70 Pt. Grading System (useless numbers)

I've always wondered this and it may have been brought up in previous posts(havn't checked), why so many useless numbers? I've seen coins graded from a PO1 thru VG-8, never a VG-9 or VG-11. In fine conditions you never see F-13, 14, 16, 17, or 19. How about coins in VF, 21 thru 24,
26 thru 29, 31 thru34, and 36 thru 39. In EF, 41 thru 44, and 46 thru 49.
AU, 51, 52, 54, 56, 57,and 59. Thats an awful lot of wasted numbers for a hobby that is very picky about grades. This is the 21st century, does anyone else think its time to rethink the grading system?

 

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everyone grades differently. it would just create more confusion.

 

interesting point. I have seen online sellers advertising their coins as G-5 or VG-9 but I have never seen a professional grading service do that. I personally don't have a problem with it. I mean it's a 70 point scale so why not use all of it?

 

All those numbers and grades and such are opinions. Rush Limbaugh and Howard Stern might look at the same item and call them differnt things......because they can.

I've also notices these systematic opinions are placed on items by folks that SELL coins and believed by folks that BUY items....so they can Sell/insure/augment etc said items.

I hope they don't try to improve the system too much because they may add decimal points to numbers they don't use.

 

Why change the system? Seriously?

You know how hard it would be to decipher the difference between a VF20 and a VF21???
An AU58 from an AU59??? Soon people might start wanting MS60.1! HOORAY! Lets bring decimals into it!
Why create more problems for us? The 70 point grading scale, with some missing numbers in between, is fine the way it is, IMO.

 

They use decimal points in the Olypmics timed and judged competitions and I still can't see the difference sometimes. Forget the decimal points for coin grading unless they are Dewey Decimal System points.

 

I don't see them as useless. Someone very familiar with a series could take a hundred examples in xf and be able to accurately differentiate the coins' numerical grades. Its up to the market whether this needs to be done in terms of buying and selling, but I wouldn't call it useless from a collecting/inventory standpoint...

 

9.1 inch nails

There will come a time we need 9.1 inch nails.

Is that a 23 penny nail? A Ten penny nails equals 10 per penny.......:goofer:


Oh my. I've confused myself version 3.7.9

 

I agree that the system should be changed. I'm for a 100 point system though. And start with words like horrible H-1 to H-3, Lousy L-3 to L-6, Almost Lousy AL-7 to -10, Best of Lousy BL-11 to -13 so by the time you get to Almost Good, it's already up to AG-14 to -16. At this rate attaining 100 would be simple. Of course we need names like Almost Fine, Close to Fine, Closer to Fine, Fine, Little better than Fine, Lots better than Fine, etc.
Now there are many that would still say NOT ENOUGH. So lets also make the possibilities of a decimal system for much better clarifications. Example is BL-12.957 or AG-15.547729.

 

Other Alphabets?

Should items from other places use their own alphabet?
Like Russian Coins use Kryllic and Roman's their III'rd established standard?

More is better, Right?

What is I just looked at it, liked it and bought it in RIGHT NOW for X-amounts of euros/sheckles/moon dust or...whatever you want?

 

Can we convert to metrics in the US before discussing the switch to a 100 point grading system? I'm still amazed that we can't convert to metrics despite the fact that it is much simpler to learn. It was taught in high school and college in the 70's and 80's with the caveat that it will be the US standard in the very near future. It never happened and will probably not happen in my life time. If we switched to a new grading system, it would cause a major issue for graded slabs not to mention the issues with me having to convert my grades in my coin database.

 

Interesting point. I agree with that idea also. Now for any coins made by the ancient Egyptians, the grading system would be in thier hyroglivics or however you spell that stuff. I could stand to learn that but if a coin was found to have been made by cavemen with no language, would such a grading system have to be made with grunts?
So much to consider.

 

here's a thread that we discussed on this very subject a year ago. there are some good points made in it:

http://www.cointalk.com/t45768/

 

Awesome.

The U.S. can stay on the 70-point system (which I like), and Europe and the rest of the world can use a 100-point metric coin grading system. Then, when we ship coins overseas we have to do a grade conversion. PCGS can offer a new grade-conversion service for expatriates, and CAC can put a little Celsius/Fahrenheit sticker on the slab that changes color depending on which time zone the coin is in.

I love it!

 

Spoken like a true American. As we use to say in the Navy, let's go down with the ship!

 

The numbers are essentially arbitrary. In fact, they were initially not even designed as a grading system. They were originally meant to be a predictor of value for early large cents -- a coin grading 70 was, in theory, 70 times more valuable than a similar coin grading 1.

In a perfect world, I'd add the following grades (in most cases because they are in at least some use):

About Good+ 3.5
Good 5
About Very Good 7
About Fine 11
About Very Fine 18
Extremely Fine 48

 

We?

We?
I thought it was "Let's go...........................Down with the ship"

 

I see your point as that's 44 of the 70 point that we dont use does seem excessive but unlike the decimal system I dont think we should change it alot of hassle and it works great.

 

agreed. However, I think we need an XF47