowed a lot more of them to be weeded out by collectors and dealers.) before slabs, or PCGS came around.

JoeLewis

Yeah, I don't think we would have all the MS grades either.

09sVDB

I believe it already did and still does?

roadrunner

Close to 11 grades were already well in use years before slabbing hit in 1986. Many top graders at auction would grade coins on a scale
similar to this:

60
60+
60++
63
63+
63++
65
65+
65++
67
67+


Look familiar?
Even in the mid-1970's I used a system of 60, 60+, 60++, 60+++, 65, 65+, 65++

roadrunner