Grading Books

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by TyCobb, Sep 18, 2019.

  1. TyCobb

    TyCobb A product of PMD

    I am looking to pick up a grading book and I am not really sure which one to grab. I am one of those people that is more learn by example if that matters.

    I am torn between: https://www.amazon.com/MAKING-GRADE-Comprehensive-Grading-Guide/dp/0944945635

    and

    https://www.amazon.com/Official-Standards-American-Numismatic-Association/dp/0794838243


    Thoughts on the books? I like the ANA one because they have pictures of some of the pages and I kinda know what I am getting, but the "MAKING THE GRADE" book is a mystery, but it supposedly images as well according to the description.
     
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  3. physics-fan3.14

    physics-fan3.14 You got any more of them.... prooflikes?

    Making the Grade is a good book, but it isn't really widely known. The ANA guide is considered by many to be "the standard." The TPG's don't follow it, necessarily, but it is a highly influential book. The ANA guide is published by the leading hobby organization, and is considered to be one of the most important of the grading guides.

    If the choice is simply between those two, I'd say buy the ANA book, no question.

    However, I'd also recommend you consider "Photograde." I, personally, think Photograde is more useful in terms of descriptions of each grade. The picture quality is fairly similar for each.

    If you want a free learn-by-example guide, the PCGS website has a *great* Photograde section, where they show digital images of every series in every grade. There is no description so you have to figure it out by yourself, but the pictures are really good.

    All that being said.... a book with pictures of graded coins will only get you so far. You have to understand the philosophy of grading, how coins appear differently due to different factors, and why coins look the way that they do. One of those books will help you best if you understand why the coin looks the way it does, and explain what the terms mean.

    There's a book out there that will help you understand the process of grading. It was written by a forum member here. Maybe someone else will give the name and author? Or, you can look in my signature.
     
  4. TyCobb

    TyCobb A product of PMD

    Thanks @physics-fan3.14
    I definitely understand it won't make me a great grader, but I really lack even just basic experience in this hobby and so with that I lack the basics of even just the real difference between an AU and VF and that's the gap I am trying to fill.

    Think I will snag the ANA one now and definitely slap the Art and Science book in my wishlist for my next pickup. It looks like they will compliment each other quite well based on the preview the book offers.
     
    Chuck_A likes this.
  5. physics-fan3.14

    physics-fan3.14 You got any more of them.... prooflikes?

    Great choice, Ty.

    The two books are definitely meant to complement each other - one is the standard, one explains the ideas.

    The only other thing I should add - if you are interested in learning how to grade, pay attention the the GTG (guess the grade) posts that we have. I know that I, and several other posters, really try to explain why we graded the coin the way we did. I use the method described in that book to illuminate why I graded the coin the way that I did. The GTG posts are often very instructive in figuring out how to grade a coin.
     
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  6. thomas mozzillo

    thomas mozzillo Well-Known Member

    Photograde by PCGS also comes in the app you can download free in Google's Play Store. (Probably in Apple's store also). I use that, sometimes the book Photograde. I also saved Michael Fahey's "First Grade" articles printed in Coin World magazine and sometimes refer to that.
     
  7. Paul M.

    Paul M. Well-Known Member

    I also recommend these as well:
    These are both available for under $10 each used. You could probably get the pair for $10 if you were willing to hunt for them online, or compromise a bit on condition.

    The PCGS book isn't quite as comprehensive as its title might indicate, but it's good for background. Be sure to get the second edition if you do buy this one!

    Halperin's book is excellent for showing the high points and focal areas of all circulating US coins up through its date of publication (1990, IIRC). This is a really valuable resource to have if you're just starting out, and a good reference for unfamiliar series if you're already a numismatic veteran. It's online at http://coingrading.com/ but the images are broken now, making it far less useful. I've sent email to the webmaster, so, hopefully, the images will be back sometime soon.

    Edit: Images load if you go to https://coingrading.com instead of http://coingrading.com, but you'll get one of those scary "site is not secure" warnings.
     
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2019
    micbraun and TyCobb like this.
  8. halfcent1793

    halfcent1793 Well-Known Member

    PCGS Photograde online is handy. You can have it with you on your phone. Most of the images are quite good and reasonable for the grade. The Photograde book, unless there's been a recent major upgrade, has poor photos and even uses the same photo for different grades. I would never use it. The ANA grading guide is useful. Making the Grade's photos are generally good, and the book has the advantage of using the old Jim Halperin color-coded images for where the main focal areas are. I don't find the photos published in Coin World's monthly issues to be particularly useful, as they lack contrast. When researching to write the EAC Grading Guide (published in 2014), I carefully went through every book on U.S. coin grading that I could find from Brown & Dunn to Making the Grade.

    If you want a guide that will show you how TPGs will grade a particular coin, you're out of luck. Even the PCGS Photograde illustrates standards that they don't always follow.
     
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  9. TyCobb

    TyCobb A product of PMD

    Thanks a lot folks. I am sure I will end up with most of these by end of the year :bookworm:
     
  10. coinquest1961

    coinquest1961 Well-Known Member

    Photograde is outstanding although the grading standards therein are very conservative these days.
     
  11. mikenoodle

    mikenoodle The Village Idiot Supporter

    I recommend Making The Grade for newbies because of the "heat maps" that show you exactly where to look for the first signs of rub.

    All of the books mentioned are great, and all are worth having.
     
    TyCobb likes this.
  12. TyCobb

    TyCobb A product of PMD

    I'll just get both then. Was able to add it to my existing order so both books show up tomorrow. :hilarious:
     
  13. Prez2

    Prez2 Well-Known Member

    Making the grade is good for showing the wear spots and general information but the pictures leave much to be desired. The ANA guide is probably a better reference.
     
  14. thomas mozzillo

    thomas mozzillo Well-Known Member

    @Paul M. I clicked on the https://coingrading.com and it showed "Certificate Error" and "This site is not secure". Maybe they didn't update the site. The odd thing is when I clicked the http://coingrading.com, the site opened up with no warning that the site was not secure. Maybe the email you sent to the webmaster worked.
    Thank you for posting that site. I now have another grading tool to work with.
     
  15. TyCobb

    TyCobb A product of PMD

    Just got home and opened the boxes. Must say that I am kinda ticked off that the Making The Grade book is filled with advertisements. An insert or ads at the end or beginning, fine, whatever. But mixed in with the other pages is unacceptable in my eyes. I'll get used to it, but still feels sleazy for a $35 book.
     
    ToughCOINS likes this.
  16. Chuck_A

    Chuck_A Well-Known Member

    I have all of the aforementioned books and like the PCGS photograde to compare their standards with the books. I'm new to grading and trying to understand the many different opinions of grading gives me a better picture of what the grade should be, or at least get close.
     
  17. ja59

    ja59 Missing the Beach just not as much as ...

    Another vote for Photograde here
     
  18. mikenoodle

    mikenoodle The Village Idiot Supporter

    I’ve almost never seen a coin book that I didn’t like.
     
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