Coin grading and the Magic Dragon.

Coinstartled

Along with ownership of an 1804 Dollar, the other stairway to the pinnacle of numismatics is the ability to accurately grade a coin.

Before I bought my first old coin in 2001, I was an ambitious but under skilled amateur astronomer. Rather than a decent loupe and a 60 watt desk lamp, the tools for success were much more daunting. Quality scopes with massive light gathering capacity were not only expensive, but heavy and quite cumbersome. ...and from the perspective of earth, the target was always moving. Finding a good dark (and hopefully clear) sky was a challenge in itself.

Coins are simple to observe by comparison. There they are, in your hand, all 15 to 40 plus millimeters right there in front of you.

...and raw, you have a substantial advantage over the crossover and bean type graders, you get to see everything. No part of the coin is obstructed by old plastic holders or prongs in the newer plastic.

Sally forth and have confidence, faithful comrades. It ain't rocket science.

Insider2

@Coinstartled said:
Along with ownership of an 1804 Dollar, the other stairway to the pinnacle of numismatics is the ability to accurately grade a coin.

Before I bought my first old coin in 2001, I was an ambitious but under skilled amateur astronomer. Rather than a decent loupe and a 60 watt desk lamp, the tools for success were much more daunting. Quality scopes with massive light gathering capacity were not only expensive, but heavy and quite cumbersome. ...and from the perspective of earth, the target was always moving. Finding a good dark (and hopefully clear) sky was a challenge in itself.

Coins are simple to observe by comparison. There they are, in your hand, all 15 to 40 plus millimeters right there in front of you.

...and raw, you have a substantial advantage over the crossover and bean type graders, you get to see everything. No part of the coin is obstructed by old plastic holders or prongs in the newer plastic.

Sally forth and have confidence, faithful comrades. It ain't rocket science.

Actually IT IS.

Just as your foray into astronomy, how we look at things - the tools we use - matter. You can see more stars with binoculars than with your unaided eyes. A telescope is much better than either.

AUandAG

For someone, like me, that can't take a decent pic of the moon, grading is quite daunting......I'm probably not the first to admit that PCGS and I are about 50/50 on agreements.

bob
PS: glad I can view your photos of space/stars/etc from the ease of my chair....keep up the good work, always fascinating stuff out there!!

tradedollarnut

I think one’s mind is either wired for it or not. I have never studied photgrade for circulated coins ...and I don’t collect them...but I can guesstimate a circulated grade most of the time just from a feel for the amount of wear

Kkathyl

The other company who's name we are not to mention is offering pictures and a very very cheap price. I am thinking about sending my coins because I still cant seem to take pictures at the quality level as you all do. the reason I say this is because I think that you all do magic with those pics. I can see much more details then i can with naked eyes in a high quality picture.

Coinstartled

@Insider2 said:

@Coinstartled said:
Along with ownership of an 1804 Dollar, the other stairway to the pinnacle of numismatics is the ability to accurately grade a coin.

Before I bought my first old coin in 2001, I was an ambitious but under skilled amateur astronomer. Rather than a decent loupe and a 60 watt desk lamp, the tools for success were much more daunting. Quality scopes with massive light gathering capacity were not only expensive, but heavy and quite cumbersome. ...and from the perspective of earth, the target was always moving. Finding a good dark (and hopefully clear) sky was a challenge in itself.

Coins are simple to observe by comparison. There they are, in your hand, all 15 to 40 plus millimeters right there in front of you.

...and raw, you have a substantial advantage over the crossover and bean type graders, you get to see everything. No part of the coin is obstructed by old plastic holders or prongs in the newer plastic.

Sally forth and have confidence, faithful comrades. It ain't rocket science.

Actually IT IS.

Just as your foray into astronomy, how we look at things - the tools we use - matter. You can see more stars with binoculars than with your unaided eyes. A telescope is much better than either.

Well not always. Binocular viewing offers many advantages in certain applications. Many prefer them for deep space observation.

Insider2

@Coinstartled said: "Well not always. Binocular viewing offers many advantages in certain applications. Many prefer them for deep space observation.

Yours are larger than my 11X80.

Insider2

@Kkathyl said:
The other company who's name we are not to mention is offering pictures and a very very cheap price. I am thinking about sending my coins because I still cant seem to take pictures at the quality level as you all do. the reason I say this is because I think that you all do magic with those pics. I can see much more details then i can with naked eyes in a high quality picture.

Kath,

Very often a photographic image allows an authenticator to see more on the surface of a coin than using a microscope!

ricko

As I advance chronologically, I am finding I depend a bit more on magnification. I used to be able to judge a coin - in hand - fairly accurately without an aid....although I usually had a loupe with me for judging details. Now, however, the loupe or other magnifier is really required. Cheers, RickO

Jimnight

When I'm spending money on coins... I feel safer buying TPG coins.