The Standard Guide to Grading British Coins - Available

[Red Riley]

Brilliant idea, a book like this, and will be a useful guide for beginners and not so beginners alike, for years to come (especially when you realise how unrealistic gradings have become, e.g. on a certain online auction site...).

I would like, if I may, to add a few riders :

1. Grading is an art, and this book - while it will provide a great service to collectors - can never replace the experience gained over time of looking at coins and handling them; this book will be the 'chemistry teacher' while real coins are the 'laboratory'.

2. Grading is usually decided on wear. There are many other factors that come into play also : dirt, scratches, weak strikings, early 'prooflike' strikings, quality of tone and patina, etc. Be aware that some dealers grade on wear alone but will supplement that with further description; others will grade on ALL the factors involved. For example, one dealer may describe a coin as "VF but light scratch on portrait", another dealer may simply grade the same coin as "F".

3. Appearance counts more than grade. I would rather have a coin in "superb VF" with a very pleasing look, than an "EF" example with uneven lustre and light scuffing in the fields.

Having said all that, I intend to buy a copy of this book for myself.

I agree with all that, with a slight wobble on number 2. I guess I have approached it from a slightly idealistic perspective in that I regard grading as grading and damage/other shortcomings as er... damage/other shortcomings. Good dealers in my experience, and to be fair, the vast bulk of them come into this category grade in a similar way. But you are right, the odd dealer will downgrade without going the extra mile of giving the all-important additional information. Us collectors are a pretty straightforward lot, and I have yet to meet one who likes this approach, preferring to buy from a dealer who divorces grading from other factors. As Chris says, this is covered in the book. Hope you like it (I'll even sign one for you if you buy it via Chris!).

Edited July 1, 2009 by Red Riley

[scott]

my dealer is a common undergrader. sometimes to the extreme

my 1961 EF farthing i got for £1... O.o

I had memerised the common aspects for george VI obverse, and got myself a VF 1946 3D for £4 (was about the same as the picture in the book)

[Peckris]

my dealer is a common undergrader. sometimes to the extreme

my 1961 EF farthing i got for £1... O.o

I had memerised the common aspects for george VI obverse, and got myself a VF 1946 3D for £4 (was about the same as the picture in the book)

How much do you want for your 1961 farthing? I will buy it from you...

(Red - that order will be in as soon as I check my PayPal account, when this heatwave is over!)

[scott]

1861*

just a typo, its still not bad wouldn't sell any farthings though even my 1858 small date