Entertaining to read with a cup of tea. http://www.coinweek.com/featured-news/10-ways-to-become-a-better-coin-collector/
Oh my, look at number 10. Might be the first person who has ever agreed with me on this subject. While everyone else holds grading paramount, it is my opinion that until you reach expert status as a grader, your so called grading skills will cost you more than they will save you. I see it almost on a daily basis on the coin forums. Furthermore, those with expert level grading skills seem to forget the tuition both in terms of time & money that had to be invested in order to obtain that expertise. I think his advice is fantastic. Learn the basics of grading, become proficient in spotting problem coins such as cleaning etc., and become an expert in your chosen series and be able to grade that series as well as the experts at the TPG's.
I can accurately only grade Morgans, and SLQ and getting there with Mercs, Peace Dollars and Ikes. There are general concepts in grading that one can use and i employ. But frankly, even with what I'm comfortable with, I usually ask second opinions of people i trust...if i can. PS Coins I have no clue on Indian 1/4 and 1/2 eagles ...very difficult because of the device is the fields. Washington Quarters.. they are minted looking warn Benijemin Frankin Halves ... so much white space.
Ruben, That post proves that you are light years ahead of most intermediate collectors. Novice collectors have very little knowledge and are usually very deferential in almost every area of numismatics. However, give that novice a little knowledge and experience and quickly they become legends in their own minds. When I see a collector who recognizes his own limitations, especially with respect to grading, I am very impressed. Unfortunately, you are the rare exception. And I am not trying to slam the majority of intermediate collectors but if you have been collecting coins for a few years and you have gotten pretty good at grading Morgan Dollars, that does not make you qualified to give your opinion about the grade of a Saint Gaudens Double Eagle. If you started collecting toned coins a few months ago, that does not make you qualified to discern NT from AT with any degree of certainty. I just wish that people who participate on coin forums would only post about what they actually know about.