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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GDJMSP, post: 408223, member: 112&quot;]You are correct Mike, and this is where a lot of people get confused because they don&#039;t understand <u>when</u> we switched from technical grading to market grading. Nor do they realize what grades were a actually in use at what period of time. But it&#039;s really quite simple if you have the books to look it up.</p><p><br /></p><p>But if you have the books, what you will find written in them is this - </p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;In the 1970&#039;s, the continued increase in coin values brought about finer grading&nbsp; distinctions than were in use previously. For example, in the first edition of this book, published in 1977, the Mint State or Uncirculated grade was divided into Typical Uncirculated or MS60, Choice Uncirculated or MS65, and Perfect Uncirculated or MS70. As values continued to increase in the strong market of 1979-80, dealers were <u>unoffically</u> assigning grades as MS61, MS62 and MS63 to coins in order to provide guidelines in a market in which an MS65 coin would sell for $8,000 while an MS60 coin was worth only $1,000.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;The American Nimismatic Association Board of Govenors, in 1980, reviewed the situation and concluded that two intermediate grades were needed in the Uncirculated category. MS63 was added to represent a grade midway between MS60 and MS65, and MS67 was added to represent a grade midway between MS65 and MS70.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>Now it is important to understand that this all happened prior to or in 1980 - long before market grading ever existed. But even then, when the technical grading was well in use we can see that <u>value</u> was the driving reason for changes in the technical grading system, even though the only change was to add more grades. This is a very important point. For it shows that <b>value</b> was the primary reason for grading to even exist at all. And this is with the technical grading system - not market grading.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was not until 1986, with the advent of market grading, that the ANA added the additional grades of AU58, MS61, MS62, MS64, MS66, MS68 and MS69. Prior to 1986, these grades never offically existed. And they were only added because as values of coins increased, it became necessary to add additional grades to represent differing values between the grades.</p><p><br /></p><p>And because of these widely varying values and the additional grades added to the system, it further became necessary to add other grading criteria to be able to distinguish one grade from another. And that is why quality of strike, quality of luster, location of marks and eye appeal came into being. Because without these things, there was no way to differentiate between the grades. And that is why market grading exist and why it is the system we use today.</p><p><br /></p><p>So no matter how much any of us would like to say that value should have no part in any grading system, it cannot be ignored for value is what caused grading to even come into existence. That is a fact - not an opinion.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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