What’s your label?

Remember this?

When it says Libby’s Libby’s Libby’s on the label, label, label, you will like it, like it, like it on your table, table, table when it says Libby’s, Libby’s Libby’s on the label, label, label.

I did not look up this jingle online, so if my memory is a little bit off, you will have to let me know.

Labels are important as the jingle from long ago reminds us.

In numismatics labels have become critical.

Nowadays, we have grading labels on plastic slabs housing coins evaluated by a variety of companies.

We have special labels for early releases, first strikes, special events, autographs and who knows what else that is not coming immediately to mind.

We have labels that are affixed evaluating other labels.

Auction catalogs don’t tell us what the catalogers grade a coin any longer. The lot descriptions tell us what professional, third-party services have labeled a coin.

It is the modern way of collecting coins.

And, if you are like most other collectors, you have your favorite service as well as knowledge that this or that firm does this or that series somewhat better than any another firm.

We have the paradoxical situation where labels were introduced to standardize grading and instead we have gotten so many different labels that now our collecting approach is putting sets together with matching labels.

Remember when you thought it was difficult to explain coin collecting to a skeptical parent or spouse?

Just try explaining all the labels to them.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is winner of the 2014 Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog and is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."