My own grading system

[Bennett]

For my own record-keeping purposes and enjoyment, I'm thinking of creating my own system of coin grading that tries to objectively quantify all the traits of a coin. I want to do it on a ten-point scale based on several factors. I'd be interested in any input or suggestions.

 

Wear -- This would be the basic measure of how much metal is missing based on circulation wear. 10 would be uncirculated, down to 1 for poor.

 

Surface -- This would be a general measure of damage to the surfaces other than through wear (bag marks, nicks, pitting that isn't too problematic, scratches and hairlines that don't rise to the level of a "problem" (see below) etc.) 10 would be perfect surfaces, 1 would be lots of damage but not inherently problematic.

 

Luster -- I'm thinking 7 through 10 would be for more or less "full" mint luster, but broken down as to the quality of the luster. 6 on down would be for actual loss of luster. 1 would be fairly common for more circulated coins.

 

Strike -- pretty self-explanatory. 10 would be fullest possible details for the series, not necessarily the date. Some dates couldn't receive a 10 obviously.

 

Rim -- A separate rating for rim damage.

 

Originality -- 10 would be any coin that hasn't been (as far as I can tell) cleaned or whizzed. I'm not sure 6-9 would be feasible, but perhaps for a coin that was possibly cleaned in the past but has re-aged in a market acceptable way. 5 and below would be for obvious cleaning and/or whizzing.

 

Toning -- Here, 10 would be completely un-toned, and 1 would be heavily toned. I wouldn't try to make any distinction about the quality or eye-appeal of the toning. Just a strict, objective measure of how much the coin has departed from its mint state color.

 

Problems -- This is the trickiest, but would be an objective attempt to attach a single number to the presence and seriousness of the kinds of problems that make a coin uncollectable or unmarketable despite its usual grade. 10 would be the complete absence of any troublesome problems, while 1 would be a totally uncollectable coin, say a hole in the middle. For example, a prominate scratch on an otherwise attractive surface might result in a score of Surfaces = 8, Problems = 4, while a typical, problem-free MS-60 coin might be Surfaces = 2, Problems = 9. This category would not include cleaning or rim dings, since those are already accounted for in other categories.

 

 

 

 

[MikeInFL]

What about the (IMO) most important attribute -- eye appeal?

[bsshog40]

Everyone has thier own methods for grading. I say, whatever works for you, go for it!!

[TomB]

Wow.

[Just Bob]

Interesting, Buddy. How about posting some pictures - say one circulated & one unc, - and grading them using your system, so that we can see what we think?

I don't know how the idea would fly in the market, but for your own collection, it sounds like a good idea.

 

BTW I don't think that I have welcomed you to the boards yet.

[chinook]

Wow.

 

 

In other words, I think you are speechless?

[michael]

my grading system is usually determined by..............

 

THE PRICE OFFERED BY A SELLER

OR

WHAT I WANT TO SELL A COIN FOR

[rbrown4]

Interesting, I too would be interested in seeing some examples based on your scale/system. The one that to me may be problematic would be the Toning. Realizing that different folks have different opinions on toning and the desirability varies by coin, etc. How would you calculate this value into your overall grading of a coin.

 

Rey

[jackson64]

i think it's interesting...I have a similar grading scale/criteria that I abide by but others would not agree with...in the end I find it refreshing to find another person who is intelligent enough to decide what they like, what they are willing to pay and not need 4 or 5 opinions to tell them whether their taste and values are in proper proportions...wtg!!........I hope you find many coins that fit your criteria and your budget...there are billions to choose from...