Thoughts about ANACS

I get the feeling that much of this has to do with resale, and if so, using ANACS and simply hoping for the best return possible would be a fools errand.

As a blanket statement, ANACS tending to undergrade coins is false. While there are always the exceptions as nothing is equal across the board, generally speaking the common view of ANACS isn't something totally undeserved, and certainly was not earned by exceptionally consistent and conservative grading as a whole. However, for your apparent purposes, perception is what matters and in the eyes of most, presently deserved or not, ANACS simply isn't viewed as being on par with PCGS or even NGC, so if using them for coins where one of the top two would be a better choice (after weighing the pros and cons, of course), you will lose sales.

 

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It is really a case by case basis. It is just a general rule of thumb to pay slightly less for ANACS because a customer is going to want to pay slightly less as well. ANACS might also take longer to sell as I do know a lot of people who will either only buy PCGS or only NGC and some others that want CAC on top of that. There certainly is a large number of people out there who have the attitude that PCGS and NGC are the only good companies. Everyone else is garbage. I think that is a contributing factor to the reason why ANACS and ICG and even some third tier companies that are somewhat decent are cast aside.

If ANACS were to increase their market share by increasing accuracy and perhaps making their slabs look better (I personally don't find them attractive) then perhaps they would be a first tier company again and become as reputable as PCGS. The probability of that happening is slim to none. NGC and PCGS have established a firm Cartel on Coin Grading and are simply to large for others to compete with. It would be like a chain of say 5 video game stores trying to compete and defeat GameStop in the retail gaming industry. Can it happen? yes is it likely? not really.

EDIT: Better example.
For ANACS to rival the Cartel that is NGC and PCGS would be like a small soda company such as Shasta or bubba or GT cola trying to compete with Coca Cola and Pepsi Co. Can it happen? well yes it is possible. But is it likely that it will happen? No, not really.

 

Well, PCGS seems intent on shooting itself in the foot lately, and ANACS seems to be tightening up its grading -- but as long as new ANACS slabs look the same as slabs from the past several years, I can't see it making much of an impact on the market.

FWIW, when I submitted a batch to ANACS last year, they gave "XF details cleaned" for my 1901-S Barber half, after two dealers at a show -- including one who specializes in Barbers -- said they thought it would grade. They also gave a lower grade on a 1906-D Eagle than @GDJMSP did. (Of course, they weren't trying to grade from a single pair of photos.)

 

In the past I was thinking about starting my own grading company or partnering with NTC or NumisTrust Corporation. I could have gotten an exclusive deal with NTC however they just aren't PCGS or NGC and it all comes down to company reputation. If I did the deal with NTC I wouldn't sell any slabbed coins except those from NTC. If you were an experienced collector and saw me at a coin show or visited my site online and you only saw NTC slabs then you would get the impression that I was looking to sell over graded coins to rip people off and thus my reputation as a dealer wouldn't look so well. That's why I didn't do it. Had I been able to do something with PCGS then nobody would have a problem with it as PCGS is a reputable company.

When it comes down to it it takes a lot of work to even hire the best graders in the world and even harder to ensure they consistently grade all coins accurately. The best graders in the world are employees at pcgs ngc some in ANACS and maybe a few in ICG. Everyone else gets the leftovers and the leftovers are likely to screw up more often and some do it on purpose to cater to dealers who do want to rip people off in the name of profits.

 

Hmmm.... where did I hear that before?

 

You've heard it from me a few months ago. I've since changed my position slightly to where I think ANACS is good for varieties. I do know other people who still believe ANACS and the other companies are garbage though.

 

Older ANACS small slabs I have many of in my core collection. Recent ANACS is far from consistent and the market rejects them for the most part. If your going for simple authenticity or attribution nothing wrong with ANACS. If your goal is to sell you may see a poor result with a recent ANACS slab , by far and away another TPG is the market leader in most areas of US coins and has the top tier place , ANACS does not make the cut not even close in the marketplace this is my own view but also seems to be the buyers as well.

 

Well if ANACS is suddenly under grading coins , it's been in the last year or two because when Amos 1st bought them out they really lowered there standards . Glad to see that ANACS is finally trying to catch up with the big two . Still ANACS isn't a company I would buy by picture at auction unless the pics were of high quality and I could get them cheaper . Just think of all those over graded coins in blue holders and yellow holders until the last year or so when they were still considered a 2nd tier company at best .

 

Funny, but every ANACS slab I have put in GTG you guessed above their grade and usually commented that they undergraded it. Now, I have only listed the old small slabs and a couple new ones, but still .......

 

I'll just be open and honest here books. I have just been conditioned to the point that after reading a Josh's coins post when I scroll down and see your avatar I am anticipating a thunderdome situation where two men enter, one man leaves. This post just did not live up to the expectations you have trained me to expect. Where is my blood?

 

I only have 1 coin slabbed ICG. I am ok with it. got the coin on Ebay for a great price.

 

As far as ANACS goes, in many instances they are superior.

As far as customer service, they are excellent.

I have sat & talked to Paul & JT many times, both are very approachable.
Last year (or the year before) I brought back a V-nickel (1912 S) and asked Paul "how many letters do you need for a VG?" [there were about 4+ there] He asked JT to look at it, who nodded, and said write it up.

I asked what I owed them, and Paul said 'why should you pay for our screw up?'

Now, to me that is customer service.

I also questioned one other [Bust $1/2] this year and they re-examined it n/c.

Nice folks there and I have spent a lot of time talking coins, grading and cleaned coins etc with them.

Sure many folks don't like their yellow slabs, but I do like the top label, so you can view the content without pulling out every slab from a box.

and, yes, many times I think they are too harsh on a grade

 

Times have changed Mr. Vic

 

Dick I did say post Amos , and I can only go by my experience , I see a lot of the yellow slabs with coins that shouldn't be that grade . Yes I see them in PCGS and NGC slabs too . Now in the GTG I usually give the coin a point higher because of their perceived laxity . I also think , that you know how to pick out coins that are high for the grade just like I try to do . Now with all this I'm hearing and after meeting two of the graders in Chicago I must say I'll reevaluate my thoughts of them as a company . As they're definitely the most approachable and friendly . Heck we all have to be wrong once in awhile .

 

No blood intended; I was simply taken by the apparent epiphany.

 

They will say "cleaned" on the slab, but on the report it just says details.

 

Didn't you say that you were done with calling yourself a dealer/CEO/etc?

Anyway, after reading through this thread, it does match my impression. ANACS seems tougher on certain aspects of "cleaning" (hairlines under high-powered lamps and magnification) and contrast (cameo), but still needs to deal with the history of the company. Paul implementing tougher standards means nothing when they use the same holders/flips that were used when they temporarily dipped below ICG in the second tier.

 

Brutal. Dude josh serious piece of advice. walk away from your name
and start a new one. Even Peter posted that as long as one behaves that you would essentially be left alone. You said you were going to listen to advice. This is the best I have for you.

 

How is that brutal? The entire issue that Josh created was from him claiming to be something he isn't. He said he had to liquidate all his coins and close his business due to financial troubles and planned on returning to school this fall. Now he's back to saying he's a dealer. I don't think his name is the problem. The only reason I saw this thread was he posted about it in a thread I started. If he's a dealer, fine, he's a dealer. If he's not a dealer, fine, he's not a dealer. My issue is that he seems to flip-flop between the two, not in the sense of wearing different "hats," but rather explicitly saying he's not a dealer, then coming back and saying he's a dealer again. Looking at the replies in this thread, it's clear that new members are viewing his opinion in higher regard due to his "status" as a dealer.

Edit: Side note. Josh does have an online store, so I guess he's back to being a dealer. Here's where he is selling overdipped problem AU-53 to MS-61 heavily bag marked coins as Gem BU (MS-65 for those who don't use the Gem/Brilliant system of coin grade nomenclature):
http://joshscoins.com/epages/9bd1c581-9a0b-4633-8ac3-022c579d9a71.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/9bd1c581-9a0b-4633-8ac3-022c579d9a71/Products/"M 0009 D"

Edit #2: CoinTalk now has "Dealer" banners for certain members. I'm not sure what the requirements are for qualifying for one, but LostDutchman has one. I think it's pretty cool to have official dealers identified as such.

 

Please allow me to clarify

1) brutal is good. But it doesn't take a paragraph to be brutal. Sometimes one sentence says it all.

2) when you threw the ceo reference you went past the dealer thing and kicked it up a notch. Again not a bad thing.

Also
I would love to see josh get a dealer banner under his name. Maybe Peter will hook him up. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

if it means anything, I'm pretty sure most of the non specific items are not actually in inventory but will be first shipped to him then to the buyer. I'm not the first guy to think this either.

the new posters who stick around will probably figure out pretty quick what's up.

For someone who desperately wants our love and respect I really don't know why he has not changed names yet. Maybe he doesn't want to start his likes over. Peter even said point blank he could do it.

Lastly in the beginning during cointalk university I was trying to defend him but given the behavior my attitude might have shifted slightly. And to anyone else yes I really have nothing better to do. This is one way I can stop thinking seriously which is something I need in my life. This is all relaxing for me to talk coins or kick puppies. Either way is good.