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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GDJMSP, post: 596115, member: 112&quot;]I have a sign in my home - </p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;ve never made a mistake. I thought I did once but I was wrong <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Seriously, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I make my share of mistakes. As for my grading method, I&#039;ve shared it on many, many occasions. You pretty much nailed it - it&#039;s a composite method. I have studied every grading book there is in depth - and continuosly do so. I have read every article on grading that I could ever find, and still do so. I have looked at countless coins of every denomination, series and type - from more than just a few countries. I used to buy multiple coins of the same date and mint slabbed by the same TPG, and all the major TPG&#039;s, and studied them - just to get a better understanding of their grading methods. I have had repeated, in depth conversations on the subject of grading with every knowledgeable numismatist that I have ever had the good fortune to meet. </p><p><br /></p><p>Doing all of this has taken me a lifetime. So to grade coins - all I do is apply it. There are no secret methods or special proceedures. I first examine a coin, under a good light, with the naked eye - just like the books tell you to do. It takes about 5 seconds. For 95% of the coins this is all that is needed. If I see anything that I think warrants a closer look, I use a 5x glass to examine the coin. For 98% of the coins that is enough. For those that still require a closer look, I use a 10x lighted loupe. That pretty much covers all the coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now for coin pictures things change. Some pics just are not good enough to accurately grade coins. And even with the best pics, the most you can hope for is an educated guess. But with experience, you can learn what a pic tells you and does not tell you. Often what it doesn&#039;t tell you is more important than what it does tell you. You have to learn what these things are, how to recognize them and how to apply them in order to arrive at a grade estimate. It would require a full book to explain, but if you were to read all of my past posts, and examine all of the pictures I have ever posted - you&#039;d pretty much have that book.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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