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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Insider, post: 2302024, member: 24314&quot;]Actually, Hoskins and a group of mostly foreign/ancient coin dealers (International) such as George Beach, Lucien Birkler, and so many more well-know numismatists I have not mentioned (forgive me) started INS when Hoskins resigned from the Directorship of ANACS when ANA moved it to CO.&nbsp; Along with being on the board and one of the principles, he assumed duties as Director of the INS Authentication Bureau immediately.&nbsp; The Hoskins family held a note for some of the start up expenses.&nbsp; Fazzari also worked for INSAB but not full time until later.&nbsp; They are the numismatists who developed the Technical (Hoskins called it &quot;archival grading&quot;) Grading System used at first only to help identify coins for internal ANACS records. </p><p><br /></p><p>While at ANACS, Hoskins and Fazzari attended the first ANA Grading Rountable which probably marked the actual beginning of the ANA&#039;s attempt to establish some sort of grading standards in earnest.&nbsp; Anyway, ANACS was moved.&nbsp; Fazzari has written that the &quot;true&quot; technical grading method (which was carried over to the INSAB) became &quot;bastardized&quot; (perhaps he should have said &quot;somewhat changed in a few respects&quot;) by the ANA.&nbsp; For example: Unfortunately, the amount of wear - the only thing to lower a circulated coin&#039;s technical grade - was combined with other attributes such as marks (choice vs typical).&nbsp; Therefore, the &quot;new&quot; ANA &quot;so-called&quot; Technical system no longer worked as originally devised.&nbsp; Fazzari has written about many of these things in Numismatic News over the years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hoskins has passed away.&nbsp; After 1986, PCGS took the biggest part of the grading business and INS was disbanded.&nbsp;&nbsp; Hoskins continued the authentication business from PA.&nbsp; I last saw him at the ANA Convention in Philly.&nbsp; Fazzari has been a grader/authenticator at various services.&nbsp; There are several people still alive you may wish to contact about the early years of grading services.&nbsp; Tom Delorey, Dave Bowers, Skip Fazzari, Ken Bresett, James Halperin, Randy Campbell, Rick Montgomery, Brian Silliman, Ken Hallenbeck, and... Most of these people were around/involved before 1980 and some back to the 1970&#039;s. </p><p>This is[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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