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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;NPCoin, post: 560790, member: 5629&quot;]Probably one of the biggest problems is the fact that people are more often than not guided toward learning grading prior to learning authenticating.&nbsp; I do not believe that it is possible to grade a coin without first being able to authenticate the coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>Even when people are guided to authenticate, they are shown what to &quot;look for&quot; in a counterfeit coin.&nbsp; This is just simply and completely wrong.&nbsp; In order to authenticate, one must know the details of an authentic coin.&nbsp; With some series, that can become outright a life time&#039;s work due to all of the dies used in the production of some coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, yes, a TPG could have some value added service in the fact that they guarantee authenticity, but even then you are still holding pure faith in their opinion.</p><p><br /></p><p>The more of a particular coin you personally see and handle, the more you learn the marks, design quirks, and varieties of authentic specimens.&nbsp; After you learn this, I believe one may be able to adequately grade a coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>And this process takes quite some time.</p><p><br /></p><p>So what to do in the meantime?&nbsp; Well, purchase coins, of course!&nbsp; That is the only way to get coins in your hands.&nbsp; Then, you should find people (dealers, &quot;experts&quot;, people that are trusted and can give a truthful opinion) and get their advice as to the authenticity of said coins.&nbsp; Then study those coins.&nbsp; Get to know what they look like, quirks&nbsp; in the dies, read up on information about varieties, etc.</p><p><br /></p><p>Then, once you have some basic knowledge on that series and coin to be able to assess authenticity, get opinions on its grade and actually ask people WHY they grade it such a way and find out what it is they are seeing.&nbsp; Don&#039;t just say &quot;Thanks&quot; and leave it be, get their OPINION!&nbsp; This will help you to see what it is others are looking at when they grade a coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is also one reason I see very little value in TPGs.&nbsp; If they cannot even give you the reasons for their opinion, then their opinion means absolutely nothing.</p><p><br /></p><p>Grading is subject to each individual&#039;s opinion.&nbsp; So there is truly no &quot;right&quot; or &quot;wrong&quot; grade for a coin except when the grade is so grossly askew from any accepted standard.&nbsp; This will help you understand the consensus in certain grades.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just because a TPG grades a coin one way, and an individual grades it another, in no manner implies that the individual is wrong and that the grading gods are correct.&nbsp; It simply means the consensus regarding a specific coin differs from your personal opinion, which is also correct.</p><p><br /></p><p>These are the things that the individual should be doing &quot;in the meantime&quot; until they are comfortable to make decisions impulsively (at a trade show for instance).&nbsp; Even then, an &quot;expert&quot; will still make mistakes and bad choices.&nbsp; But, that is simply part of our hobby.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, when you are taken or make that bad choice, that is simply part of the tuition in learning about numismatics.&nbsp; Thems the breaks kid! <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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