Everyone's Grading Service Preference (when purchasing)?

I find that PCGS's slabs are the easiest to crack open to free the coin. But if all else fails, I just get a bigger hammer.

 

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Same goes with me. I have a large number of raw coins, both hard to obtain dates and higher grade ones.

 

Ditto, but I'm on the look out for more lol. If I can encapsulate the VOC coin (pretty sure it's a penny), I'd like to go that route.

 

Does that VOC stand for Very Old Coins?

 

I don't care much about the holder when buying but that changes if I'm selling. I have PCGS crack and grade important coins before going to auction. I like NGC as well but it's not as easy for me.

 

I agree. The only coins I want to be in TPG slabs are my errors and any high value coins. Everything else is just in flips.

 

I personally don't like the flips, I don't know why lol. Anything lower valued i'll encapsulate in direct fit capsules to as much of an extent as I can

 

If the Grading services that you offered as a choice are TPGs, then the Grading entity that "grades" those choices is a 4PG. That is CAC. It "grades" the TPG, but limited to PCGS/NGC, using the Green/Gold sticker method ( or no Sticker).
Eagle Eye is another example. There is a Modern coin 4PG also.

CAC and CACG are not synonymous as a Grading Co. CACG is a TPG. Yes, an offspring of CAC and within the next several years CAC will "retire", but that is a timing decision of the Market.
Hope that helps.

 

Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie , United East India Company

 

My collection is about evenly split between PCGS and NGC. I submit coins regularly to NGC myself after selecting them from the wild, so I would say, I purchase more PCGS slabs. The reason I've purchased many PCGS slabs is simple, a few sellers I deal with use them as their grading company.

I've bought ANACS and ICG coins too. I think their grading is good. I've cracked out exactly one coin from these two. The ANACS bumped up a point and gained a star, the ICG downgraded one.

I always look at the coin in the holder. The old saying is buy the best you can afford, but I'll buy a graded 62 over a 64 if the 64 has terrible toning or eye appeal. I see sellers all the time talking about toners they have and the coins are plain ugly. I love to look at my coins. I have on several occasions sold or traded coins because I simply didn't like the looks of them.
So, I have more NGC coins because I submit there. I buy more PCGS because the dealers I tend to buy from submit there. I have very few ANACS and no ICG, mostly because they have few of my collecting area certified. I don't own any CACG because they don't grade world coins. I'm not particular about grading company, as long as I love the coin inside the holder.

 

I am TPG neutral. I really couldn't care less whose slab the coin is in or whose sticker is on it. Speaking of world coins, I own a lot of ICCS graded because they are so prevalent with Canadian coins. I don't think I have any ICG slabs mainly because I rarely see them at the sellers I frequent. Quite a few of my ANACS purchases have been like buying one from the other two with a CAC sticker, for a lot less $. Heh-heh.

 

I almost never buy raw coins. Until recently, I sometimes bought a newly minted coin in mint packaging. But I’m over that now and buy only pre-WWII coins. I’m fair at grading, poor at detecting problems, and practically nonexistent in authenticating. I’ve found that some dealers aren’t much better than me. Depending on the series, I buy PCGS or NGC coins. When selling, there’s never been an issue with coins in those slabs. And yeah, never buy sight unseen, and the coin has to appeal to me regardless of the grade on the label.

Cal

 

That's exactly why I bought this Jefferson, the toning on it is crazy, it's got a circular purple toning I haven't seen before. I do like PCGS' "TrueView" too.

 

"Never Buy Sight Unseen." I learned that lesson once after buying 3 Peace Dollars advertised as "BU" and one came with a ding. Got my refund, but never again.

 

The ONLY thing that matters.

 

Raw. But it is very difficult to find many of the pieces I need raw.

If you were able to get a refund, you weren't buying sight unseen. Back when slabbing started and they set up the idea of buying sight unseen (Since slabs would allow you to do that) If the grade on the slab matched the grade that you ordered it was yours there were NO REFUNDS. It didn't matter if the coin was a dog , or clearly misgraded, if the slab LABEL said it was a certain grade and that was what you ordered you owned it. The idea of ordering and then being able to look at the coins and decide whether to keep it was still SIGHT SEEN buying because you got a chance to see the coin before being irrevocably committed.

 

It is 2025.

 

You're right. It is 2025. But, you are still buying "sight seen" if you have the ability to return an item after examining it in hand.

 

Exactly. THAT is the difference, which was not stated.

If it is not physically seen IN HAND it is not "sight seen". It is illogical logic to define in any other manner.

It is not the 70s, anymore. Take or leave it based on the label is not forced down the gullet of the collector anymore, as an ordinary course of business.

It is 2025, and if someone wants to play pay the money and take a chance, without in-hand observation...regardless of any statement that a piece can be returned (without any difficulty), that is their choice. BUT, it is not "sight seen".