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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Bart9349, post: 1309931, member: 5682&quot;]I will dissent here. I think hammered coins (that have usually been buried in the ground for a longtime) deserve a different assessment method from modern milled coins. </p><p><br /></p><p>I think he is correct in dividing the coin assessment into two values: strike and surface.</p><p><br /></p><p>Strike reflects the coin at the time of mint: &quot;centering, strength and uniformity of strike, cacks, and die condition.&quot; I think many collectors of modern coins expect some consistancy in these aspects with modern milled coins. Ancient coins are so fascinating because of the great variability in hand-cut dies, hand-produced planchets, and hand-struck coins. </p><p><br /></p><p>Surface reflects what happens to the coin after being stuck. Defects at the time of striking can impair surface quality, but a lot of factors occur while in circulation. This includes such things as &quot;test cuts, bankers&#039; marks, clipping, countermarks, and graffitto.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>For me, therefore, both strike and surface can be interesting and are important. They should also be separated when assessing Ancient coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m not so sure that Ancients lend themselves to the nuances of grading, however. Fortunately, I don&#039;t think Vagi does the grading of Ancients as vigorously as one would with modern coinage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Grading and slabbing of Ancients is not important for most collectors of Ancients. Fortunately, Ancient collectors aren&#039;t obsessed with such childish things as &quot;registry sets.&quot; (Ancients are truly the case where one should &quot;buy the coin and not the plastic.&#039;) </p><p><br /></p><p>That said, I think Vagi has brought a useful framework and systematic approach in assessing Ancient coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>BTW, the article in the same magazine &quot;Numismatics on the Brain&quot; was pretty interesting. The discussion on the neurobiology of collecting was very educational. I guess one doesn&#039;t have to be insane to collect. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie9" alt=":eek:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>guy[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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