Grading Variances - Picture V. In-Hand / Your thoughts please

[texasrichard]

There was an interesting post yesterday ATS where 5 buffalo nickels all of the same date/mm were posted with "hidden" grades but graded 62-66. Everyone got a stab at grading them. It got me to thinking.

 

What I am curious about and would like your comments on is......

 

If someone posted an excellent picture of a coin and several knowledgable numismatists graded the coin from the picture would the spread between assigned grades be significantly larger than it would if the coin was graded "in-hand" by the same persons?

 

Has this forum ever attempted a test to see for something like this?

 

Thanks,

Richard

[TomB]

I believe that grading by images would lead to a spread of grades that would be less accurate, but I do not know if it would be less precise than viewing the coin in-hand.

[WoodenJefferson]

There are several factors that a picture or image cannot convey to the viewer like a coin in hand under a controlled environment. Simple things, such as proper lighting can benefit or reveal a coins true grade. There are factors that come into play such as luster. To determine luster, the coin must be rotated like a wobbling plate. To see hairlines, the coin must be held at a certain angle in order to refract the light off the lines. When need be, magnification without distortion can be used to identify anomalies. Even the third side (the rim) may play as a factor for the qualification criteria.

 

I myself would like to see 4 or 5 really good images and let a panel do a "taste test" and then give them the "double blind fold" study on the real coins to see how close or how far apart the spread would unfold.

 

Until 3-D images become common place, photo grading is an estimation at best.

 

Then again, this is an opinion.