Grading Questions!??!?!?!!!!! Confusing

Ok since im new I have been looking into grading!!! I have found no real chatter on this, so this is why I am asking!!! What type of coins should be graded----P and D mint mark or S mint mark. If im going to grade something I want to stick to one or the other, so I am confused as to what to do?? If I already decide to buy some slabbed does anyone have any horrer stories from ebay that would give me some advice to watch out for??????????

Thanks so much for your time and consideration, Lots to learn, wife is going to shoot me for spending so much time on my new hobby!!!!

lol

 

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anyone?? bump

 

:desk:

:desk:

 

Welcome to the forum!

I am not quite sure what you mean by whether grade P&D or S coins? The coins should be graded the same way, except proofs have some other criteria. It is usually the quality of the coin that is graded. If you refer to send a coin in to be graded, it should also be the same. I may have answered wrongly the question as I wasn't quite sure of what you intended.

As far as

Remember you are buying the coin, not the slab, BUT you have a greater chance of getting what the label says if the slab is a PCGS, NGC, ANACS, and then if you have experience, add PCI, SEGS, and ICG where nice coins can often be found if you really know what you are looking at and can grade it yourself.

You will notice that many times a day, members ask the others their impressions on an ebay coin, this is a good way to get help. Avoid sellers who say no return, they are a hassle.Be careful of toned coins if you haven't researched them much.

READ, READ, READ, old threads, especially on toning, grading, slabbing, etc. it may seem overwhelming and conflicting, afterall, many of us have different opinions

Jim

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I guess your hitting your head against the table because im a moron and im all over the place lol. All I want to know is some basic stuff like....what mint mark would you grade if any??? Sorry im young and have a long time to do this so I want to get started and know as much as I can. Sucks being a perfectionest<---lol yet my spelling sucks (did i get that right?)

Continues too :desk:

 

I was getting at is it easy for people to swicht coins from the slabs, we all know their is ebay scammers out their and what should I be looking for...... the info on no returns does help!!! As for what to get graded I meant if I had one choice to grade a whole set should I get the p and d graded or the silver graded or the proofs graded. Its too sticken costly to get everything graded so what would use go with and why????

WONDER IF THAT CLEARED ANYTHING UP


THANKS

 

I assume that means slab. In that case, the answer is none. Mintmarks have nothing to do with whether or not to slab. If anything directly relates to slabbing it would be value, but how often/easy it is to counterfeit also enters.

Nearly impossible, but that is the wrong question. What they are doing is making fake slabs. I cannot say they are abundant, but some are out there. However, for most valuable coins, you are much safer to by one slabbed than raw.

Now for the direct answer. Your first investment should be a book on coins and a few months learning everything you can from this and possibly other forums. Your questions tell me you have a lot to learn BEFORE you make any investments.

 

Well a MM has nothing to do with grading a coin. Coins are grading on observation of the state of preservation. That's how they are slabbed as well. Stay away from lesser known or ebay only slab companies as their interpretation of the grading scale is not the same as the major TPGs, IMO.

 

Good advice from all the others. My warning for ebay is (1) Research the seller looking at a lot of the feedback. Sometimes positive feed back contains information also. (2) Make sure the seller users clear pictures and (3) DO NOT get in a bidding war.

It would be nice if there was a coin show near you or a local dealer you can work with and see some coins in various grades. So take your time and don't rush. It will help you avoid some of the mistakes others of us have made. You might want to use the heritage auction archives for looking at some graded examples.

PS - It was good question to ask before buying. Any knowledge will help you be a better collector.

 

I am new here too

I have been here for almost 2 weeks and these good folks told me to buy myself the 2010 Redbook ( which I did ) & they suggest following auctions at Teletrade.com and pay attention to what "individual coins" are graded at and what they "look like" but most importantly what the actual realized sale price ended up being. ( how much the seller actually put in their pocket )

I think you were asking if there are certain Unite States coins with the "d" , "p" or "s" or "no" Mint Marks that are considered more valuable than the other & the simple answer is sometimes. That is where the Redbook REALLY comes in handy ( in conjunction with the wealth of knowledge in this here forum )

I , too , have much to learn and intend to enjoy every minute of it just like this bowl of Campbell's soup -->:eating:

 

When it comes to getting a coin slabbed (by a TPG) I usually would want the value to be above $100 bucks at least.

 

Advice
1: If you want to learn how to grade coins look at as many coins as to possibly can at coin shops and shows you will start to get a basic feel for what the grade is on different coins.
2. Buy a coin grading book "Official guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection Second Edition,By PCGS
Also PCGS has recently put up a free web page of different grades of coins
Called "Photo Grade" http://www.pcgs.com/Photograde/#
Dig out some coins and match them to the grades in the pictures. This will give you a Basic feel for what a coin will grade.
Also the Book The American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coin 6th Edition.
3. Go slowly enjoy the time you spend with your new chosen hobby
It is a Great One. Make your purchase decisions from a point of Knowledge
not guessing. It is possible that if you buy something just thinking that is a good deal and it turns out not to be. You could just lose the taste for even being in this hobby. I have seen it. Because the cost for some of our treasured favorites can get quite high.
4. NOBODY on the planet knows everything there is to know about this hobby that is what makes it such a GREAT social gathering. The sharing of knowledge of different peoples pockets of specialized knowledge being shared. The information someone seeks and asks a question about one coin might remind you and give you an idea about something strange on a coin of your own.
5.THERE ARE NO DUMB QUESTIONS IN NUMISMATICS!!! (Coin Collecting)
If you honestly do not know something ask someone there is a vast knowledge base on this forum and EVERYONE knows something in one area or another and there are some of the friendliest people in the hobby right here on this forum that would be glad to answer any questions you may have. Just make sure the words you type is the question you want to ask.
6. ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY:hail: after all it is a hobby and you are supposed to enjoy your hobby's

Stewart

 

I'm going to step back to the old days. S mint cents were scarce East of the Rockies and often carried a premium. This premium was from around 2 cents to 25 cents depending on the particular date. This was from the early 60s collector explosion. This information has not been updated by some who might be giving you advice.

Now slabbing will cost about $25 so even common grade 1955-S cents just arent worth slabbing in common grades. Now when you find a coin whose price is expected to be higher because of High grade, rare date or valuable errors (remember not all errors add great value), then it will be valuable enough to consider slabbing.

I second and third the advice on learning basic values from a redbook and grading from any source. It is an art since grading is both a science and an art and inconsistent standard among different specialists. Then you HAVE to learn the difference between detail grade and condition to really get an idea of value. Two examples of the same coin variety with the same detail grade could differ by thousands of dollars due to condition such as rim nicks, corrosion, scratches, mutilation, holing and destructive cleaning attempts. (everything is considered cleaning by some and some consider the non destructive conservation OK).

Anyway, studying grade and condition as well as scarcity will serve you well.

Perhaps you might tell us what type of coins you are interested in for more specific help. You will find that copper, silver and modern clad coins each have peculiarities for their particular desirability. Toning is HUGE for silver and small cents, while corrosion is a huge issue for old coppers.

 

Stewart. Thanks for the photograde information. I built my own photograde type information for large cents based on the Pre Longbeach sale last year. I just added net grade to detail grade for comparisons of how much damage will bring down the net grade to what levels.

 

Ok, I have heard many people say only grade coins that are worth over a $100 dollars, then why in the world is their so many presidential graded coins on ebay for under $50!!! Is it just a waste of time and money for these people when I see some at $25.......

and what do use think of Cornerstone albums???? + or - ??

 

Dealers that turn in rolls at a time get a brake for them to do that.
It makes it worth it for them to send in a bunch and hope for the top pop and make a score but for just ones-e twos-e...it's not worth if for a low priced coin IMO.

 

And to add to Dougs email - if you want one from a tpg buy one already graded. Let someone else take the risk.

 

I agree with Mark...
After they are graded let someone else do the bulk. You just get the one you want.

 

Is there an average grade for coins right out of a proof set. For example, can the quarters out of a silver proof set range from PF-60 to PF-70, or do they tend to be around the grade of 64?