They are just as good as any plastic holder. They hold the coin and protect the coin from damage but are not air tight. Oh, on grading... Yes. Old soap bars were conservative and often very accurate.
The coin I want I would rather have in a PCGS holder, but I'm sticking to "buy the coin not the slab".
In my experience, the old white ANACS holders are more typically more accurately graded than coins in the modern ANACS slabs (the blue and yellow ones), but still not entirely up to par with today's standards. I've still never successfully crossed a coin from an old ANACS slab to a PCGS holder at-grade. But that doesn't mean there aren't any accurately-graded coins in these old slabs out there. You just need to have a good eye and enough knowledge to know what you're buying is accurately graded (by today's standards).
Impossible to answer since the the small white holders span a time range of 16 years and two changes of ownership. In general though the grading was apparently fairly consistent through the whole period. How that grading compares to what you or any other TPG thinks is a matter of opinion.
As a general rule yesterday's grading standards were much tougher than today's grading standards. Why else do you think people get so excited when they find a coin in a older slab ? As for the old ANACS standards, try finding one that has a 70 on it - just one. The truth of the matter is, with some series ANACS was tougher than either NGC or PCGS. With others they were not.
I was at a small local show recently that was loaded with small ANACSslabs. One thing I noticed was that most of the Morgans had developed an attractive rim toning, generally blue or gold. I picked one up in a 63 slab that I swear today would grade 66 or lock 65.
I still have a Barber dime in an ANACS Cache holder. INS called it MS65. ANACS called MS62. The dealer I bought it from called it a AU58. The dealer was right. They were nice holders though, as they fit perfectly in Whitman boxes.
A Matter Of Coin Selection When purchased "sight seen" by a knowledgeable buyer understanding prevalent grading standards, removing contents from the holder, and submitting to the "premier" TPG, I've seen an upgrade of more than one grade. My personal observation, and that established/published by others in the past, was that older ANACS was generally more consistent than "premier" TPG with greater buyer preference. I loved searching for the older U.S. Gold coins in older ANACS holders, buying weekly from Heritage auctions. Current ANACS grading standards may have diminished, as with the other TPG. JMHO :thumb:
And like the myth that the rattler, OGH and no line fattie NGC slabs being near upgrade locks because of conservative grading, the idea that all old ANACS slabs are good upgrade candidates for the same reason fails for the same reason. These coins have been picked over for upgrade candidates for decades and most of the coins still in these old slabs are either correctly graded (at current standards) or OVERGRADED. Yes there will be a few that are still upgrade picks, and if standards loosen again some of the accurately graded coins may make the cut as well, but most of the coins in older holders are still there for a reason.
IMO, the old ANACS slabs were generally fairly consistently graded relative to NGC/PCGS. They were, however, and IMO, rather liberal with acceptable toning in comparison to NGC and PCGS during the same time period.
I didn't want to make a separate thread for this. How good is ICG? I never hear about them, but I do read a lot of good reviews.
In The Eyes Of The BeHOLDER Detecto: I believe you now know that grading is subjective, and the responses to your query generally indicate same. Only you through personal effort/education can determine which specimen best meets your standards. The following is composite image of 3 "Mint State" coins, having 3 different grades, all certified by different TPG. The reverse(s) on this type coin will generally differ little, and the Obverse usually determines the grade, thus to minimize confusion only the Obverse(s) are shown. Two of the coins are certified by the "premier" TPG. The lowest graded coin in the MS60 grade shown has a PCGS current value of $10,000. Which is the valuable coin? Value is in the eye of the HOLDER. My answer to your question is that C.D.N. comparison of values for coins lists ICG as having a higher relative bid value than ANACS. The decision is YOURS!! :thumb:
