How does "User Defined Grading Scale" work

[bomndk]

Would you please explaine how User Defined Grading Scale work and is it possible for me to use it instead of the existing grading system?

Kind Regards

Bo Fritzen

[bomndk]

Would you please explaine how User Defined Grading Scale work and is it possible for me to use it instead of the existing grading system?

I have figured it out. But I have found that it do not work with the grading system used in Denmark.
In Denmark We use gradings like this (VG-8 = 1-, F-12 = 1, VF-20 = 1+, EF-40 = 01 and MS-60 = 0) but most of these grades do not work in the grade column.

[Wild Man]

The user defined grade scale feature allows you to set up your own set of grades.  For example, a lot of people like to use very basic grades like Worn, Nice, Unc and BU.  If you just wanted those four grades then you’d define a new grade scale.  Each of these grades equates with one of the Sheldon scale grades, for example, you may put “Worn” next to “G-4”.  That matters only when you’re switching back and forth between scales; if you switch from this user defined scale back to the standard Sheldon scale then any coin listed as “Worn” would now be listed as “G-4”.
If the grading scale that you create has fewer grades than the Sheldon scale that Exact Change uses by default, then the price list will list only those grades that you included.  In the above example, when you add a coin to your collection and click on the grade box, it would offer the choices of Worn, Nice, Unc and BU.
You can also create a grading scale that has all the same grades as the standard Sheldon scale but with different names, if you just want to use different names for each grade.  For example, we use the grade “EF-40” where some people prefer the name “XF-40” for that grade.
Once you’ve set up your own grade scale, you need to select what series will use that grade scale; you can have some series that use one scale and some that use another.  For example, a lot of people use the Sheldon scale for U.S. coins but prefer a more simplistic scale for world coins.  To implement a user-defined grading scale that you’ve created, right-click on a series on the Series page, then click on “Properties” in the menu that pops up.  Here’s where you can change the name of the series and specify its size and shape, you can also select which grading scale this series will use.
When you change the grading scale for a given series, it’ll change the grading scale for all the series below it.  For example, if you change the grading scale of “Entire collection”, it will change the grading scale for every series in your collection.  If you change the scale for “U.S. Coinage”, it’ll change the grading scale for all U.S. coins.
The grading scales are saved in your collection file and every collection file can have its own unique set of grading scales.  Remember that you can experiment with the grading scales and, if you don’t like the scales you’ve set up you can delete them or choose not to save the collection file.  This gives you the opportunity to play with it until you have user-defined grading scales set up exactly as you wish.

[Wild Man]

I have figured it out. But I have found that it do not work with the grading system used in Denmark.
In Denmark We use gradings like this (VG-8 = 1-, F-12 = 1, VF-20 = 1+, EF-40 = 01 and MS-60 = 0) but most of these grades do not work in the grade column.

Please tell me more about the grading system that you’re using; I’m not sure I’m quite following your example.

[bomndk]

The grading scale we use in Denmark looks like this

  0 : the perfect uncirculated coin with a full coin glow? and no wear
          01 - 0
 01 :Very beautiful coin with coin glow? and only very little wear on the highest points of the coin
          1+ - 01  or 1++
 1+ : Nice coin with all details and only slight wear.
          1 - 1+
 1  : A normal worn coin
          1? - 1
 1? : Worn sample that can be recognized
         2 - 1?
 2  : Very worn with part of the imprint? missing
        3 - 2
 3  : Basically worn down with no imprint at all.

   

[Wild Man]

To set up a scale like this, the User-Defined Grading Scales would look something like it appears in this image (click on the image to see it larger).   Notice that we put the grades that you listed (0 to 3) beside equivalent grades on the Sheldon scale (the scale listed on the left side).  You may decide to move them up or down a row.  For example, your grade of “0” may better equate to a MS-63 grade than an MS-65 grade but it really doesn’t matter all that much.  When you create this grading scale and then apply it to one or more series, you’ll see that the Prices page lists only the grades from 0 to 3.  In this image there’s an inset that shows what the grade box on the coin page looks like when using this scale.  Notice that there’s no longer any reference to the Sheldon scale, only the grades that you defined are used.

[bomndk]

I am sorry but I have found some bugs in the user defined grading.

On the pricing page when using user defined grading scale it behaves strange.
When I click in a field with a value in it, this value will change without me doing anything.

I also tried changing the split values but it was other fields that changed.


In the coin page grades is not shown in the grid or is shown wrong.




Bo

[bomndk]

Or am I wrong?

[Todkar]

Hello,
A lot of collectors of world coins are using basic grades – Fine, Very fine, Extremely fine, Unc etc. So am I. However I have also in my collection graded coins by TPGS. I would like them to appear with the exact grade and the grading company.
With the User defined grading scale, I can set up the entire series, but not a specific coin.

For example if I have 3 coins, one is XF, the other Unc. and the third one is graded by NGC as MS 61, I would like them to appear like that in the reports – XF, Unc, MS 61 NGC.
Is it possible?

[Wild Man]

     In response to your post we’ve been playing around with the idea of making it so that different coins within the same series could be graded according to different scales; that the “Grade” drop-down box would list the grades from each grading scale.  That’s certainly doable, but it adds some complexity to the user interface and we’re all about making it as easy to lean as possible.  Therefore, I think the best way to do this really is to create a grading scale that has something like this:

Good, XF, AU, UNC, MS-60, MS-61…MS69

      In other words, just replace the lowest grades with your more generic grade designators and use the Sheldon grades for mint state and proof grades.  The grade in your user defined grading scale doesn’t have to equate to the Sheldon scale.  For example, you can replace G-4 with XF and VG-8 with UNC.  It’s only suggested that grade in your user defined grading scale be equivalent to the Sheldon grade it replaces in case you decide later to scrap your user defined scale.  It’s a suggestion, but one you should probably ignore in this case.  You can really set up any grades in any order you’d like in the user defined grading scale.

     I hope that helps, please let me know if that adequately addresses your question.  Sorry it took so long for a response but we looked at this with an approach that was far more complicated that the simple answer that was there all along.

Below is a complete example of something like the User Defined Grading Scale we’re talking about.  With this scale, you’ll see your generic grades listed, followed by the precise grades…

G-4=Good
VG-8=XF
F-12=AU
F-15=UNC
VF-20=BU
VF-30=Proof
EF-40=
EF-45=
AU-50=AU-50
AU-53= AU-53
AU-55= AU-55
AU-58= AU-58
MS-60= MS-60
MS-61= MS-61
MS-62= MS-62
MS-63= MS-63
MS-64= MS-64
MS-65= MS-65
MS-66= MS-66
MS-67= MS-67
MS-68= MS-68
MS-69= MS-69
MS-70= MS-70
PF-60= PF-60
PF-61= PF-61
PF-62= PF-62
PF-63= PF-63
PF-64= PF-64
PF-65= PF-65
PF-66= PF-66
PF-67= PF-67
PF-68= PF-68
PF-69= PF-69
PF-70= PF-70

[Todkar]

Hello,
thank you for the answer. I created a grading scale like your example and I'll use it untill new feature is added.

In addition I would like to report some kind a "bug" in the grading system. I had the same problem like the collegue bomndk, who posted before that in the coin page grades are not shown in the grid or are shown wrong. I think I found the reason.

If in the user defined scale you left grades from the Sheldon scale with unasigned custom grades, in the coin page there are mistakes.
For example, we create:
G-4=
VG-8=
F-12=F
F-15=
VF-20=VF
VF-30=
EF-40=EF
EF-45=
AU-50=AU
AU-53=
AU-55=
AU-58=
MS-60= UNC
MS-61=
MS-62=
etc...

If you set up a scale like this and grade a coin with F, it will appear EF, if you mark VF, it will appear UNC, if you mark EF, nothing will appear.

The explanation is: Custom grade F is assigned to F-12 in the original software grading scale. F-12 is the third possible grade (starting from the top). The program assigns in your coin page the third available grade in your grading scale - in this case - EF.

Same if you mark VF - we assigned it to VF-20 from the original scale and it's the 5th possible grade. The 5th grade in our custom scale is UNC.

If we mark EF it correspond to EF-40, that is the 7th possible grade, and in our User defined scale we have only five possible grades (F, VF, EF, AU, UNC).


If for example I make exactly the scale in the Wild Man example,

G-4=Good
VG-8=XF
F-12=AU
F-15=UNC
VF-20=BU
VF-30=Proof
EF-40=
EF-45=
AU-50=AU-50
AU-53= AU-53
AU-55= AU-55
AU-58= AU-58
MS-60= MS-60
MS-61= MS-61
MS-62= MS-62
MS-63= MS-63
MS-64= MS-64
MS-65= MS-65
MS-66= MS-66
MS-67= MS-67
MS-68= MS-68
MS-69= MS-69
MS-70= MS-70
PF-60= PF-60
PF-61= PF-61
PF-62= PF-62
PF-63= PF-63
PF-64= PF-64
PF-65= PF-65
PF-66= PF-66
PF-67= PF-67
PF-68= PF-68
PF-69= PF-69
PF-70= PF-70

we don't have assigned user defined grades for EF-40 and EF-45, so before these grades all will be OK. GOOD will appear as GOOD, XF will appear as XF, Proof will appear as Proof, but after the two unassigned grades everything will be wrong: AU-50 will  appear AU-55, MS-62 will appear as MS-64 etc...

So if you want your user defined scale to work, fill every single field in it, even if you don't want to use it! That's working good for me.

[Wild Man]

Yes, there was an issue with the user defined grading scales; it wasn’t setting up the “Grade” box correctly if there were unused grades in the scale (as you described).  We have corrected that and it’s in the update.  This update has been a huge undertaking (it’s a major update to version 5 and it goes well over 25,000 images) but we’re about ready to offer it to anyone who would like to beta test it.  If you’re interested, just email WildMan@ExactChange.Info