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Message:: [QUOTE="Orielensis, post: 3349754, member: 96898"]I tend to keep away from discussions about grading since I seldomly find them insightful. What generally bothers me about the concept of grade is the underlying idea that a coin starts as perfect and then slowly deteriorates. There is a certain amount and type of wear that I personally find more desirable than "mint state." Others might consider it damage, but in my eyes some coins have become more interesting and/or appealing through historical use. If you disagree, that's fine - we might simply have different tastes and, even better, won't compete for the same coins in the next auction. Below is an example – for me, much of the charm of this coin lies in the "war paint" banker's mark on Heracles' chin:[ATTACH=full]887027[/ATTACH] Alexander III "the Great," Kingdom of Macedonia, AR tetradrachm, 325–323 BC, Amphipolis mint (under Antipater). Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin. Rev: ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; in left field, rooster standing left. 26mm, 17.17g. Ref: Price 79; Troxell 1997, issue E3. Ex CNG, e-auction 376, lot 47; ex Tiberius collection; ex AMCC 1, lot 39. Ditto, ditto, and ditto – we might be more or less the same age, and I couldn't agree more.[/QUOTE]