[Archive]

Posted By: barrysloate

It might be better if there weren't many more grades added to the system. While collectors count on the expertise of the grading service, they also take pride in learning to grade themselves, and understanding why a card got the grade it did. If you begin to institute half grades, the system becomes too complicated.

Coins are graded on a 1 to 70 scale, with MS 70 being perfection. Coins originally had three levels of uncirculated: MS 60, which is average: MS 65 which is gem; and MS 70 which is considered perfect. With these three grades, collectors could pretty much determine what grade their coin would get.

Today there are eleven different uncirculated grades from 60 to 70. It has now become an extremely complicated process, just as baffling before as after the coin is graded. Too many sub-grades may not be such a good thing.

Perhaps a 30 with a short explanation, such as "30-heavy creasing", or "30-paper loss" might add some accuracy to the lower grades.