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We always preach, "Buy the coin, not the holder."
With that said, some holders hold their value better than others. PCGS, NGC, ANACS, and ICG are the top four graders out there and PCGS (presently) seems to get more for their graded coins (same coin, same grade) than NGC which gets more than the other two. For now...many will state that NGC's prices are catching up. I like to look at past auctions on sites like Heritage and you can see yourself when and how much were paid for the "same" coin.
If you resubmit them back to PCGS, for instance, you can state that the minimum grade you will be willing accept. If PCGS doesn't feel (and that's where the debate always happens when we talk about somebody else's subjective opinion) that the coin deserves a higher grade, they will still charge for the grading service and return your coin in the existing slab. If you are lucky and their graders grade the coin up from say a MS65 to a MS66...jackpot! (so to say). New holder, better grade...big dollars in a 65 versus a 66!
Many times you see coins listed as "MS65...looks MS66" or "MS64...why it isn't MS65 is beyond me!?! Should easily upgrade." These are people that sincerely believe their coin is a higher grade than what the grading service issued!
Auction houses will have nice pictures of their coins that you can zoom in and have a look. Of course, you have two similar coins side by side with the same grade and you are left scratching your head thinking why do they have the same grade when one looks "better" than the other. Then the next person comes along and thinks the other has a better "strike". I like coin A, he likes coin B...hmmmm.
Yes, most serious colletors buy the coin first, not the slab...however, in this day and age with sight unseen buying and selling, a lot is put into the coin by which professional service graded it.
PCGS is still pulling in the premium prices and if you are lucky to upgrade from the old holder to the current ones, that is great!
Last edited by Ed Zak; 10-08-2004 at 04:55 PM.
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