Have you honed your own personal grading skills?

Broadstruck · February 24, 2013 12:16AM

With all this daily talk about right/wrong plastic and stickers on the forums.

Hypothetically speaking if all the third party grading services and the secondary opinion company vanished tomorrow...

Would you be confident enough to continue collecting on your own ~ or ~ would you have to go hide under a rock

CoinZip · February 24, 2013 12:23AM

I was collecting before there was any TPG's......So I'm pretty sure I could manage just fine if they went POOF !!!!

Sonorandesertrat · February 24, 2013 12:25AM

Keep collecting. I was collecting coins before TPGs existed, and I still buy many pieces raw (especially large cents and historical medals).

roadrunner · February 24, 2013 12:28AM

I developed my grading skills in the 1971-1985 period. But I honed them during the rise of the TPG era 1986-1990 while raw coins still far outnumbered slabs. But that was the
first time I could easily compare my standards to another one that was widely held. Unfortunately, 20 years of aging has "unhoned" my grading skills more than I'd like.

ranshdow · February 24, 2013 12:57AM

Not enough to comfortably deal in anything, but my sense for grades in the series I collect isn't too bad. I've still got work to do detecting altered coins though.

During the Long Beach PCGS grading course we were given a 50-coin grading test. This consisted of grading from images projected on a screen, in about the time a typical professional grader does it- 30s to 1min per coin. Despite being tested on coins from series I really haven't looked at before, I did decently, meaning one score tier down from where the typical PCGS grader ended up. With enough practice in material I'm not used to I suspect I'd be pretty competent.

BillJones · February 24, 2013 12:57AM

I was a collector for over 20 years before the grading services came along. I think that I could make out without them again. When I had my major coins certified years ago, the only misses I had were on early copper, and I had issues with some of those.

coinbuf · February 24, 2013 1:02AM

I suspect that many here would be fine but as to the masses and newbies that would be another story. I beleive that I'm better now than say ten years ago with my favorite series.

ebaybuyer · February 24, 2013 1:11AM

there will always be difference of opinion, but without the TPG's people would have to learn how to grade what they collect. that being positive or negative is also a matter of opinion.

MidLifeCrisis · February 24, 2013 1:23AM

I would collect cheaper coins.

jmski52 · February 24, 2013 1:28AM

Nobody's perfect, but I always try to buy coins that I will like, and continue to like as time goes by. When I show a coin to someone and they say, "that's a nice coin", then I figure I did okay on the grading front.

mkman123 · February 24, 2013 1:31AM

I would trust some dealers in helping me if this scenario happened

TPRC · February 24, 2013 2:25AM

I came back to numismatics later than some, in about 1998, but I have studied it a lot. Been to coin college many times and taken grading, advanced grading, and authentication many times. I also attribute and grade coins for a dealer friend. So, I think I would be fine. Still, as primarily a collector, I don't handle coins every day, I get rusty, and so I do rely upon experts in the field often. I also don't buy much gold, so I am weaker in that area. I have often said that I think I could make a bad living buying and selling coins. So, I'll leave it to the experts.

Justacommeman · February 24, 2013 2:30AM

I've learned to grade to PCGS and NGC specs in my series. I've gotten good at it. Yes, I would be a little lost in the beginning on some issues outside of my comfort zone. MJ

ricko · February 24, 2013 2:37AM

I was collecting long before the Tpg's, however, using their graded coins as standards and comparing my decisions, has definitely honed my abilities. It is good to have consistency (as consistent as can be hoped for without computer grading) to help maintain a balance. Cheers, RickO

BryceM · February 24, 2013 2:53AM

I'd be reasonably comfortable with Peace Dollars, Walkers, and Barbers.

Even on these, I'd either spend less or lean on trusted dealers a bit more when buying at the edge of my comfort zone.

I'd probably get out of type collecting. There's no way to be an expert on everything.

I'd worry more about what would happen when it was time to sell.

ebaybuyer · February 24, 2013 4:19AM

if the TPG's vanished, some segments of the market may appear to have been valued artificially

ColonelJessup · February 24, 2013 5:06AM

Opthalmologist

MrEureka · February 24, 2013 5:17AM

Would you be confident enough to continue collecting on your own ~ or ~ would you have to go hide under a rock

Yes to both, because I know how to grade, and I know what I've sold.

Shamika · February 24, 2013 5:26AM

I would be fine as well. And considering price differences between grades would likely shrink, the risk becomes less.

johnny9434 · February 24, 2013 5:39AM

mine is not to bad. i still have plenty of trouble with gold though

leothelyon · February 24, 2013 8:06AM

I think the (+) grade has been a blessing is disguise for the true coin collectors who actually took the time to learn how to grade the coins they bought and now are reaping the rewards getting those plusses added to those carefully selected high quality coins. I've heard a 66+ is equal in points to a 67 graded coin. Not quite sure about that but that's what's in passing through my grapevine. Go to a long held collection and you don't see any plusses. Go to another collection and there are plusses. What's up with that?

USMoneylover · February 24, 2013 2:07PM

I am pretty confident in my grading abilities. There are situations where a grade level can effect price drastically, but many times when being off or having a difference of opinion +/- a grade doesn't really matter. I do feel that being able to spot problems on a coin is quite important.

Another thing that is also important that goes hand in hand with grading/tpg's is recognizing a genuine coin from a counterfeit. This is where I think even good graders might not have the experience to tell the difference. While there are no brainer cheap modern counterfeits that are easy to spot, there are definitely some "class A" counterfeits that can (and have) fooled the pros.

droopyd · February 25, 2013 4:15AM

I think I'd manage.

Elcontador · February 25, 2013 5:17AM

If I've looked at enough coins of a particular series in a particular grade, I'd say 'yes.'

When my mentor and Mark Feld agree with me on a number of occasions that a particular MS 66 Liberty Nickel is nice for the grade, I feel comfortable that I can grade them reasonably well. Ditto re a low to mid-grade AU Heraldic Eagle Bust $, and Gem Braided Hair Copper.

However, if you asked me about a coin of which I have not seen many in the particular grade, I'd need help.

krueger · February 25, 2013 5:23AM

"During the Long Beach PCGS grading course we were given a 50-coin grading test. This consisted of grading from images projected on a screen, in about the time a typical professional grader does it- 30s to 1min per coin. Despite being tested on coins from series I really haven't looked at before, I did decently, meaning one score tier down from where the typical PCGS grader ended up. With enough practice in material I'm not used to I suspect I'd be pretty competent."

Class was great , I was pleased too, scoring one point less then David Halls score. I surprised myself.
Problem is not enough daily practice to maintain it. With more study, practice and critique I could get alot better too.

Krueger

MrEureka · February 25, 2013 6:17AM

During the Long Beach PCGS grading course we were given a 50-coin grading test. This consisted of grading from images projected on a screen, in about the time a typical professional grader does it

Obviously, there's a big difference between grading in two dimensions and grading in three dimensions.

ModernDollarNut · February 25, 2013 7:51AM

I can grade Ikes, at least I could before I had my cataracts replaced by vision-correcting plastic lenses (before the surgery, 14 of 15 Ikes I submitted to CAC for a sticker got a sticker, can anyone top that?).

I can see better at night and in the rain so my driving under those conditions is now much safer.

But I lost my severe near-sightedness with the surgery.

Instead of having built-in 10X loupes, I now have to rely on a handheld loupe and literally am having to learn grading all over again.

The built in loupes, it turns out, were a solid foundation on which my grading skills were built, I just didn't appreciate that gift unitil I gained "normal" vision in December.

To stay somewhat On Topic, with no TPG's I'd be totally lost, helplessly lost, without a TPG holder's critically important attribute ("superlative") that I collect aggressively, "FIRST STRIKE".

How could I continue collecting my precious FIRST STRIKE's without those magic words on the holder's tag? All would be lost. I'll have nightmares tonight just thinking about that now.

Oh no! I was just told First Strike attribution has been abandoned by all the TPG's. How can that be??? Can I ever be satisfied with collecting just Very Early Die State Ike Dollars? Do you think that some day they will fill my numismatic heart with joy the way "FIRST STRIKE" has?

Rob

Have you honed your own personal grading skills?

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