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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GDJMSP, post: 7881, member: 112&quot;]pog - </p><p><br /></p><p>I will readily agree that to the untrained eye - telling the difference bewteen a 64 and a 65 is all but impossible. It is even difficult for someone with a trained eye. But I will also say this - you should learn how to tell the difference. </p><p><br /></p><p>Why ? Because if you don&#039;t - at some point in your collecting you will end up paying far too much for a coin or perhaps many coins. You will also not be able to recognize a real find when you see one. This will end up costing you even more money than paying too much.</p><p><br /></p><p>Knowledge is the key to this pursuit of ours. Gaining knowledge is perhaps the single most enjoyable aspect of the hobby for me. Well - actually sharing the knowledge is - but you can&#039;t do one without first doing the other. And when it comes to collecting coins - learning to accurately grade them will be the single biggest advantage you will ever have. But to be able to accurately grade coins - you first must learn a lot about them. </p><p><br /></p><p>What are the strike characteristics for a given year for a given series from a given mint ? What was the striking method and what technology was the particular mint using at the time for the coin you are trying to grade ? Were there any varieties for this particular coin ? Are there any strike designations such as FBL, FB, Cameo, FH etc that would have a bearing on the grade ? What were the mintage numbers for each mint ? Were any of the coins destroyed in recalls or melted down in later years ? Are there any large hoards yet to be released ? What were the general design characteristics and who was the designer ? What is the history of the coin and how did the design come to be ?</p><p><br /></p><p>All of these things and much more will be learned by learning how to accurately grade coins. You may not even realize it at the time that you are learning these things - but you will. It is inevitable. </p><p><br /></p><p>So learn to grade coins accurately. Buy every book you can find on the subject and study it carefully. Ask other collectors &amp; dealers every question you can imagine. Learn how to tell the difference between a 64 &amp; a 65 - and what makes it so. And you will be amazed at how much your enjoyment of the hobby increases.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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