They closed down before the business was sold and reborn as Dominion. Once Dominion closed down the business was sold again and PCI was reborn. And it has had at least one, possibly two new owners since then. I think they are on their eighth owner now.
ASE? I hate acronyms. I don't understand what you're saying here. What I'm saying is if someone crossed over from one of my SEGS holder to a another company and it turned out the coin was no good, the person complains, I would accommodate them.
Actually, he is 100% correct. The only TPGs that add any value to a coin today is PCGS or NGC. They are considered reputable experts in the field and their opinion has value. The rest of the TPGs aren't and don't. This hasn't always been the case (ANACS at one time was reputable and even to a certain degree so was ICG...but those ships have sailed).
What do you mean by "no good?" Do you mean got a lower grade or graded at all? Also, some grading companies don't accept cross overs from lower tier TPGs...you have to crack out the coin out of the low TPG slab first and submit it raw.
Exactly, if the specimen came back a lower grade I would compensate for the difference in value. If the coin came back "genuine" they may return for a full refund minus the cost involved with slabbing. I needed to make this point as I don't want anyone here thinking I'm bad news. It seems most of my buyers though like the SEGS slabs so the idea of crossover never comes up, but here it does so you get the picture.
My guess is that most buyers of SEGS slabs on eBay lack the numismatic knowledge to understand the difference between the TPGs. Because they don't think they are an inferior company...you never hear from them. Those who do know the difference will only bid a raw price for the coin and thus are normally happy with their purchase.
There is a cool side to some of the older lower tier TPGs. They were not all that great at spotting varieties. Many would not even look at them so they went cheap. Some great items could be found for almost nothing.
something that I think should be added so it doesn't get lost in this conversation: the coins in NGC and PCGS slabs are not better coins, but they will command higher prices. Some really nice coins reside in lower tier TPG slabs. Sometimes knowledgeable buyers can tell the difference between grades on their own. the unfortunate part is that when they go to sell them, the potential buyers aren't quite as savvy and many require the confirmation of the TPG. This generally means a lower sales price, but doesn't necessarily mean a lesser coin.
This is absolutely true. Coins in lower tier slabs lack the market insurance that the high end TPGs give to the coin. The premium paid is for that "insurance."
I would generally agree. Someone I trust on another forum mentioned that many of the good coins in the lower tier TPG's have been primarily picked through by now and find ones that would cross is more difficult. Would you agree with this assessment?
I wouldn't. These aren't PCGS OGH coins...lower tier TPGs are slabbing more coins today and ever. Someone with a good eye can still find quality coins in these holders. But, you have to be really careful.
Truth is the top TPGs are pricing themselves out of existence. That's probably the reason the less recognized ones are getting more coins to slab. But that's a good thing actually. It keeps competition in the marketplace and provides people a living or at least a partial income.
I find that VERY hard to believe. I personally spent 5 figures with the top tier grading companies last year and exactly $0 with second, third, or fourth tier graders. The top tier graders add value because of their high standards and market acceptability. The other companies add nothing besides a value option for those unwilling to spend the few extra dollars for top tier grading.
People trust the first tier TPGs a lot more than the others. The security, customer loyalty, and strong hold of the numismatic market of the top grading parties is evidence that they are much more respected than 2nd and 3rd rate TPGs.
Um, no. This statement is completely incorrect. The top tier TPGs are very busy because people who know anything about coins understand the value that their grading adds to a coin. Only PCGS and NGC add value, the rest of the TPGs add nothing except confusion. The rest of the TPGs exist for only one reason...to make money. They add no value to the hobby. The reason I said lower tier TPGs are slabbing more coins than ever is that there are more lower tier TPGs than ever. With the boom of the internet and especially eBay, non-reputable TPGs such as SEGS, NCI, SGS, NES, or any other acronym they can come up with seem to pop up daily.
I have an NCI graded coin and it looks like they graded it honestly. I have no problem with them either (however they're no longer in business as far as I know).
Maybe it is, even the lower tier TPGs get some coins right. The problem...a vast majority of the time they are over-graded. This is how you can score a deal with lower tiers. If you know what you are looking for...you might find a coin they graded properly but the seller has it underpriced because of the slab it's in.
