Re: Probs of Accurate Grading

[photology@juno.com (Thomas P Myro)]

On Tue, 18 Feb 1997 08:37:23 -700 "Roger Beamon" <beamon@primenet.com>
writes:
>With alacrity, Patrick Sobalvarro wrote:
>
>>How many pluses can there be after an exc before you get to mint-?
>
>I've wondered the same thing. To further complicate the situation, 
>Don has frequently used something like exc+++/mint-. Now if three 
>pluses is next to mint-, how can 6 or 7 pluses not also be shown as 
>/mint-.
>
>I emailed Don a couple of months ago asking if he couldn't clean up 
>his grading, but no answer. To his credit, I've always found 
>Chatterton to be a totally ethical vendor who grades conservatively 
>and stands by his word.
>
>Like Stephan said, it's difficult to quantify, but I sure wish that 
>we would only see one system used. Then, the only variable would be 
>how the dealer rates within that system. Not wishing to appear too 
>parochial about it, I happen to think the LHSA ratings would be a 
>good set of ratings to useas a standard.
>--
>Roger Beamon  
>       Naturalist & Photographer
>       Docent: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
>       Leica Historical Society Of America
>       mailto:beamon@primenet.com
>
Good Day!

The inherent problem with rating systems is that any rating is intended
to be used in place of a lengthy description that the dealer doesn't want
to write, and doesn't want to pay for the additional space in his ads,
and YOU faithful consumers out there really wouldn't want to read anyway.

Perhaps in the comming years, as Internet advertising replaces the
encyclopaedic volumes of classifieds and block ads in magazines like
shutterbug, we will find more detail of description, and less dependency
on rating systems.  Webspace is comparatively cheap, my friends, a 1/4ppg
ad in Shutterbug in 1989 used to cost me about $800 to produce.  I could
rent over 5G in webspace for that same money-- enough to write short
stories about every piece, if I chose.

Sincerely,
Thomas P. Myro
Photology@juno.com