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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;geekpryde, post: 24836591, member: 36248&quot;]Nice post.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have a similar sentiment on most of the areas you mention.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>With guidance of certain moderator here, I can definitely grade coins better now than ~11+ years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp; It&#039;s kept me safe (from myself) from buying certain coins I may have not have so thoroughly inspected prior to buying them when I was 100% dependent on TPGs.&nbsp;&nbsp; However, I still mostly lean on the TPG&#039;s and I sometimes break out in a panic sweat over &quot;Guess the Grade&quot; posts here on CoinTalk.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; I *think* I know the grade, but my confidence is not 100%.&nbsp;&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie18" alt=":bag:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><br /></p><p>I dont sweat a point here or there, if I otherwise like the coin.&nbsp; &nbsp; Enough other collectors will pay-up for a nicer example with some special features like Pretty toning, or great strike, or cool older holder, CAC approved, etc.&nbsp; that even if the coin is slightly overgraded, it will still go for the &quot;correct&quot; market price.&nbsp;&nbsp; And bad or over-graded coins for the most part will still go for their respective &quot;correct&quot; price.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; To me, it all mostly works out as it should.&nbsp;&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie6" alt=":cool:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Now that of course means I cannot mine the coin hobby for hidden gems, or make big money at this hobby flipping.&nbsp; If a sell a few coins a year, and make enough pennies to keep a free coin for myself, that&#039;s all I really need.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I don&#039;t do much &quot;talking&quot; to coin people much anymore beyond here at CoinTalk, and I don&#039;t deep dive on the history part so much, but like you, I think I enjoy the hobby more by just staying in my lane, even after having really tried to get good at grading.</p><p><br /></p><p>I follow a simple (complex?) three part journey when bidding / buying a coin:</p><p><br /></p><p>(1) allowing PCGC, NGC, and CAC to narrow a coin down to -2 to +2 points, allow them to catch most of the damaged, doctored, cleaned, forged, etc problem coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>(2) ...And then I &quot;look&quot; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie100" alt=":wideyed:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> over the coin myself and rule out ones that are in the &quot;Ugly&quot; category, the Rim damage category (that one really bugs me), Enough rub that it should have been a Masseuse category, and all my own personal likes and dislikes.</p><p><br /></p><p>(3) Once a coin makes is through that two tiered gauntlet, then I got to rule out another 90% of them because I simply cannot afford them and I get blown out on bidding.</p><p><br /></p><p>I dont reverse the order of this process as I like to see nice coins, and the more coins I see the more I understand what I like and don&#039;t like.&nbsp; &nbsp; That&#039;s why I don&#039;t start by price filtering usually.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; If I did that, I might well never get a coin through this gauntlet.&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie7" alt=":p" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />&nbsp;&nbsp; I start with the TPG&#039;s, as I dont want to see all the dreck, as &quot;ain&#039;t nobody&#039;s got time for that&quot;.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>TPGS, then me, then price =&nbsp; A pretty good chance I will be happy with a purchase without having an anxiety attack.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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