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70 points not enough; will 100 point grading scale do? No way we need a 200 point scale with designa
CarlWohlforth
Posts: 11,074 ✭
100 points isn't enough. Right now we use 70 points to grade a coin. However the coin could be high end, low end or average for the grade. That is 3 different grades for each grade. 3 * 70 is about 200.
But wait! We also need a designation. The coin could be fully struck (full this, full that). It could be red, brown or blue. It could be proof like. It might be nicely toned, or ugly toned. Heck, let's allow as many designations as needed. I do believe I have one very well struck, nicely toned Lincoln that really needs the Red, FS and PL designations.
Standards change over time. Or maybe they don't. How can we tell? All grades must be labeled with the date the opinion was rendered. That this is clearly required is so obvious I will say no more on the subject.
We all want to know if a coin has been dipped. We also care very much exactly how a coin came to be toned the way it is. Therefore it makes sense to have a toning/dip qualification. You know, old dip w/ Wayte Raymond album toning, monster 2 sided bag toning, recent Taco Bell napkin toning, etc...
VAMs? Die marriages? RPMs? Errors? Of course these must be pointed out. There will be no cherry picking for certified coins if they are properly labeled.
Certain numismatic experts are highly respected. Naturally we want to know if they have looked at a particular coin and if they give it the thumbs up or not. Eagle, Green beanie, 4 +s and so on.
So to fully describe a coin one might need a pretty large label. What's the longest "grade" you can come up with?
But wait! We also need a designation. The coin could be fully struck (full this, full that). It could be red, brown or blue. It could be proof like. It might be nicely toned, or ugly toned. Heck, let's allow as many designations as needed. I do believe I have one very well struck, nicely toned Lincoln that really needs the Red, FS and PL designations.
Standards change over time. Or maybe they don't. How can we tell? All grades must be labeled with the date the opinion was rendered. That this is clearly required is so obvious I will say no more on the subject.
We all want to know if a coin has been dipped. We also care very much exactly how a coin came to be toned the way it is. Therefore it makes sense to have a toning/dip qualification. You know, old dip w/ Wayte Raymond album toning, monster 2 sided bag toning, recent Taco Bell napkin toning, etc...
VAMs? Die marriages? RPMs? Errors? Of course these must be pointed out. There will be no cherry picking for certified coins if they are properly labeled.
Certain numismatic experts are highly respected. Naturally we want to know if they have looked at a particular coin and if they give it the thumbs up or not. Eagle, Green beanie, 4 +s and so on.
So to fully describe a coin one might need a pretty large label. What's the longest "grade" you can come up with?
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Comments
I doubt that coin grading will ever go past a single number, as these numeric coin grades are generally used as an index into a pricing table.
Eight dimensional pricing tables are not pretty.
I will now only collect PCGS MS159FSUTPLBTSSB coins - full strike ugly toned proof like best thing since sliced bread coins.....
<< <i>if they change to a 100 point system, I'm selling my entire collection and leaving numismatics for good. There's no logical reason to change from the current system that can be justified. >>
Ha, Ha! If that gets boring then you can narrow it down to coins of that grade that were graded between 2006 and 2008.
How about grading each side of the coin like ANACS did back in the 80s? They graded each of 3 qualities for each side...
<< <i>A coin has so many dimensions to it, you cannot describe it in a single number. >>
Which is why we need to use the HSV color model to represent multiple dimensions of a coin's grade. This can then be mapped into Dutch Boy™ paint color names, which will be the overall grade of the coin.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
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-David
Edited to add:
Taco Bell napkin toning, etc
I have a Silver eagle that's been wrapped in a taco bell napkin for two years.... it's as white as the day it was made. Can I get a toning resistent designation?
K S
<< <i>Coins should be graded like diamonds i.e. different scores for different features. I would suggest three grades per coin; one each for Strike, Wear/Marks, and Color. >>
did not anacs used to do that with their older "slabs"?
i always thought that was pretty cool.
I'm with you!!
"“Those who sacrifice liberty for security/safety deserve neither.“(Benjamin Franklin)
"I only golf on days that end in 'Y'" (DE59)
No, Thanks!
Gardnerville, NV
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For longest grade, I would say a good auction catalog description is adequate, though for most coins out there this is way overkill. Coins worthy of these descriptions receive them (or can have them written), while most others fit nicely into the 70 point system.
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2 - 5
3 - 10
4 - 20
6 - 25
8 - 30
10 - 35
12 - 40
15 - 45
20 - 50
25 - 55
30 - 60
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I think LincolnCentMan’s suggestion to use all the numbers, 1 through 70 would make sense and that wouldn’t really change anything too much but if we did then I’d have even more buyers saying things like “NO WAY is that Walker an Extra Fine 48, 47 defiantly, but no way is that a 48!”
Yeah...that's the ticket... let's really make this hobby so complicated that only people with advanced degrees in Math and Physics could even come to grasp it...
...there is an expression I one heard ... K.I.S.S.
GEE!!!.....................................WHAT WOULD BU BE?????????
If we're going to all that trouble, why not just use pictures and words to describe the coin's condition?
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
<<WHAT WOULD BU BE?>>
In case it wasn't obvious I'm making fun of all the precision implied by the current scale and how so many feel the need to get stickers or break it down further. Hey, I'm guilty too! I describe some coins as PQ, high end for grade or should be PL not DMPL.
It is refreshing to buy holey coins for my hat...
My solution to this problem is much simpler.
Simply assign a grade such as MS64.38 and we can live with what we have.
Of course, each coin, especially MS or PR 70s would be graded with an electron microscope.
This would certainly give a whole new life to classifying coins in registry sets!
"I just replaced my xxxx quarter with one that graded 2 thousandths of a point higher!"
I collect all 20th century series except gold including those series that ended there.
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<< <i>that would mean changing the grading system that has been in place for years so, I don’t think it will happen. >>
I think that's why it eventually WILL happen. Think of all the regrading/reholdering revenue for the the TPGs.
My icon IS my coin. It is a gem 1949 FBL Franklin.