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Message:: [QUOTE="GDJMSP, post: 1455293, member: 112"]Nor did I take it that way. I used to, not anymore. As the result of an accident when I was 15 I was blind for a time. When the docs got done fixing my eyes my vision was amazingly improved to 20/10 in both eyes. Stayed that way until well into my 40's. Now, I've got "old guy" eyes, wear glasses. But those 30 years or so of being able to see things others could not taught me a great deal about coins. I haven't forgotten the lessons. And with glasses I can still see almost everything I used to.  And I was talking about looking at the coins in hand, not pictures. Can grading by picture be done ? Yes, but accuracy and consistency suffer. And it also requires an additional skill - that of being able to interpret the pictures. Some can do that some cannot. And of course it depends on the picture, what I refer to, to myself, as the honesty of the picture. One problem with pictures is that people, usually the owner, tend to share with us flattering pictures. They choose, consciously or otherwise, pictures that show a coin in its best light as it were. And as most who are experienced know, pictures can often not show you everything that is there to be seen. It's almost impossible (IMO) for a picture to show you something that is not there. But quite easy for it to not show something that is there.  I think most people are intimidated by the 69 and 70 grades. That does not help when it comes to grading them. The psychological aspect of grading coins has a greater impact on people than most give it credit for. Confidence in your grading ability is imperative. But one must also be realistic and completely honest when it comes to that confidence. One should know, without any doubt, if they have the experience to accurately grade or not. And be able to admit that to yourself.  This is the one place where you and I, and some others, differ in our thinking. As I have said before, yes I firmly believe that the TPGs are the best thing that has ever happened to this hobby. What I do not believe however is that the TPGs are the final arbiter when it comes to deciding what a coin should be graded. In other words, just because a TPG says a grade is XX, that does not necessarily mean they are right. This point, more than any other, just drives me crazy. It sometimes makes me want to scream and shout and jump and down say - Are You Kidding Me ???? - when some collectors, those who I think are experienced and should know, automatically and without reservation, claim or imply that a person must know absolutely nothing about grading coins - just because they disagree with the grade assigned by the TPG. To me that is akin to saying - God (the TPG) said so. So you HAVE to be wrong ! Well trust me, the TPGs make more than their share of mistakes. And they are most definitely not always right. And they most definitely do not always use the same standards. If they never made mistakes, and they never changed standards, then no coin would ever be up-graded or down-graded. The fact that they are, and the fact that they are so often, proves beyond any doubt, that one or the other, or both, happen. So no, the TPG is not always right. But as I have said before, I believe that very few collectors and dealers can accurately and consistently grade. And for that reason the TPGs, and yes even CAC, provide a truly invaluable service to those who cannot grade. There is no denying that. Do I think I am one of those who can consistently and accurately grade ? Yes, I do. But not because of ego, I believe that because of my experience and knowledge. Both of which I have spent entire life striving to improve. And still to this day strive to improve - every day.[/QUOTE]

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