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Message:: [QUOTE="GDJMSP, post: 2299345, member: 112"]Yes, the ANA wrote the first set of actual grading standards. It was written in 1977 and that was the first edition of their grading book. And it was purely technical grading. The second edition was also technical grading. It was '86 when they finally developed the market grading standards and that became the 3rd edition of their grading standards. But the book didn't actually get published until '87. That book, which is now in it's 7th edition (published just last year) has remained virtually unchanged from the 3rd edition. The only changes in all that time were for 2 coins, Lincoln cents and Buffalo nickels, and even then the change only affected 1 grade for each coin. All other standards for all other grades remained the same. It is also worth note that the people who founded PCGS and NGC participated in all those meeting that the ANA held while market grading being developed. It was only after they decided to found their own grading companies that they decided that ANA standards were too strict for them and made up their own, more lenient grading standards. Since then, the TPGs have decided that even their own grading standards were too strict and loosened those standards even more. And have done that a couple of times.[/QUOTE]