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The Grade of
a Coin Is Everything
by Robert L Taylor, JD
So You Are a Coin Collector!
Tell me: Are You Still Collecting Raw Coins?
Take any Coin in Your Collection, and Tell Me
What it is Worth.
To do so, you have to make a Decision about the
Grade of the Coin.
I will Assume that You are an Expert at Grading
a US Coin, so, you have arrived at the correct
Grade for the Coin You Selected.
Obviously, the Grade Determines the Value or
Worth of the Coin.
And, Once you have the Grade of the Coin, Any
source for the Price or Worth of a Coin will
Tell You the Value. (e.g.: greysheet, Red Book,
Black Book, Coin World, etc.)
Whether you are Getting Ready to Place a Book
Value on Your Collection, Getting Ready to
Upgrade or Sell one coin from Your Collection,
or Getting Ready to Buy or Upgrade a new
Addition, the Grade of the Subject Coin is All
Important. The Grade is Everything. Nothing
Matters More than the Grade of a Collectable
Coin.
Now, assume that You are Selling this Coin, and
Represent it to be the Grade You Decided Upon.
You have Priced the Coin According to a Reliable
Price Guide.
What percentage of all Coin Collectors will
Accept and Believe the Grade You Assigned, even
if They could Examine the Coin In Person?
Probably a small Minority! Why? Because the
Grade of a Coin is the Most Important Identity
Factor, and determining the Grade is a Difficult
Process. This is True, Whether Buying or
Selling. If the Grade is not True, or Correct,
then Money Will Be Lost – Lost to the Seller if
the Grade is too Low; Lost to the Buyer if the
Grade is too High.
There is nothing wrong with Buying and Selling
Raw Coins. Even if they may come from pocket
change or bank rolls. But once you Decide to
Make them part of your Collection, they need to
be Graded by an Independent Professional Coin
Grader.
This is so because You Need to Know the Value or
Worth, of each coin, as well as the Total
Collection.
But, you say, its Only my Personal Collection,
and I am not going to Sell it now, or ever.
Great, I say, but do you also Never plan on
Upgrading any of those Coins? Whenever you want
to Sell a Coin in your Personal Collection, you
have to Sell it with a Grade and a Price. This
means you have to Represent to someone else, the
Grade of the Coin. You Must Do this because you
have to put a Price on the Coin. When that Coin
has been Professionally Certified and Graded,
you have Eliminated the Biggest Argument Point.
Knowing the Grade Makes Everything So Much
Easier. The Price is a Given once the Grade is
Established.
Dreaming about owning a Coin with the Highest
Grade (in any Class), as we flipped through the
pages of our Red Book, has occurred to every one
of us from the Start of our Coin Collecting
days. Each one of those “Dream Coins” Passed the
Test, and met the Requirements of the Coin
Grading Guide established by the ANA (American
Numismatic Association).
What most Coin Collectors don’t realize is that
there are only four (4) well known and respected
Companies who offer Independent Professional
Coin Grading, and Follow the ANA Official
Grading Standards For US Coins. These Companies
are: 1) PCGS; 2) NGC; 3) ANACS; and 4) ICG.
These are the companies to be used when those
Raw Coins need to be Graded.
Get the Highest Price for Coins You are Selling;
Get the Best Price for Coins You are Buying; and
Get an Accurate Appraisal of Your Collection.
Collect Certified and Graded Coins! Don’t Play
Games with Buyers and Sellers over the Grade of
a Coin. Know the Grade of Your Coin!
Have fun collecting your Perfect Coins!
Robert L Taylor, JD
2006 © Copyright
Robert Taylor is a retired Lawyer, from Denver,
CO, who spent most of his career representing
people who could not afford an attorney, and who
has had a passion for collecting US coins, since
the age of 6. To share his Passion, he created
http://www.ThePerfect-Coin.Com featuring US Rare
and Modern Coins (from 1960) - at http://www.PerfectDollarCoins.com
and US Rare and Modern Dollar Coins (from 1878),
all Certified and Graded by NGC or PCGS. |