What are some good resources to learn how to grade coins? I read posts from members who grade a coin; where can I learn the basics of grading? Thanks for the responses.
I use "A Guide to the Grading of United States Coins" by Martin R. Brown and John W. Dunn. 4th edition . It from the 60s but still works great for the basic grading of nearly every type . It does not go into detail about the ms grades. It gives an overview of AG3, G4, VG8, F12, VF, EF, AU.
The ANA Grading Standards is one of the more popular books on grading. https://www.whitman.com/store/Inven...-Standards-for-United-States-Coins+0794819931 Chris
I would agree with the ANA guide. However, just reading will not make it sink in. You need to practice. I have recommended repeatedly buying a bag of cents or nickels, going through every one and making a G, VG, F, VF, etc piles and grade. Then, when you are done, go through the piles and see if you did it correctly, or if you made some mistakes and what those mistakes were. Do this once and you will know how to grade circulated coins. Any other coin is the same, its just learning where the high points are. If you do not want to collect cents or nickels, just deposit them back at the bank and the lesson was free.
I agree with the ANA 7th Edition , and using it on coins you have in your pocket . Also the ANA has a few courses on grading . Also you can look at many graded coins at Heritage . ha.com it's free but to see the prices you have to join . It's easy and takes 5 minutes . Just remember the tpgs make the market and we have to know how they grade too . PCGS book on grading and counterfeit detection is a must have , if you can find one . Good luck on your collecting .
The ANA guide is great...but remember, their grading standards (and every other group that grades coins) are unique. So, a coin might be one grade according to the ANA and another according to PCGS. So, it's best to familiarize yourself with multiple standards. One great way to do it is with a Heritage Auctions account. It's free and their website is a great place to view nice photos of tons of graded coins.
Get, read, and study all the books you can find on grading because you'll need all the help you can get. The ANA and PCGS grading books are the best IMO, but there are many others worth reading as well. And you can use this one too - http://www.coingrading.com/ But after the books comes the hard part, studying the coins. Pictures are a help but they can also be a hindrance, you need to study coins in hand as much as possible. So go to coin shows, dealer shops, and visit friends who collect so you can see all the coins you can in hand. And while viewing the coins apply what you have learned from the books. Spend your entire life doing that, and you might learn how to grade.
Thanks to all for the suggestions. I have ordered the latest ANA book and the Coin Collecting 101 book. PCGS has their grades listed on their website, but I didn't see a book describing the basic process they use; anyone have one that you can share the title with me so I can try to hunt one down?
I assume you're speaking of PhotoGrade, which is fine for viewing single examples in their respective grades, but other than this is rather useless as a grading reference. Is this what you're after (as suggested earlier by rzage)? http://www.amazon.com/Official-Grading-Counterfeit-Detection-Edition/dp/0375720502
That's the book , great link as I thought it was out of print , everyone should have a copy and read it at least twice , then reread it and use as a reference .
Thanks for the book link. That is the one I was looking for. Here's the link to the PCGS site I referred to earlier listing their grades. http://www.pcgs.com/grades.htm.
