PCGS vs. other coin grading services

There might be a lot to this. I have been buying ANACS as they are affordable, especially the older ones.

 

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The older ANACS are pretty great. New ones not so much.

 

I really don't see the bias, I have one of what I think to be the latest ANACS...A Jackson $1 and I think it was a good job. Still, I like the older ones.

 

if it is what you like that's what matters. Nobody can tell you how to collect your coins. Some like raw some like NGC, ANACS ICG,or PCGS. as long as the coin you have makes you happy that's what really matters.

 

It was a Kennedy that looked really good and I think I paid $20 when silver was $30. It might not be a PR69 but it sure is not a PR67 either and it IS cameo.

 

Dont forget guarantees also, the other graders do not guarantee varieties.

Overall it is market acceptance.

I am a PCGS kool aid drinker, no doubt. For my series, DMPL morgans, PCGS brings the best money and I feel will hold value the best over the long term.

Not all series are the same, there are some series where NGC is considered in higher regard.

 

It used to be that PCGS didn't guarantee them either. Which was a good thing because they get them wrong a lot. NGC gets them wrong a lot too, but they don't guarantee them. ANACS used to guarantee them I don't know if they still do. SEGS guarantees them I believe. I have no clue about whether ICG guarantees them.

 

You may not see it, but PCGS and NGC are statistically more accurate, and their coins sell for consistently more. Don't base your evaluation of TPGs on your own limited experiences. There are very nice coins in ANACS holders, but that doesn't make ANACS the equal of the top two.

 

Agreed I have some of all of them. I just get better coins for the $$ with ANACS.

 

It is, yes. Since they moved to Colorado they are considered by many to have higher and more consistent standards than the blue/clear slab era. Their previous reputation is hard to shed, and they are still considered a "lesser" grader than PCGS/NGC by many, but their reputation is improving slowly but surely.

For those that are good enough at grading coins themselves that they can live by "buy the coin, not the slab", ANACS graded coins can save you a lot of money over PCGS (and even NGC for that matter). I don't expect this to always be the case, but it is now, and probably will remain so for quite some time. If you need coins graded/slabbed, they're also the cheapest reasonably reputable TPG, and the only major one that does not require any kind of membership. So there's that. I've long held that ANACS' current reputation is more about perception than reality; many dealers I've met say they grade just about as well as the big two now, but their perceived reputation is lesser than that of the other two still. Sellers may not want to have their coins slabbed by them because of that, but for buyers it's a great opportunity to get good coins for less money than if PCGS or NGC slabbed them. As someone who buys far more coins than I ever sell lol... for me that's a very good thing. Just because others want to buy PCGS-slabbed coins because of their reputation, doesn't mean I have to agree that it's a smart thing to do (I don't care how a coin is graded; I can judge for myself whether a coin is worth what the seller is asking, and don't need a hunk of plastic to tell me that! I'm not paying anything extra for PCGS's reputation, thank you.).

I would assert that if you can't tell for yourself whether a coin is worth what a seller is asking, you shouldn't be buying coins in the first place. You should rely on your own judgement, not that of a TPG, and if you can't, don't put your money on the line in the first place. Paying extra just because of what company put their name on a piece of plastic is a complete waste IMO.

 

I have been collecting coins since 1956, long before there were any so-called grading companies. The best way to tell of the coin has eye appeal is to look at it.
As for Proof Sets, Uncirculated Sets, Mint Sets, and Specimen Sets, they will all be government packaged and certificated. Boycott grading services. They are totally unnecessary.

 

Since 1956 when I started collecting coins, I have grown tired of coins that I really didn't want and have sold quite a few of them. So never say never. I have upgraded my collection from silver and base metals to gold and platinum. They look better and don't corrode.

 

Grading companies are unnecessary.

 

This would only be true if coin dealers all used a standardized grading scale, and offered to buy back coins that were overgraded. Let me know when this happens.

 

I refer you to "New Photograde, A Photographic Grading Guide for United States Coins, " by James F. Ruddy, Library of Congress 78-132061. If you don't trust dealers, don't deal with them. "Caveat emptor."

 

In today's world I don't have to trust dealers with pcgs graded coins so why on earth would I trust anyone selling me anything?

 

And therein lies the problem. If you have ever bought a house you would know what I'm talking about. Put the home inspector in place of the coin grading service. They are providing something for a fee. The quicker they get it out, the faster they can go on to their next customer. Time is money.

 

We can agree to disagree about the value of coin grading companies (pcgs and ngc). However given how I have yet to see the majority of coin dealers selling raw coins at shows, with the vast majority selling pcgs and ngc coins at their tables, and seeing as how much business these companies are doing it would appear to me that not only do I disagree with you but the market and vast majority of the consumers do as well. Sorry.

 

I recall when Macy's and Gimble's in midtown Manhattan used to have coin depts. and would sell uncased coins. The buyer would judge for himself whether or not the coin was worth the purchase. So shell out your money to the "coin Graders." They are like the money changers at the temple in Jerusalem during the time of Christ.