They still provide a lot of leeway but yes for the first time in a while they’re operating more as a corporate board instead of a you can bash us all you want like we are an independent board. Which they should have done a long time ago
It is because the grading is all over the place and people are tired of having to submit multiple times to receive a fair grade. Something is seriously wrong when coins swing by 2-3 points between submissions or when coins cracked out from CACed rattlers downgrade. No, I'm not talking about toners either where color bumpage could be an issue. My best went from UNC details to MS66. I won't reveal the coins as many of them are in the process of being sold.
Not because it’s all over the place it’s this. No one wants ultra conservative grading no matter how much some people who are very vocal on forums say so
I’m not bashing anyone. They screwed the pooch and provide no way for a dissatisfied customer to complain and seek redress (if proper). Good customer service? They can’t spell the term.
What people want is CONSISTENT grading. You can be as conservative or liberal as you want if you are consistent. When you are inconsistent, the market becomes confused and prices suffer.
I am not one of those habitually demanding whiners, always looking to get my way, but there have definitely been occasions enough when PCGS failed to deliver . . . be it in consistency of grading, in turnaround time, in following instructions THEY requested, in failing to communicate changes, etc. In my experience, their Customer Service has never . . . NEVER proactively made a gesture to compensate for poor product. Moreover, any reactive gesture on their part was limited to an insincere apology. Customer Service? They can do much better . . . they must, or they will not survive.
Send your coins to ICG. Looser grading standards and lower prices. This in turn will net you lower prices on your coins when it's time to sell them. Inflation works in lots of ways, and never is good in the long run.
I do like ICG a lot actually in certain value levels and haven’t found their circulation grades to be any worse than the more expensive top tier ones.
Paying to make your coins less liquid...? That's priceless. In many cases, ICG coins fetch less than PCGS coins graded one point below. I won't snub a nice coin in an ICG slab, but I would never submit to ICG except in very rare circumstances.
Common friend A, I’ll tell you, but it wouldn’t be cosher to be out loud about it here. When are you going to be back in Nola? You’ve got to see this.