Questionable Toning?

I agree with this,

Ran into this question when I first started out as well. Let me tell ya there are die hard ICG fans and then there are a bunch of collectors that won't touch these slabs.

These are definitely a buy the coin not the slab situation IMO.

 

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Agreed. Here's another ICG CBH example of this. The OBV looks like a VG10 and the reverse a 12 to me so a net 11, but I love the coin and didn't pay a slab premium so I'm quite happy with the purchase.

 

Johndoe2000$, asks: "How long will it take before the market will accept all 4 of the top TPGSs are valued the same???"

NEVER in a trillion years!!!

"MontCollector, posted: "I have questions about this. Wouldn't cleaning a coin improperly cause the coin tone differently than an unmolested coin? Meaning if they used improper chemicals or didn't quite get all the chemical rinsed off after the cleaning."

Yes. A perfect example is the brown dip residue toning that often appears to flow around the coin's relief.

 

Johndoe2000$, asks: "How long will it take before the market will accept all 4 of the top TPGSs are valued the same???"

Insider said...

NEVER in a trillion years!!! [/QUOTE]

John doe said...

Are we there yet??? Seriously though, are their reputations irreparable??? Why do you think it's basically impossible for the market to adjust their opinions of each service, even after seeing the evidence accumulate over time. I've seen many different products/companies that when their quality starts to drop off, they lose the customers trust, so they go elsewhere, and vice versa.

 

It won't. As long as there are people who cannot grade coins, they will buy the holder and not the coin. And as long as they're told that ANACS and ICG grades are garbage, they will believe it. None of that is going to change.

But at smaller shows, dealers will (try to) sell ANACS and ICG slabs at par with NGC and PCGS. At the show I was at, all four TPGs were all over the map. Most of the PCGS-certified (!) MS-65 Morgans were MS-64 quality.

 

You don't get it. The coins in the slabs are basically equal. However, the dealer networks, advertising, etc are not even close. It does not pay to buck the tide except for the knowledgeable people who buy the coin not the slab. When 95% of the INFORMED posters on chat boards prefer NGC and PCGS that should tell you something about slab prices and market perception.

Nevertheless, if I were to be given 100 Silver Dollars and 100 assorted gold coins sight unseen from any of the four major TPGS, I should pick the group from one of the second tier services if I were required to keep the coins and the PCGS group if I were allowed to sell them.

Furthermore, one of the four TPGS keeps lowering prices (usually a sign of problems); and I've heard that the owner of another likes for his company to be small and is completely satisfied with the status quo.

Learn to grade for yourself; buy the coin, not the holder.

 

I paid dipped Low-AU money for this:

 

Just remember some who say the quality is fallen/way off what it used to be think that basically every slabbed coin is overgraded and use their own standards which are way off the market standards that the majority uses.

You're basically asking when will RC Cola be as popular as Coke or Pepsi. If you took the value of all of the slabbed coins there are probably at least 90% of that value lies in PCGS/NGC slabs. The gap has actually been widening from the top tier and second/third tier companies not closing.

That's true some people do try, though usually fail. If you tried to sell them one I bet the majority would be quick to point out it isn't a top tier slab.

 

I prefer raw, ICG, and PCGS because they are cheaper.

 

Pretty sure it's the same one, but one of the four is running a lot more specials and the prices seem to be getting lower every time. That could certainly work for them carving out a niche for coins that aren't worth sending to the big two and probably is a smart move instead of trying to directly compete. That said that strategy won't get them back on par with the top tier, though it sounds like they would rather not be anyway and there's nothing wrong with that

 

Wrong thread.