Just recieved my new graded Morgan Dollars.

[Mikes new hobby-migration]

I sent in what i thought to be my 5 finest Morgan dollars in my collection,3 of them looked proof like( to me ), and with my new 40X loop looked the same if not better than some of the other NGC MS slabbed coins out there and i expected to get them back in the NGC retro holders because i would have liked to add them to my collection, low and behold, two of them were OBV IMPROPERLY CLEANED, two were MS61 and one MS62. I guess i"m going to have to leave the grading to the experts and save my money and just buy the coins already slabbed, as for the retro holders it will be something i just missed out on.

[TomB]

If you are using 40x to examine/grade your coins then you are engaging in overkill and will have a hard time.

[James_OldeTowne]

I sent in what i thought to be my 5 finest Morgan dollars in my collection,3 of them looked proof like( to me ), and with my new 40X loop looked the same if not better than some of the other NGC MS slabbed coins out there and i expected to get them back in the NGC retro holders because i would have liked to add them to my collection, low and behold, two of them were OBV IMPROPERLY CLEANED, two were MS61 and one MS62. I guess i"m going to have to leave the grading to the experts and save my money and just buy the coins already slabbed, as for the retro holders it will be something i just missed out on.

That is undoubtedly THE BEST lesson you can learn from sending coins in. Let's face it, there is absolutely nothing wrong with admitting that one may never be able to grade like a "pro". In that case, buy the coins already graded, and problem solved!

 

Great post, and one that I hope gets plenty of reads.

[Mikes new hobby-migration]

Any advice is appreciated, and thank you.

[Raisethis2]

There's another thread dealing with cleaned coins that should develop into something helpful in that area.

 

Regarding the coins you submitted now you have a benchmark. I'd suggest listing on a slip of paper (until you have it memorized) characteristics you must see before buying a raw coin.

 

I'd start with:

 

1. luster complete on the cheek and breast feathers.

2. no cheek injury that would draw blood if real.

3. strike quality of 1,2 and 3.

In my world a 1 would be complete strike of hair above ear. A 3 is ok on coins known for weak strikes.

4. fields on both obverse and reverse with with no scratches and at most 1 area of "chatter" each side.

 

Coins as described above will most likely grade MS 64 (but not always).

 

Even buying coins in slabs is chancy. I've seen great MS 64 coins in ANACS slabs that are superior to my NGC and PCGS coins. The only good thing is that you won't lose money on them unless you pay too much in the first place.

 

 

[James_OldeTowne]

PM sent.

[Kurtdog]

I guess i"m going to have to leave the grading to the experts and save my money and just buy the coins already slabbed [...]

I've got a better suggestion. Find a hobby you care enough about to understand.

 

[FILTHYHOARD]

I would suggest you obtain some books on grading such as the Official ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins and if you have a particular series that interests you, pick up a book or two on that series.

In the meantime, don't be discouraged. We've ALL been there at one time. Stick to slabbed coins for now until you get the hang of things. It won't happen overnight, but if you have a passion for this hobby & truly enjoy it, you'll want to get better at grading. Look at different grades of the same coin, same mint marks & see if you can determine what makes one coin grade higher than the other. Participate (or just silently observe until you feel comfortable enough) in the "Hey buddy can you spare a coin" forum listed here on the NGC site.

Have fun & welcome to the boards!!

[newprepper]

I guess i"m going to have to leave the grading to the experts and save my money and just buy the coins already slabbed [...]

I've got a better suggestion. Find a hobby you care enough about to understand.

 

Nothing personal Kurtdog, but don't you think that's a little harsh? He had some trouble with grading so he decided to just buy slabbed for a while. Do you have to be competent at all aspects of coin collecting to enjoy the hobby? I like to buy and shoot guns, do I have to be able to machine the parts to participate in that? JMVHO

[Kurtdog]

I guess i"m going to have to leave the grading to the experts and save my money and just buy the coins already slabbed [...]

I've got a better suggestion. Find a hobby you care enough about to understand.

Nothing personal Kurtdog, but don't you think that's a little harsh? He had some trouble with grading so he decided to just buy slabbed for a while. Do you have to be competent at all aspects of coin collecting to enjoy the hobby? I like to buy and shoot guns, do I have to be able to machine the parts to participate in that? JMVHO

I read him as having given up on learning how to grade. Here it is, again, the part I replied to:

 

I guess i"m going to have to leave the grading to the experts and save my money and just buy the coins already slabbed [...]

Then what's the point? That was my point.

[FILTHYHOARD]

I feel you can still learn to grade by buying slabbed coins and getting familiar with what certain grades look like. Buying books would still be the way to go (and more economical) but buying coins already graded/slabbed isn't necessarily throwing in the towel either.

 

[Kenneth F]

I guess i"m going to have to leave the grading to the experts and save my money and just buy the coins already slabbed [...]

I've got a better suggestion. Find a hobby you care enough about to understand.

Nothing personal Kurtdog, but don't you think that's a little harsh? He had some trouble with grading so he decided to just buy slabbed for a while. Do you have to be competent at all aspects of coin collecting to enjoy the hobby? I like to buy and shoot guns, do I have to be able to machine the parts to participate in that? JMVHO

I read him as having given up on learning how to grade. Here it is, again, the part I replied to:

 

I guess i"m going to have to leave the grading to the experts and save my money and just buy the coins already slabbed [...]

Then what's the point? That was my point.

 

I wouldnt say he is giving up.. he has learned his first lesson on coins. Everybody has walked in his shoes before.. and Im sure we all were a bit frustrated before. Hey, not all of us can come out of the womb coin experts.