What do the TPGs do if they damage a coin?

You sure squeak a lot; yet nothing comes out

 

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What do the TPGs do if they damage a coin?

 

Here's NGC's grading process, for those of you wondering...

 

You are fully qualified to judge that.

 

There is a reason for that. I will refer back to earlier in the thread. I still can't make any sense of why you felt the need to to come at what I said... You corrected me in a condescending tone but really just reinforced what I said.

I will leave your posts alone from now on in this thread, but if you think the Pogue coins got the same treatment as one of our submissions I cannot help you understand how things actually work.

 

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!

Yes, I feel I am fully qualified to discuss scratches vs hairlines. All we have on this forum are words and photos. From my experience, at least one well-regarded, professional TPGS instructor of both grading and authentication classes starts the class out with "characteristics of coins."

There is a reason for this. Think of the confusion that would occur in a classroom when one student refers to some random hairlines on a coin as harsh cleaning! Or Mint-made HUB (incuse) marks as scratches. Or lint on a coin as a die crack.

I have written here (CT) before that I have attended many, many coin seminars/lectures over the years; that I have looked at my coins using a stereo microscope for decades; and that I STILL LEARN/DISCOVER SOMETING NEW on coins practically every day.

I'm not offended when posters call me names...I already said I enjoy using sarcasm back at them. I am bothered when I give compliments and "likes" to members (such as you now - even though I have played the sarcasm card on you too) and some long-time CT uninformed weasel who has demonstrated he knows much less than he thinks (that's my opinion based on his posts) calls me an insincere "suck-up!"

I don't need coin talk - at all. Nevertheless, CT is fun - that's why I'm sitting here now and missing the antique show . I've posted with several great and knowledgeable people - even in the ancient coin forum. I enjoy learning/debating/educating/BEING EDUCATED by others who know more about ANYTHING than I do. I think my opinions have helped some folks here. Hope so...

 

Thanks, I guess you were there to see how they were handled...

Must be nice to have all those connections so you can share the process with us all. I will give you this...you are right, IT WAS SPECIAL

 

Please don't... a man of your talents should have much to add. Any comments on the NGC Video above?

 

Btw... I'm not sure how old that NGC video is, but I always thought NGC and the other TPGs had way more than 20 or so graders. If they have to deal with 100,000 submissions per month just as PCGS does, then that means that with 20 graders, each grader must go through about 5,000 submissions per week or 250 per day. In an 8-hour work day, that's 31.25 coins per hour, or about 1 coin for two minutes.

At the graders' speed and level, judging by how fast they go in the video, they can probably do it. But still... I also wonder what their salaries are. If it's around $60K, then they're getting paid around $1 per coin before taxes.

I'm guessing that today, there are noticeable increases in the number of graders (even 30 total graders would make a huge difference), and that they get paid handsomely more than $60K per year.

 

Actually, if NGC requires two independent graders per coin, assuming that there are no disagreements with the grades, then the above figure needs to be doubled/halved. So, each coin would be given a 1 minute review and at $60K salary per year, they're getting paid about $0.50 per coin before taxes.

Though, I'm not entirely sure how many submissions NGC receives monthly, and the $60K salary can still be used to determine the per coin labor cost at different salary levels. And, this again also assumes only 20 graders.

So your expensive, sentimental, rare coin is worth 50 cents of their time (times two).

 

Sounds about right for a sweat-mill and the younger SE graders do much more than that!

Looks like Ronnie D. is in the photo. I think he has been gone for around 3-4 years. If the bald guy is John S., he is still there. When I get time I'll watch again...first impression was Ronnie.

 

Actually you are way low for many of the guys.

 

$100K-$120K?

Then assuming the other figures, graders get paid about $1 per coin per grader ($2 minimum per coin if only two graders grade)....

 

Great job and salary, but if the so called 'industry' begins to fail (and I can see it happening) these guys better have a backup plan. When the Kool Aid drinkers begin to re-think things, there's gonna be a whole lot 'o folks out of employment.........

 

@green18 I enjoy your posts because you always see the bright side of topics.

 

This is a bit off-topic, but let's say that someone finds a very rare and valuable coin outside in the dirt while metal detecting. Let's say that you get most of the dirt off, but a lot of it is still caked on there, so much so that much of the surface is covered but you don't want to risk damaging the coin by cleaning it.

Will submitting such a coin return raw and "non-gradeable"? Or, will NGC simply give it a Details grade, such as "Environmental Damage"? I wouldn't think that NGC would simply send it over to NCS, since that's added work and NCS needs to get paid, too.

 

From what I know none of the TPGS will slab a coin with loose debris...so Raw, not graded.

If the coin is just typical "dug" stuff...ED; often returned with a notation that the coin is a candidate for conservation by NCS.

Have no clue as to what PCGS or ANACS do as I don't use them.

I do know that ICG will call the customer and request permission to conserve the coin (last time I checked at no extra cost) so they can get it into decent condition to slab it. It still may get a details grade after treatment.

 

With something really rare and valuable, they would probably give you a call to discuss the options.

 

Just curious...anyone on CT been called to conserve a coin by any of the grading services? What was the coin?

 

The best move is to send the coin to NCS from the start. They do nice work and can arrange for the coin to go to NGC next.