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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Lehigh96, post: 883503, member: 15309&quot;]I am glad you brought that point up.&nbsp; I have always thought that photos do a great job at helping people understand both surface preservation, wear patterns, and strike.&nbsp; Photos of these elements in combination with written text can be very educational.&nbsp; However, they are abysmal at showing luster which really affects eye appeal. In addition, the written text is often just as abysmal in these areas.</p><p><br /></p><p>For example, how many newbies can view photos and read descriptions of frosty and satin luster and actually understand the difference.&nbsp; Understanding the different types of luster becomes much easier when viewing actual coins.&nbsp; I don&#039;t know one collector who can understand the characteristics of artificial toning based on grading guides.&nbsp; They throw terms out like &quot;crayon colors&quot; and &quot;floats on the surface&quot; which leaves the uneducated reader at a complete loss.&nbsp; It is only after viewing hundreds of both naturally and artificially toned coins that these terms begin to have any meaning.&nbsp; This Roosevelt Dime is a perfect example of what I am talking about.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o59/ACPitBoss/Roosevelt%20Dimes/RooseveltDime1963RawAT.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>From the photo, it is hard to understand how the color &quot;floats on the surface&quot; of the coin.&nbsp; In hand, the described effect becomes very obvious.&nbsp; Many advanced collectors can&#039;t even describe artificial toning other than to say the coin doesn&#039;t look right.&nbsp; It is something that is very hard to put into words or photos.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the end, I believe that understanding grading requires all of the above.&nbsp; Books are a great starting point, photos help many collectors understand the written text much better, but there really is no substitute for hands on experience.&nbsp; In that regard, coin grading is really no different than any other discipline of life.&nbsp; The formal education is nice but is rather meaningless without experience.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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