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Message:: [QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 8245149, member: 110350"]I still don't really understand why you disagree with my point. Why isn't it possible that there are experienced collectors who could do as well as many dealers on such a test? Dealers make plenty of mistakes in their coin descriptions, most of them noticed by collectors. And there are collectors who have access to libraries as extensive as those of many dealers except perhaps the large auction houses. For example, anyone living in or near NYC could simply join the ANS and sit all day with a laptop in the 100,000-volume ANS library. That said, I've also thought about what the interview process would be like for the position. I imagine it would involve something like sending the applicant photos of, say, 20 coins (some of them tricky, as you suggest) and seeing how many complete and accurate descriptions they could prepare in a limited time, such as two hours -- which would allow someone 6 minutes per coin for research and writing. My guess is that in a two hour time period I might be able to complete the research and cataloguing of about four or five out of 20 coins. If I were especially lucky! Edited to add: extra credit should be given for every documented provenance found in the time allotted.[/QUOTE]