Use different tiers for different speeds; however, at the least expensive rates/tiers #3 and #4 TPGS have the quickest speed. Unfortunately, the slabs from these companies do not bring the $$$ of the big two. I know of at least two dealers who send expensive coins to one of them ($12) as a "pre-screen" for grade/& any problems. Most that pass get cracked and sent to NGC/PCGS where most get the same grade or a "bump!" You can call customer service at the TPGS for current turn around but from what I hear, that's not always reliable.
If you had, you'd be Alan Hagar. Accugrade was doing slabs two years before PCGS came into existence. South Africa Gold and Silver Exchange was doing them in 1975, but they only slabbed proof Kruggerands.
Back in 1976 I lived only a few blocks from ANACS, at that time they were Located in Colorado Springs Colorado. At the time it was there Head Quarters. Now I was told that they are located In Denver Colorado near the.Airport. In 1976 they were the only place that graded coins as Iknow of.
Don't know about that, when I owned a coin and prospecting shop in Colorado Springs, They graded coins for me in 1977.
For got I still have a couple of coins they graded in 1977, if you would like to see them. At that time I could walk in the front door to drop off My coins. In fact they helped me recover two $20.00 Gold Coins that a guy had stolen from me the night before just before I closed shop. The very next morning after he stole the 2 coins he took them to ANACS thinking he could sell them. They recognized right away where they came from. There were several coin shops in town at the time. I used a ten letter Word on the back of all coin containers, each letter repersesended a Number, so I used the letters to tell me how much I paid for the coin. Right away they knew they had come from my shop, and the way he was dressed and looked they also knew he was not a coin collector. They stalled the guy, called the Police and then called me. I arrived before the Police did. When they opened the trunk of his car it was loaded with stolen guns, Jewelery, sterling silver ware and a multitude of mergentdize. It turned out he was on probation from prison for theft. I was grateful to get my coins back, but they were held in evidence Over six months, by then the market had crashed and needless to say I lost money on both coins. In this day and age, I suggest if you have coins out that are not locked In a safe that you come up with an ideal to mark them so you can identify that the coins belong to you.
I, for one, would love to see some coins graded by ANACS 2 years before they started grading. Just read their own published history - they say themselves they didn't start grading until 1979: http://www.anacs.com/contentPages/History.aspx
Will be glad to show you as soon as I am well enough to get out of bed and dig them out of the safe. I have no Ideal who wrote the history, you must believe everything that you read. I am a 67 year old given less than a year, due to wounds and disease's from two combat tours in Viet Nam as a recon scout 6 man team first in last out, wounded twice, have half of a stomach shot in stomach with an AK-47, being blown several yards from standing outside on the fender of an M-48 Tank that ran over a 1000 pound land mine, one of our own bombs dropped from a B-52 that did not go off and the gooks refused it and used it on us, one survivor on the tank crew, have Agent Orange, had Malaria 3 times and a case of fever of an unknown Origin. I have been sick everyday of my life since I was 21 years old my last tour, and there is no pain medication left to make me pain free. I don't think I said that they graded coins for the general public, but they did grade coins for me and other coin shops in town. So MR SuperDave if you want to insult me go right ahead and do so, while you do I hope you enjoy it.
And if you wish to be so easily offended, enjoy it. To me, you're just another person spreading misinformation until I see proof otherwise, and the only thing I will not tolerate in numismatics is misinformation. Of course, if you're right it means that ANACS will have to be wrong on their own corporate history, and Conder101, the single most-knowledgeable person in the entire country regarding TPG history, would have to be wrong as well. Stranger things have happened, though, and I'm not afraid to admit if I've been wrong.
Excuse me, did not mean to spread anything. At this point don't see what matters. End of subject. Have a nice life.
I have no problem myself grading coins, other than my eye site. I hope to soon have a remedy To that soon. Yesterday I ordered off eBay a digital microscope made for looking at coins, stamps And paper money. It hooks right to your computer and shows the coin right on your computer or tv? If you want the whole picture to be say just a picture just to show the picture say of a double die date you can take a picture of it and safe on the computer. I saw an example of where a guy took a picture of a double date and no one could say that it was not double. The picture with an eye loupe Some people would not beleive it was a double. As far as coin grading goes, in 1954 when I was six years old in the first grade, my Grandmother gave me one of those blue books to collect pennies. It started in 1909 and went to 1950 as I remember. I have been collecting coins since 1954. Once owned a coin shop in Colorado Springs. I could not afford not to know how to grade coins. The only coins I ever had graded were the high Dollar coins or a coin that a customer wanted to purchase but did not agree with my grading. But thanks for the info, you are never to old or to good to learn. Thanks Mike