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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GDJMSP, post: 47237, member: 112&quot;]There is no on-line version, you have to buy the book. It can be found easy enough on Amazon or in most coin shops. You would want the newest version, the 5th Edition, last published in 1996.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m not sure what you mean that you don&#039;t agree that you have to look at thousands of coins in order to learn how to grade properly - for it sounds like you do when you say - &quot; If you grade hundreds of Morgans, you&#039;re going to have hundreds of inconsistent grades, and hundreds of sliders.&quot; </p><p><br /></p><p>That is exactly correct. The reason it is correct is because that&#039;s not enough coins - it literally takes grading thousands &amp; thousands of coins to become accurate &amp; consistent. It is not something you can learn in a few months - it takes years. And lots and lots of practice.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the best things a collector can do in order to learn how to grade properly is to attend the grading classes held by the ANA every year. You get hands on experience and coaching from some of the most experienced professional coin graders there are today - people who have done it for a living for 30, 40 or 50 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>You also need to realize that each coin series has different standards when it comes to grading. You do not grade a Mercury dime the same way you grade a Morgan dollar. There is no single standard for MS63 &amp; MS64 - they are different for each coin. But I will give you a word for word example for a Morgan dollar. There are 4 different criteria.</p><p><br /></p><p>MS64 </p><p><br /></p><p>Contact Marks -&nbsp;&nbsp; May have light scattered marks, a few may be in prime focal areas&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Hairlines - May have a few scattered or a small patch in secondary areas</p><p><br /></p><p>Luster - Average, full original</p><p><br /></p><p>Eye Appeal - Pleasing</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MS63</p><p><br /></p><p>Contact Marks - May have distracting marks in prime focal areas</p><p><br /></p><p>Hairlines - May have a few scattered or a small patch</p><p><br /></p><p>Luster - May be original or slightly impaired</p><p><br /></p><p>Eye Appeal - Rather attractive</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Now, even given the information above you also have to know which portions of the coins devices are considered to be the primary focal areas and which are the secondary focal areas on both the obverse and reverse. This is illustrated with pictures in the book.</p><p><br /></p><p>So as you can see, it is not quite as cut and dried and many would like it. This is why it requires experience along with book knowledge. And it must also be taken into account that coins from each different year and each different mint in that year are not graded the same. Certain allowances are made for strike and quality of luster - you have to know which get which allowance if any.</p><p><br /></p><p>Grading is not something simple that you just pick up - you have to be taught. Yes you can teach yourself, but it may take much much longer to do so than it would if you had an experienced grader teach you.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hope all this helps. <ul> <li></li> </ul><p>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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