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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Insomniac, post: 797394, member: 21995&quot;]What have I learned? The most important thing I have learned here has to do with the various qualifiers that TPGs add to their slabs. I&#039;ve only been collecting for a few months, and my books always praised the technical prowess and financial security of buying slabbed coins, but for all I could tell, they simply applied a grade and moved on. I also knew that some coins were better struck than others, but did not realize that there were potential indicators for how good particular coins were, such as the Full Steps/Torch/Bands/Head/etc. designations. CT changed that though, and quite luckily for me, seeing as I collect in a couple series where this is important (Roosevelts and Mercuries). </p><p><br /></p><p>How did I learn this? Luckily, there are a number of knowledgeable posters here who are happy to share information at the drop of a hat. It started with a thread by Lehigh (I believe) that explained in great detail the methods used to determine the number of full steps on Monticello for Jefferson nickels. It was a fascinating and very well put together post, and it got me thinking that perhaps there were things like this for the coins I liked (I had already been ensnared by the siren song of the ten cent piece at this point), so I did some searching. I found a blog post that Schatzy had linked to describing the trials and tribulations of identifying Full Torch Roosies, and why this designation (given only by NGC) was to be preferred over PCGS&#039;s FB designation. At this point I knew about FB designations for Mercury dimes as well, so more searching led me to a discussion of TPG criteria for what does and does not meet Full Split Band expectations, and the conclusion was that, among the top two, neither was necessarily more preferential than the other, though NGC&#039;s criteria have the appearance of being more thorough.</p><p><br /></p><p>Why is this lesson important? I&#039;m new to coin collecting, and I know that I want to put together a collection of the most beautiful coins I can find. Learning about how to find the tell-tale signs of a superb strike and great condition, in my mind, is pertinent information for finding those beautiful coins. If a bit of info can help a person build a better collection, then I sure as heck think that is important![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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