It is not a top tier grading service. The two top tiers are PCGS and NGC. Some folks also like ANACS for certain coins, especially problem ones.
As morgandude already stated icg is a lower tier tpg not that it is a bad company they just have a tendency to overgrade by a point or 2 so when you purchase keep that in mind. A pr70 coin from them sent into pcgs would likely grade as a PR67
And some folks like ANACS for valid reasons... like varieties. While ANACS may not be top tier, the idea that nothing but junk flows into their holders is untrue. They have their place, some people do like them, and there are some very nice coins residing in ANACS holders.
Like the others have posted, ICG is not top tier (4th best in my opinion), however it is somewhat reputable.
ICG is an ok company , it's not as tight as PCGS or NGC , but they're close . Best is to know how to grade coins yourself and buy the coin not the holder , I've got a few really nice coins in ICG slabs for less than if they were in PCGS or NGC probably because people didn't trust the grade and bidded accordinally . They are good at authentification and their grades are close if not right on . Just remember there's ugly low for the grade coins in the top two tpgs slabs too .
I personally prefer ICG over ANACS. I've been comparing mint-state grades of various coins certified by both grading houses, and I've noticed that ICG is, typically, more accurate than ANACS. From Mercury Dimes to Morgan Dollars, ICG "MS65"-graded coins have consistently appeared better than ANACS "MS65"s. -Brian
And just remember.. it becomes slightly harder to sell, as many buyers are looking for the top two TPGs (not to mention eBay's preference for those two).
You may assume the grade on the label is the opinion, paid for I might add, of the grading service, and like PCGS, NGC, and ANACS, is subjective and will vary from one service/grader to the next. I highly recommend
Oh, I agree. When I had my full Morgan Set assembled 10 years ago, there were a number of ANACS coins, as well as PCGS and NGC. Some of them were lovely, just as many ANACS coins are lovely nowadays. What I was getting at is that they will slab a lot of coins that have problems, and deserve a slab, and make the designation of the problems--they did that long before NGC would do the same thing--denote the problem, such as "cleaned" and give what the grade would be if not problematic. I think they are a useful service--not on a par with the two "big gun" TPGs, but certainly useful, and have many lovely coins residing in their holders. In terms of IGC, I respectfully disagree as to their place in the market. I think they will slab anything, and give whatever grade they feel like giving--I see them as on a par with Crapugrade, who used to slab anything. If one is ever considering resale, or trade, PCGS and NGC coins have far greater marketability, and even though their coins sell for a premium over some of the other grading services, it is worth it in terms of resale and appreciation. Some folks (like me) tend to change collections, and resell coins to upgrade existing ones frequently. Thus, market value enters into the picture in terms of slabbing. Frankly,I'd rather have a collection of raw coins that I graded and searched meticulously, than a collection with IGC and SEGS type of grading.
IMO ICG is an inferior TPG, they generally get circulated coins right but overgrade MS coins significantly. ANACS small slabs are generally spot-on, the newer large blue or yellow slabs are less accurate, IMO. ANACS is great for varieties - I have many Roosevelt dime varieties graded by them. As always - BUY THE COIN, NOT THE SLAB!
The answer isn't as simple or straightforward as you might think because there a few variables that matter. First of all what is the coin ? Secondly is the coin in a new ICG slab or an old ICG slab ? You see, you have to think of ICG as being 3 entirely different companies. You need to think of the old ICG as being ICG a and ICG b. And the new ICG as being ICG c. With a and b, the dividing line is formed by the coins themselves, not the slab. Assume that ICG a only graded coins dated before 1965, and that ICG b only dated coins date 1965 and later. Coins graded by ICG a are going to be pretty close grade wise to NGC, PCGS, and the old ANACS. Coins graded by ICG b are typically over-graded. And just about all coins graded by ICG c are typically over-graded.
Don't do ICG, regardless of whether they are semi reputable, it is far harder to sell and most likely will not sell for the grade it has since most people don't trust them. To put it simple, Ebay doesn't trust ICG as a reputable company.
That isn't correct at all. eBay has set standards for TPGs to meet in order their slabbed coins to be sold on eBay, and currently ANACS, which owns ICG, is making the necessary changes to meet those standards by the deadline.
Are you saying if I sent it in to PCGS this slab Coin of ICG PF70 DCAM this will be graded as Proof 67? 3 points lower..
