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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;eddiespin, post: 1237322, member: 4920&quot;]It&#039;s a rhetorical question, really. Of course market grading is more volatile than technical grading as market grading is susceptible to market fluctuations. It&#039;s like asking whether stock prices are volatile. Market grades are really just that, market prices couched in the terminology of grades.</p><p><br /></p><p>OK, so I answered my own question, so now you&#039;re all off the hook. Well, not so fast. What does that mean to collectors? That&#039;s the question. </p><p><br /></p><p>In other words, just as a hypothetical, let&#039;s take that &quot;raw&quot; coin on eBay you think you like, the one the seller is representing as a MS-64. Go with me, here. It&#039;s a 1931-S BN Lincoln Cent, gently toned with blues and reds. You&#039;ve been around the block, you&#039;ve seen the auctions, you can see it at that grade. Then, again, it could grade AU-58, in-hand, even lower. Are you asking yourself, &quot;Will it grade?&quot; Let me translate that: &quot;Will it get into plastic?&quot; What about that lovely toning it has, what do you make of that? Are you asking yourself whether that will pass the PCGS &quot;coin sniffer?&quot; That would be just terrible if it didn&#039;t, wouldn&#039;t it? It would come back &quot;QT,&quot; without a grade. Uh oh. Then you don&#039;t have any permission to like it anymore! Neither, for that matter, does anybody else!</p><p><br /></p><p>I guess I&#039;m just really trying to make a statement, here, folks. Learn how to technical grade. When you get into MS, all that really involves is an assessment of the coin&#039;s condition based on contacts and luster. That&#039;s the grade that doesn&#039;t fluctuate, provided you keep the coin right. Believe me when I tell you, you&#039;ll be a happier collector for it. </p><p><br /></p><p>Oh, and one more thing. If I ever hear anybody ask, again, another question of the form, &quot;Hey, gang, I just love the toning on this coin--I hope it&#039;s not AT,&quot; I think I&#039;m going to choke![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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