Just What is Coin Grading?

Just what is coin grading? It is the practice of assessing a coin and assigning it a particular grade. As a collector of coins, you should never entirely trust coin grading services otherwise you could get thoroughly disappointed. Not all coin grading services are equal. They are not standardized, so you will find that there are some grading services that are inferior to others. There are some top coin grader out there, but they are far and between and so aren’t accessible to everyone who might want to solicit their services.
If you are willing and patient enough, you could teach yourself how to grade coins. This isn’t hard if you have the time to dedicate and the will to learn. Some people will learn from beginning to end, but you will find those people who will learn the basics in the beginning, enough for them to get by, and then learn the rest through experience. As I said the grading is not standardized, so there is no common standard that can be used to grade coins. What there are though are some accepted methods of grading, and this depends on some standards. This also means that the grade you assign to a coin depends on the scale used.
After a coin is graded, it carries the value assigned to that grade and different coins can fetch different prices even if they are in the same grade. Coin grading takes into account different factors such as luster, scratches, abrasions, even the wear and tear it has undergone. The unfortunate thing is you can find that your coin has been graded too low or too high, because different people will interpret differently. So you can end up paying too much or getting too little for it when you sell it.