Authentication is a physical skill, and physical skills are built by drills — not by reading.
The drills
- The 50-photo test. Call your verdict before checking. Use certified coins as answer keys. And remember: photos lie in both directions.
- Your personal never-raw list. Coins you’ll never buy uncertified. Review it twice a year. It only grows.
- The timed ritual. Run it on ten purchases and keep a written log.
Maintenance
- Monthly photo tests.
- Quarterly kit re-calibration checks.
- Twice-yearly list review.
Professionals keep records. Amateurs keep impressions.
A photograph can inform a decision, but it cannot authenticate or certify a coin.