I am looking to buy a 1909s vdb Lincoln cent. I do not own any graded coins, and am seeking your opinions on which service may be better than others. Won't buy an uncertified coin since there seems to be lot of fakes out there. Thanks for your opinions
Although, PCGS and NGC would be my first two choices, ANACS would suffice. Please read before though.... By Jack D. Young. From the Dark Corner: A 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent
It depends... Answer a few questions first: 1. Are you looking to add it to a Registry set? NGC, PCGS, and CACG have registries where you can compete. 2. What grade range are you looking for? Low circulated, mid-to-high circulated, UNC, or high grade? For any circulated coin, I'd feel confident with NGC, PCGS, CACG, ANACS, or ICG. 3. Do you have any other certified coins? For some, they want all of their coins in matching holders (I might be a little OCD on this front. The vast majority of my collection is NGC). 4. Are you looking to hold this for a very long time (maybe even pass it to your heirs), or is there a potential to sell in a few years? If there is a potential to sell, stick to NGC, PCGS, or CACG. Short answer - I can see no case where you go wrong with NGC, PCGS, or CACG. ANACS and ICG are reputable but generally less popular. If you can get a great deal on one of them, I guess go for it, but realize that ANACS and ICG will also be harder to sell for a good premium. In any case, make sure you're buying an accurately graded, problem free coin with great eye appeal. That will be a desirable coin in any of the top holders. And... to prove I have experience with what I'm talking about, we need pictures... Here's my NGC EF-40:
PCGS and NGC are considered the top-tier services, and I think the newer CACG is also up there in terms of reputation. The second-tier services which are not as strong in the market but perfectly acceptable for authentication purposes would be ANACS or ICG. Any others out there tend to lack reputation, whether fairly or unfairly. I personally would also consider SEGS and older PCI acceptable for authentication, though most would put them down in the third tier, I reckon.
Not interested in resale, probably leave for the grandkids to decide. Just need that one and 55 ddo to complete a complete set. Thanks for the info guys!
I was in the exact same position earlier this year. I only considered NGC, PCGS, ANACS and ICG, and then I got the one that looked the best (to me) and fit within my budget. The 09 was one I had been checking out at my LCS, and they dropped the price for me, and the 55 was at a large local coin show where I was able to go around and check out about half a dozen and pick the one I liked best.
You really need to know what you are looking at with both SEGS and PCI as there are generations of holders that are accurate and there are generations of holders that are not accurate.
While a key date and expensive, they're frequently enough available that you should be able to be selective in your purchase. Don't buy the first one you're offered and avoid anything that is sort of unattractive. Once you look at a bunch of coins, you'll be able to pick a good one regardless of (reputable) grading service.
This is incredibly good advice. This applies for a lot of the really popular "key date" coins (1909S VDB Lincoln, 1916D Merc, 1955 DDO Lincoln). These coins are widely available - you can find dozens of them for sale at any time. They are expensive because they are popular and in high demand. Wait for a properly graded coin with great eye appeal. Don't get coin-fever, and don't pay a huge premium over market price because you have to have it. If you wait for the right one, hopefully you'll get a great one.
