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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ToughCOINS, post: 3431966, member: 20480&quot;]If they could be held to a set of tangible grading standards I&#039;d agree with you Paddy. </p><p><br /></p><p>Grading is not a clearly defined, black and white practice.&nbsp; It is not as if a &quot;Coin Grading Commission&quot; could any more consistently decide that a grading firm was consistently conforming to a standard than the grading firm itself could consistently assign the correct grade.&nbsp; Grading is, and always will be an art, all because the differences between 2 coins of the same date and type are infinitely variable, just as are the preferences of those beholding them.</p><p><br /></p><p>You can&#039;t hold in your right hand the subject coin, already established as the standard at MS64 and then compare with it the same coin in your left hand, improperly graded at MS63.&nbsp; One coin can only be compared against a different coin for reference . . . Just imagine how busy such a commission would be, trying to deal with complaints brought by innumerable customers dissatisfied with their results, yet having no concrete benchmarks to refer to.&nbsp; They&#039;d be inundated in work, yet have no way of properly doing it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some time ago, I half-heartedly suggested that the marketplace would be better off with the TPGs only authenticating coins, and not grading them at all . . . relying entirely upon knowledgeable collectors to assign value to coins they transacted, and allowing those who don&#039;t care to learn that much about the hobby to leave it behind for a safer playground.</p><p><br /></p><p>I got a lot of heat from one or two prominent members for that suggestion, and the criticism was fair, but I still occasionally think about how that would work out in contrast to where things presently are.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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