The real reason to become involved in numismatics at all is to have an enjoyable experience.

Today, many coin buyers are not collectors at all. They do not acquire coins systematically to build sets. At the moment, the coin market is in a state of flux.

There are some numismatic series in which worn pieces are more desirable than Uncirculated examples.

These days, coin buyers can be divided into two categories: (1) informed and aware of the nuances of the marketplace and (2) uninformed and don’t care.

Third-party graders offer precision of num­bers, guaranteed authenticity, and another advantage: a big label inside a nearly impenetrable hunk of plastic.

It is up to a buyer building a great collection to study the coins or needle-sharp images. A quality grading service can verify and guarantee authenticity.

Q. David Bowers believes that third-party certification has been a great boon to coin prices and to the market in general. It has other advantages as well.

Part of the grading milieu is the mutually profitable system of resubmitting a coin to a certification service and having it returned with a higher grade.

To successfully negotiate among grading inconsistencies, do what the specialists do: look at a lot of coins and cherrypick the best in the level you can afford.

Decades ago, there were no grading standards. Now there are. Still, it seems even an expert’s grading for the same coin can vary by the day.