Thread: ICG grading service

There was a representative of ICG grading service at my club's monthly coin show today taking submissions for grading. Has anyone had experience with ICG? How are they with cost, turnaround time, accuracy, etc. Where do they stand when compare to ANACS, NGC & PCGS? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Where do they stand when compare to ANACS, NGC & PCGS? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

PCGS and NGC are shoo-ins for the top 2 TPG. I have used ICG and ANACS, and feel that IMO, ICG is above ANACs for 3rd position. Their turn around is similar to better than the top 2. The cost of joining the ICG "club" is reimbursed by submissions and allows you to submit yourself, or claim to be a dealer and get a discount. It is all subjective as different grading sets are used.

If I am going to buy, I look at the coin and not the holder, so I would buy one in a ICG or ANACS holder if it was less expensive and well graded. If it is a coin I want to sell easier, I go to either PCGS or NGC.

However, for lower price coins, ICG does have 2 nice specials on. A 2-day , $12 , any US dollar special ( nice for common morgans) and 10 economy US coins for $10 each.

Jim

Thanks for the info Jim. I'm new here so I'm glad to be treated so kindly immediately.

Malak

Welcome! No reason you won't be treated well here. And don't be afraid to ask questions -- I have found some of the most knowledgeable people on here actually like to answer questions (I think it's a sickness but I'm glad they have it).

I'm locked into NGC and PCGS since I do NGC Registry Sets.
If I submit coins they go to NGC, but that's because it's more convenient for me to do so.
I'm aware of the extra "prestige" attached to PCGS.

But other than that I would have no qualms about buying an ICG coin as long as it's "sight seen".
And that same rule applies to NGC and PCGS too.
But recent events have caused me to shy away from ANACS.

I have purchased several coins in ICG holders. I buy the coin regardless of the holder it is in.

I agree with desertgem that if selling, it might be better today if the coin was in a first teir holder like NGC or PCGS.

Originally Posted by kanga

I'm locked into NGC and PCGS since I do NGC Registry Sets.
If I submit coins they go to NGC, but that's because it's more convenient for me to do so.

I have registries on both PCGS and NGC as well, but always submit to PCGS because (as NGC allows you to register PCGS coins in it's registry, and PCGS does not allow NGC coins) you can then have the coin on both sites.

I have no problem with ICG, as long as I have the coin in hand for inspection before purchase. I do have a few ICG coins in my collection, and I'm happy with them.

That being said, they do not enjoy widespread market acceptance at this time.

I have not submitted coins to them, and cannot speak to their customer service.

Welcome Malak.

I have used ICG since about 2005. They really rised in the ranks of coin grading in about 2005 when they recruted several of the best people from PCGS and NGC. Every coin that I have ever sent them for grading came back just as I would have graded, except for a couple they body-bagged because of a possible cleaning. They are picky and tough on grading just as are PCGS, but you will never get the $$$ back from an ICG coin like you would a PCGS. I used ICG for a lot of coins that I planned to keep for a long time, such as the 1921 and 1928 Peace Dollars from my collection. Same way with my keys for the quarters, dimes, nickels and cents from my albums.
Good Luck!
Chuck

Since the topic is on grading companies...Which are the ones to AVOID - and why? Thanks. (Not new here but only my 2nd post - thanks for patience!). r

Personally, I am comfortable purchasing coins from any grading service, if I have the coin in hand to examine. I have coins in my collection from PCGS, NGC, ANACS, ICG, and SEGS (not to be confused with SGS, which I do not recommend). Anyone outside of these, I'd stay away from.

Originally Posted by SirCharlie

Welcome Malak.

I have used ICG since about 2005. They really rised in the ranks of coin grading in about 2005 when they recruted several of the best people from PCGS and NGC.

Small problem - none of those people work for ICG anymore. ICG is not owned by the same person anymore. And ICG does not have the same grading standards today that it had then.

I agree with borgovan.

I'd rather have PCGS or NGC but find ANACS, ICG and SEGS to not be bad most of the time and if you are looking at the coin in hand you can decide yourself and pay accordingly.

Originally Posted by Collect89

I agree with desertgem that if selling, it might be better today if the coin was in a first teir holder like NGC or PCGS.

True fact.

A coin in an ICG holder sells for less, sells slow, or doesn't sell at all. I'm not saying that's good or right or just - I'm only saying that's the way it is.

Which can work in your favor !

Prior comments about "buying the coin regardless of holder" are right on. If you find a strong coin in an ICG holder, buy it. Then cross it over. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Or not.

Always ask yourself... "Why is a valuable coin in an ICG holder, given the negative market perception ? Why didn't the owner submit to PCGS or NGC ?"

Be careful out there.

Originally Posted by borgovan

Personally, I am comfortable purchasing coins from any grading service, if I have the coin in hand to examine.

I am going to interject a few things here on that statement.

First, the TPG industry is supposed to be the engine that drives the sight-unseen market vehicle. Because that comfort is not there to make such purchases widely within the "industry", it has failed as a whole.

Second, that statement is tantamount to saying, "I am comfortable purchasing coins from any grading service, just as I would any raw coin." Because sight-seen would be required to achieve a comfort level, then there is no real difference between the TPG coins and raw coins, in that respect.

This all boils down to what has been repeated again and again: Buy the coin not the plastic (slab, etc).

Grading is subjective, and we all would disagree upon many mint state coins. One man's 63 is another man's 64.

Malak1 asked two objective questions: cost and turnaround (which even in itself holds subjectivity based upon one's own personal expectations). Accuracy, comparison to PCGS and NGC, etc, are all subjective purely to expectation.

Malak1 is the only person who knows his own expectations. My opinion of TPGs in general is well documented and would be dripping with bias.

But, I would suggest that anybody interested in knowing how well TPGs compare to one another to first know and understand the series you are interested in. Second, have a firm conviction of what you personally like and enjoy in your coins. And, third, since you are already on the internet, utilize the tools available to you to make the comparisons first hand. Pull up images of each TPG's coins and compare them. Sure, it's not completely the same as hand-in sight-seen evaluation, but it is enough to be able to form an accurate opinion.

You are the only one who can make the decision regarding a service or product. Sure, reviews and recommendations are good things in helping to direct you, but your own likes, dislikes, and expectations will differ from others, and you are the only one who can make a decision.