ok I know this has been covered time and time again .. we numismatists and coin enthuisiats clamor over the subject... Grading , GraDing GRADING... ok now the average person would ask well where do I start? first thing to understand there are several ways to grade coins.. be they U.S. or World Coins... there are 4 different systems to grading and if you want to start with the basics you need the foundation ..the ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins: American Numismatic Association (Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins)... is a great place to start..now there are several ways to get a good understanding is suppose to look like through photo grading..or.Grading Coins By Photographs now don't mistake this for grading on its own because you still need to understand how to grade or determine the most accurate grade possible..thats why you need to understand the Sheldon system of grading.. ill be honest im a coin collector - numismatist..for 20+ years and I still don't understand it some times.... but through study and photo comparison we can determine a coins grade. or approximate grade,, now soft ware like pcgs photgrade and compugrade.. might make it easy to determine coins.. grade.. but its still good to have the basics for when you goto shows.. so I would recommend the book making the grade gives you step by step the mind set you need to grade.. but this is not alone the best way to go for a rookie.. the best way to go is to take the ANA diploma course why?? because then you will have the tools and knowledge to detect counterfeit's and grade and bah blah blah.. is it worth the 500 buck yes,, it is.. and imagine that ... you were just getting ready to be suckered.. educate your self before you buy
I agree with educating yourself and learning how to grade. I disagree though with saying the ANA standards are the "basis". Its the basis of US grading standards, not world or ancient grading standards. Ancients use a completely different system than US collectors, and have used it long before the US was a country. Learn to grade the coin according to the accepted grading system in place. If someone grades an ancient according to US grading standards, then looks up in a values book the price, they will be way overpaying. US grading is MUCH more lax than ancient grading is. My rule of thumb is to knock a full grade off of a "us grade" when applying it to world or ancient coins. A US VF becomes a F, a F becomes a VG, etc.
I agree but to get a basic understanding is what's important for the average newbie.. so the Ana is where to start....
I was just clarifying. My "trick" to get people to learn how to grade is to tell them to buy a bag or cents or nickels and the ANA guide. Then grade them. Put them in piles for each grade, and when done review each pile. See if you made mistakes, and learn from your mistakes. When done, you can just take the coins back to the bank, and it cost you nothing. Also, go to a large coin show and just LOOK. Pay attention to every coin you can and what its graded. See if you agree or disagree. You will learn more from the ones you disagree with. Do this, and look at a few million coins, and you will START to become pretty good at it.
grading classes at the summer seminar The ANA summer seminar is a great place for continuing numismatic education: http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarti...DArticle=1558& http://www.money.org/numismatic-even...r-seminar.aspx
Actually I'm REALLY considering taking the ANA's distance course - GDJMP (spelling?) highly recommended it earlier and it sounds like a great way to get educated about grading, etc. I'm going to disagree a little with your above post - all these ancient coin collectors have been flooding the forums with their cool coins and cool history lessons, it's been getting me to look harder at ancinets as a future part of my collection. All the same, great points with the OP.:thumb:
