Coin Week video of PCGS grading contest at summer ANA - how would you do looking over the shoulder?

roadrunner

Anaheim ANA PCGS grading challenge



I don't know if this was posted before or not in the grading challenge thread last month. The search feature was useless using key words. Found the test worthwhile though it takes 30 minutes. There are no + signs so don't worry about that.



An interesting test looking over the shoulder of Charles Morgan, Coin Week editor. He scored 5/20 correct and 7 close. I didn't get a great look at all the coins but managed 7/20 and 6 close (within 1 pt or 1 grade). I had 7 that were 2 grades or more off. I think I'd have done a little better with coin in hand and a loupe. This is like trying to grade coins through a bourse display case. To make it fair I realized after the first coin that I needed to turn the sound off as to not be influenced by Charles' comments.



Per Ron Guth, he said 5-10 correct was pretty typical of collectors and average dealers. He suggested 80% could be hit by TPG graders.

bigjpst

Thanks for posting the video. I got 5 right from the video. 1 right grade wrong designation with 8 within one point +_. Out of the remaining I was 2 points over on all but one that I was thinking 62 they called AU. with a couple being coins that Mr Guth believed were knocked for distracting toning. Likely technically correct.

Eye opening comments on how much toning can affect a coins grade. Makes a lot of sense though considering grading is basically putting a value on the coin as much as determining the condition.



So now I know I can sort of grade in a video, time to learn with real coins

hchcoin

Cool video.

ricko

Interesting... I will try this later (have some appointments this morning)... Cheers, RickO

roadrunner

About a third of the coins you don't get much of a "look" from the camera. For the 4 $20 gold coins, trade dollar, 1867 25c, 1880-0 $, 1937 proof buff the look was pretty brief. I got all the $20 gold coins wrong...funny since it's one of the series I'm most familiar with.



There are no cleaned coins or genuine holders here....no + signs either. Just grade them rather than looking for trap coins.



I was sort of surprised on the variability for eye appeal as well. On one coin Ron felt it was a gem on luster and marks....yet the eye appeal was lacking and it was hammered -2 pts. Of course, we don't get to interview the actual set of graders who did these coins. Ron is there to make that interpretation of PCGS standards with these particular coins.



I called one of the coins MS65 and it was an AU55 with nearly full luster. We're only getting a 3-5 second look per side here and the coin is typically being moved during that time. Grading a moving target has some challenges.