What is the best Grading Service?

I have a friend that has 50 Liberty Walking Half dollar's that are Mint State 63 or higher and I told him I would send them off to be graded. I told him one point up on the scale could be ten's of thousands of dollars for some of the years. So my question is what Grading Service is the best? What do you think it would cost him to have the 50 coin's graded?
Thank you for any and all that answer this thread!

 

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If these are mostly 40's and even a few late 30's, it might not be worth having them graded. It would help to have a list of dates and mintmarks. Submitting them to NGC would cost in the neighborhood of $1000 provided they are valued at $300 or less. I don't know what it would cost for PCGS. I don't recommend ANACS even though they may have a lower submission fee. If your friend was thinking of selling them, most dealers wouldn't even look at the newer ANACS slabs.

Chris

 

Did your friend grade them MS63+ or did you?
How well do you know the series?
How confident are you in your grading ability?
What does your friend plan to do with the coins? Sell? Keep?

Sorry for all the questions, but it all depends on some of the answers as to whether it is worth the money to have them slabbed

 

Like Chris said, unless the coins are from the 30's or MS65 or higher, it's not worth the grading cost, most 1940's Walking Liberty are worth less than $80 in MS64, and are very common.

 

Nice clear pictures of what you think are the highest grade ones would help.

 

I would send them to PCGS.

However, others have pointed out a hole in your logic -- it would likely not be worth your friend's money or your time to send coins that are worth less than about $200 to be graded. It is simply not worth it, IMO.

If I were in your shoes, I would someone with extensive grading experience pick out the five or ten best ones and send those, then decide from there.

 

To answer the OP's original question. NGC is by far the best TPG. The arrogance and total lack of concern on behalf of their customers has really turned me off lately to PCGS. I will never send them another coin to be graded. But like others have said these coins are most likely not valuable enough to be profesionally graded.

 

For right or wrong, market value tends to favor PCGS. I personally prefer NGC too, but all personal feelings aside...PCGS is very well accepted and often their slabs will outsell an equivalent NGC coin.

That said, if these coins are late 30s or 40s...I doubt slabbing them is worth the money.

 

I think NGC is the best, in my opinion. I would use PCGS for that many though.

 

nah, when you want the VERY best:

http://www.cointalk.com/t33255/

 

PCGS plain and simple. They are the most respected and bring highest market value.

 

SGS will grade them all ms70.

 

There are a couple of threads here with polls and they all come out about 50/50.

I personally favor Pcgs. Now I might consider Ngc for only 2 reasons.

1. If I was going to sell a coin with excellent toning and was sure it would receive a star and

2 If I was going to sell a piece of copper that was graded by Pcgs that I think they were too hard on. IMO Ngc is not as hard on copper as Pcgs.

 

From what i hear these days any toner is apt to have better luck over at PCGS. Besides what's the difference between a * and a + ?

To the OP, the top three third party grading services are PCGS, NGC, and ANACS. I would take your coins to a dealer with a good rep, And have your coins evaluated. You are likely to be out of a lot of ducats by just making a big submission without knowing what you are doing. Many coins are very nice mint state examples, still not valuable enough to warrant encapsulation.

 

I like the PCGS holders because, to me, they look "cleaner" or "neater" if you will.
I like the NGC solid holders over the pronged ones.
I like how the NGC will grade GSA Morgans in their governement holders.
I like how ANACS does VAMs.

I do NOT pay for "first strike" "early release" or any of that pure marketing crap.
When buying, if it has a CAC sticker or PCGS Secure, that's nice. Not what I'm going after.

 

I have to say PCGS for high grade silver and gold coins. Their slabbed coins fetch more at auctions than NGC. I been scanning recent sales at Heritage and PCGS brings in the higher prices by 10 to 1.

 

While I suspect your question was rhetorical, there is a difference...

NGC's * signifies extraordinary eye appeal.
PCGS's + signifies high-end for the grade.

There is a difference.

 

I am still amazed that many folks who have been active in this field for many years ongoing , still do not understand the difference between those individual designations. That said, Leadfoot defined them as simply and correctly as possible. Back to the OP's situation , I would too recommend that you have someone with experienced grading and appraisal skills, pick through the Lot of coins you think may be worthy of submission .

 

NGC is tougher when it comes to certifying coins with any problems. PCGS will often grade early gold and silver when NGC will not give the coin a numerical grade. PCGS has a better holder and certifies based on overall aesthetic appeal, not technical merit IMO. "It's that California trendy thing" vs. the East Coast hard-nosed businessman mentality.

 

....and NGC uses both the plus (+) and the star (*).

I prefer NGC because they have the best customer service of the two, and I don't care which sells for more because I don't care about selling anything as long as I'm alive. When I'm gone, it doesn't really matter.

Chris

Chris