The Philatelic Foundation Grading Upgrade

Grading is good in so far as it is consistent. From what I have read here, there are alleged instances of people sending in higher quantity of stamps for grading receiving a higher grade and the occasional collector getting a lower grade for the stamps. I am not sure if anyone has carried this out, try bringing a stamp to one of these bodies for grading and on the day of receiving the cert for the stamp, send that stamp to another body to get it certified immediately. If there is a big disparity in the grading of the same stamp, it is safe to say that this grading system can be discounted.

Fake news. There is zero incentive for the PSE or PF to do so. I have yet to see proof of said practice.

Not saying it happens which is why I used the term "alleged". When I mentioned read, I was referring to what was posted on this thread.

Grading was one of those "if it's not broke, don't fix it" things. F - VF - XF all worked well and the catalog publishers even have nice diagrams illustrating the difference. 2 collectors could both look at a stamp and agree if it was XF. Numerical grading has zero consistency and 3 collectors can look at a stamp and all will have different numerical grades.

Grading is amazingly consistent. Claims to the contrary are not based on evidence. PF, PSAG, PSE, and Scott are aligned. All of them are transparent about how they do it. Three educated collectors will absolutely not look at the same stamp and give it different grades - that is the problem grading solved. It is a mathematical formula. Centering can be measured precisely, and is done when stamps are graded. Then a stamp gets deductions for faults based on formulas. Please go out and find an example of inconsistent grading - if you find one, it will be a rare example, and it won't be off by more than one of the standard grades.

Could someone post the link to Kirke's interview or article about his experience with grading?

Grading is far from consistent and there is great deal of subjectivity built into the process. To claim the opposite is to argue from a position of ignorance or dishonesty.

This has been going on for a long time in coins. People would shop for the best grades for their items.

I don't have anything against grading a stamp as Jumbo, XF, VF, F or G but feel it's a bit of an overkill to cherish one grade, say a 99 over one that is a mere 97. Were talking microscopic difference here that the naked eye can't discern. I thought is was all about eye appeal/presentation.

"Grading is amazingly consistent. Claims to the contrary are not based on evidence. PF, PSAG, PSE, and Scott are aligned"

Not true. Anyone who send in stamps for grading with even a bit of regularity knows that the PF tends to be a bit more conservative than PSE. And the PF will not grade any damaged stamp.

It is mind boggling when these bodies come up with a grading system that is trying to give the public perception that it is so fine tuned that it necessitates a scale of 100. I would love to know what goes into deciding that few points of difference between let's say a 91 and a 93 graded stamp. Or is it just some seemingly random judges throwing a score based on their gut feel and they take the average?

Q/ Does this not mean that the grade adds value?




Q/ Does this not mean that the broader hobby is not harmed?




Q/ Does this not mean that the impact is quite limited?

If all of the decent restaurants in a smallish town started requiring tie'n'jacket - and tripled their prices - I would be aggrieved. But if only a few restaurants in a large city ...

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey (who wonders if the inconsistency in grading comes from there being so many more grades)

It has been irreparably harmed, if only because so many stamps and multiples have been destroyed to create graded and jumbo singles. So the impact is not only NOT limited, it affects and harms us all. And the value added IS artificial, since identical stamps would have vastly different values if one was graded and one was not. Wearing or not wearing a tie does not destroy anything, but grading has and does and will continue to in the name of greed and ego.

What do you all like most in stamps to call a stamp beautiful?
- its wonderful color
- good centering
- sound and without any perforation tip issues
- quality of the impression
- paper quality and brightness

What of all that is valued most for the grading companies and buyers?
Why?

Why is there such a fine tuning and not just some few grades?
Why are all other countries in the world happy without grading?

Is the grading system transparent, so do we get for example a list like:
paper: 90
color: 80
perforation: 90
centering: 80
impression: 95

Why not?

Too complicated. People would be arguing forever about which number is the most important one or ones.

That's it!

And that's what I wanted to show.

They should call it just "Centering", not grading. All other components can't be objective.

(by objective I mean giving a number for it between 0 and 100 and say if color is more important than paper)