I found myself nodding my head in your very well-articulated post. However, this one comment did throw me a bit...
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Penny Lady  In my opinion, the uncirculated coins are the hardest to learn since you can't judge a coin by the detail remaining like you can on a circulated coin. For uncirculated coins, of course there can be no "wear" on the coin at all, but the marks, spots, luster, eye appeal, strike, toning, etc. all make a difference for each level between MS60 to MS70. For me, this is where subjectivity is even more varied since one person might give more weight in assigning a grade toward a coin with more luster than strike, or spots versus bag marks. |
At least for me, personally, I found learning to grade in mint state FAR easier than circulated grades. For one, there are less grading levels to be concerned with. For another, there are no wear patterns to memorize. While there are certainly nuances to the upper grades when it comes to eye appeal and other more subtle points, mint state grades have always been easier for me.
For instance, I can grade just about any series mint state -- even in series that I'm not very familiar with -- but I fail miserably in circulated grades in those same unfamiliar series.
But maybe that's just me.
Anyway, thanks again for the great post...Mike
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