Hi, I'm new to the currency forum. I want to share that it took me almost six months to get bills returned from PCGS. However, the big problem is the gradings I received on my bills. Doesn't seem like they adher to own published grading standards. Anyone had similar problems and how do you fight it?
Good luck. They use their own standards, and often "apparent" grade notes they see tiny little problems with. I prefer the PMG net grade, again very, very fussy. Even nice high end notes end up in net holders. Post some pictures if you want. Also the PCGS currency forum is good, but be careful they have banned many, many people!
Thanks for the reply. I would love to post scans I have made but didn't see how to do it. Apparently I don't have the right file suffex to "upload a file". Can I do an attachment?
You can upload them to a site like imagebam.com or imageshack.us and post the link. I prefer PMG. They treated me well. The grading companies aren't perfect, but both PCGS and PMG have two graders review each note to ensure they are graded reasonably. The one time PMG made a mistake and missed an error, they corrected it quickly and covered my shipping costs.
Would sure like to know what any of you think of these gradings. Note both bills have the same VF30, the $500 has an "apparent". I know what I think they should have graded as, what do you think!
It's hard to tell from those photos. But I see evidence that the note has been doctored - cleaned and pressed. I have no doubt that PCGS found enough issues to warrant a 30 grade. I'm surprised they didn't issue an Apparent grade for the clean-up job. Three tell-tale signs are: 1. The green color on the back should not be blue. This indicates an a type of acid was applied that reacts with the pigment in the ink. Oxalic acid may be one of those agents. It turns the white areas whiter, but also affects red and green inks to a lesser degree. 2. There are some hard center folds, but they have been disguised by being pressed. If you examine the note closely, with a light a low angle, you can usually reveal these flaws. 3. The white areas of the note have a blue tint to them. From what I can see... the note could be a 40 at best. I see vertical center folds and some corner folds. And although they are faint and hidden to improve the note's appearance, they are still there and might warrant the grade it received. There are some sellers (jimrob23 is one) who buy mid-grade notes, and process them in various ways to improve their appearance. They then market them as "High Grade" notes. Unfortunately, buyers are misled into paying more, because the note appears to be higher condition than it actually is. It's a frowned upon practice and it saddens me when this happens. Here's a huge gallery of other doctored notes. These will help train your eye to look out for them in the future. Also know, you're not alone. http://www.flickr.com/photos/coinforgeryebay/sets/72157631103745094/with/7866984970/ I must admit the note looks good for a 30, but that's only because the flaws are hidden. The grading companies come across these frequently and examine notes very thoroughly for those masked flaws. There are likely many. That is why it got a 30 grade. If you got it on eBay, I would leave negative feedback for seller, for selling doctored notes. If you already left positive feedback, contact eBay and see if you can revise it.
With Funkee on this, the $10 looks processed to me, explained no PPQ as well. I think the grade on the $500 is in fact a bit generous, I'd be happy with it, those folds look pretty creased. I do like the $10, for me the quality of the color and engraving has always mattered more to me than the paper. It's like judging a painting on the quality of the underneath canvas...
$500? All I see are three photos of the $10 in VF30. EDIT: Nevermind, I see the 500 at the bottom. Its grade looks about right to me.
WOW - love this forum. Funkee I see the color problem and can up pick faint evidence of a horizontal fold. I purchased this bill and it was graded a VF30 and identified as being from the Rickey Collection. I found information that said bills from that collection were typically undergraded to signify higher sale prices. Also grading standards have evolved since then. I sent the bill to PCGS for "reconsideration" and it got me nowhere. I now understand what the problem could be but one would think PCGS would offer the same information. Also surprised a bill in the Rickey Collection would be doctored. I continue to be amazed the $500 warranted a VF30 Grade. Thanks for the input and the website, can't believe what can be done to a bill.
