Do you have to be a member to submit at shows? Do they grade on site ? Is the pricing the same, you just save on shipping?
Yes, Yes, No, Yes. You can read about each company's terms and conditions on their web sites for all the details.
http://www.pcgs.com/servicesandfees/ It is much more expensive to submit at a show. I believe you have to be a collector's club member to have submission privileges even at a show.
I just saw that. $25 regularly for what I need. $75 at the show. To think, you spend money just to have the "privilege" of submitting coins, then if you go to the show, you pay even more. Out of the thousands of people that belong to PCGS, and pay $49 a year, which I'm guessing equates to over $250,000 a year, you would think getting coins graded at the show would be the same price, considering they make money on the grading fees alone.
Now here is a good question... I wonder what they charge for an "evaluation" .As in having a grader look at the coin, and then telling the grade, without encapsulating it.
No, it isn't. It depends on the tier service you request. http://www.ngccoin.com/services/services.aspx Chris Oops! Wrong cut 'n paste. Fixed now.
Tim, please try to get your facts straight and not blow it out your ear. How many shows have you attended where NGC & PCGS were there? Chris
Regular submissions that PCGS will take back with them cost the same as if you mail them to PCGS yourself. However, if you want coins graded at the show then that is $110 for next day grading, which typically actually takes three-to-four days, and $220 for same-day grading, which typically takes to the next day.
It's a convenience thing Tim. You can pay $25 plus shipping and insurance and wait for weeks...or pay $75 to have it done while you shop at the show. That vastly increased convenience comes with a price. Plus, when you factor in shipping and insurance fees...it's not a ton more expensive.
I would think it would not be practical to have any coin graded on site unless the cost of the coin was such that if it received a high enough grade the potential profit far exceeded the cost of the grading at the show. Otherwise let them take your coins back to their facility and you will at least save the shipping one way.
I think that's correct. Basically, all you are doing is hand delivering the coin instead of mailing it to them. But, you still must be a member in their club.
It depends! Sometimes the grading services will have "specials" for the benefit of show customers. For example, NGC ran a Morgan Dollar grading special at the shows for almost two years. For $30 each, you could submit as many as you wanted (minimum of 5, I believe) to be graded and encapsulated on-site with a 24-hour turn-around. PCGS has run their own specials at shows, but I've never had the opportunity to take advantage of them. ANACS has, too. The point is that it is a good idea to check with the grading services to learn if they will have any specials at any show you plan to attend where they will be present. Chris
Maybe, oftentimes ICG offers "free opinions" at their table. At the WFOM, NGC's president was at their table for one hour doing the same. I asked a few questions of him and was surprised at how quickly he evaluated a coin. I showed him a coin that I thought was terribly undergraded. Within 3 seconds, he was able to point out a flaw I hadn't noticed in the year I had owned the piece.