Grading Poll

[chrisfuccione]

 

 

[gmarguli]

How about a little of both, leaning heavily toward art?

[jtryka]

I vote both, emphasis on art (probably 60-40).

[Klectorkid]

Its an art for the most part. 90% Art 10% Science.

[PQSeated]

I think Science in itself is an art also for the most part.

[nwcs]

80% art 10% guess 10% circus animal filler

[Wihlborg]

I think both. 70% art 30% science.

 

[msmhappy]

i think 70% science 30% art.

 

mike

 

remember! collect proof sets!!!!!!

[Hoot]

50% informational/technical/quantitative attributions and 50% aesthetics. How these weigh in ultimately depends on the coin issue, its history, including production, and relative rarity. All these aspects are considered in a sort of "clinical" evaluation of the coin. In that sense, the grade that is assigned is an artfully derived summation of characteristics - a uniquely human perspective, and experience makes for the only solid ground for its practice.

 

Hoot

[DonHeath]

I would imagine the best graders consider themselves artists. I do.

[nwcs]

I stand by the circus animal aspect.

[Klectorkid]

Darn I forgot circus animal filler. In that case, 1% science 9% art and 90% circus animal filler.

 

 

[michael]

grading is an art

 

sincerely michael

[wolfal-migration]

definitely an art with a lot of opinion.

[GoldenState]

An art, with the requisite mastery of the technical aspects, such as strike, surface preservation, percentage of luster, and reflectivity. The most important (in my opinion) evaluative aspect of grading is an ART, and that is determining eye appeal.

[MichaelG-migration]

A science - as soon PCGS gets their grading program working.

As long as people are involved, it's an art. A science requires repeatable results.

[jesbroken]

When someone with relatively long standing knowledge and experience in hand grades a coin it is an art. When someone with any amount of knowledge and experience grades coins by the dozens per day as a paid grader, it is just a job and is susceptible to all the strains and pressures that anyone may face in their day to day job. This is neither art nor science-just a job that may be well done on Wednesday and poorly done on Friday. IMO.

[just-john]

a great marketing ploy

[BillJones]

It's more science than art. People who spend time talking about "art" might well be the ones who have an excuse for over grading or "grade-flation."

 

Yes, grading standards have changed, but not for the better in recent years.

[CAP Freak]

AN art

[gernblanston]

Definitely an art. The inconsistencies in grading on the same book and differences in opinion about how to grade are too great to make it a science.

[physics-fan3.14]

It is a scientific art. Like one of those mathematical abstractions that relies on complicated formulas, or like a fractal. There is a good bit of science involved, but the end product is an art.

[gernblanston]

It is a scientific art. Like one of those mathematical abstractions that relies on complicated formulas, or like a fractal. There is a good bit of science involved, but the end product is an art.

 

I can live with a hybrid explanation. Fractal is over my head as I was a philosophy major.

[just-john]

In many years to come it will be looked at as the pet rock's of numismatic's

[jackson64]

As a scientist by profession I can unequivocably say that grading is an art. If it were a science there would be a set of standard AND repeatable/ predictable results. If a person can crack-out a coin and submit it for grading and get 3 different results, there is no science. Also when eye-appeal carries such weight...enough said...

[ccc-migration]

one would hope a science because that would make it determinable and constant for the most part, but I suspect it is probably an art. a grade is an opinion (granted, a professional one) and subjective (like art).

[eggbone]

I believe that it is close to 50/50.

 

[Walkerfan]

I think it is open to interpretation like art but is somewhat consistent, logical and methodical like science. So I vote science!

[Kurtdog]

Market grading is certainly an art. Eye appeal is a purely subjective standard. Technical grading, OTOH, has objective standards; however, the activity of weighing those in an effort to assign the overall grade is subjective. As such, I voted "art."

[augold]

neither.. it's a whim.