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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Insider, post: 8128822, member: 24314&quot;]wxcoin, asked me: </p><p><br /></p><p>1. &quot;What do you think the grader turnover rate is today at the top two relative to ten years ago?&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I<i><span style="color: #660033"> have no idea.&nbsp; About twelve years ago market conditions were different and some layoffs occurred.&nbsp; Lots of the top guys at one service left including its founder at another service.&nbsp; We hear rumors in recent years BUT see ads looking to hire new employees. </span></i> </p><p><br /></p><p>2.&nbsp; &quot;How many coins is a grader expected to grade per day relative to ten years ago?&quot;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033">I have no idea.&nbsp; As a grader/authenticator, I personally have NEVER been under pressure to grade a certain number of coins - ever at ANACS in DC, INSAB, PCI, NGC or ICG.&nbsp; After helping to start NCS at NGC it was the same - no pressure.&nbsp; Additionally, I have never known any employee who was pressured to perform.&nbsp; I do know of one employee who was let go because he was not doing a good job getting tokens graded and identified in a timely manner.&nbsp; Additionally, I SUSPECT that the young graders of SE need to get things done fast.&nbsp; Perhaps that&#039;s why not all 70&#039;s from ANY major TPGS are not true 70&#039;s. </span></i> </p><p><br /></p><p>3.&nbsp; &quot;In this regard, how does ICG compare?&nbsp; I always thought it would be nice to get trained and work as a grader.&nbsp; But in hindsite it may have ruined my passion to be a collector.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033">I would not want to be a grader ANYWHERE if I had to start in 2000 or after unless I was a teen or twenty-something and loved coins , and planed to eventually become a coin dealer.&nbsp; I have been very fortunate to get my start when grading and especially authentication was in the &quot;Extremely Dark Ages.&quot;&nbsp; We probably received less than seventy coins a week at ANACS in 1972.&nbsp; I don&#039;t wish to comment on how unbelievably wonderful the working conditions are for me now; but I will say that in spite of the 10 + hour days and large submission volume (we are training young replacements for some day in the future when our senior staff is found dead at our desk with big smiles) <b>I get to spend as much time as I want to research, grade, photo, conserve, or attribute any US or foreign coin</b> that comes into ICG. That&#039;s probably because big companies and stockholders don&#039;t own us.&nbsp; </span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033"><br /></span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033">PS I guess I&#039;ve written in numismatic News before that between 10 and 20 seconds is a good average for most uninteresting vintage coins and moderns.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033"><br /></span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033">1. Remove from flip.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033">2. Look at both sides.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033">3. Looking again at both sides using a 7X lens &amp; 100W incandescent light.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033">4. Often looking again using florescent light and a 7X scope.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033">5. Entering computer stuff</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033">6. Place back in flip.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033"><br /></span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #660033">But, I&#039;ve spent 10 to 20 minutes on a single coin several times a day!&nbsp; I&#039;ll bet that even a long-time, experienced grader can&#039;t do that at a top two TPGS.&nbsp; The coin would go to someone else similar to Dave Lange at NGC to research it or write an article. </span></i>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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