Who says PCGS and NGC are the best?

Yes. that was my impression. They saw the ICG slab and acted like "do I really have to take the time to look this up and give a price"? It was funny and interesting at the same time.

As far as not buying more coins until I know what I'm doing - you are absolutely right and that is good advice - BUT I am the type who learns by doing. If I buy a coin, and I have it in my posession - I will study it, research it, and compare it to others I see online and in person, more than it if it were just a picture in a book. And that way I will learn more, faster. Mistakes are not always bad. In the long run they have a tendency to teach us more.

Based on your statement, I will indeed also look at NGC coins. Thanks!! -

 

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I think ANACS is a pretty good service and doesn't get the respect it deserves. ANACS is the best service for attributing varieties and problem coins.

But there's an opportunity here, too. I've seen ANACS Morgans, for example, graded 65 that go for less than NGC and PCGS, yet they look like they're graded correctly. This situation can be played with arbitrage. Buy the ANACS coins and cross it to the other service and pocket the gain?

Another type of crackout game.

I don't buy ICG coins, but I'll look at them for possibilities. The gripe I have about ICG is that they seem to grade too many modern MS70 coins.

 

gdjmsp

Above, GDJMSP said:

I am curious, I want to learn all I can. What is it about the new ANACS that you don't like? So far, I haven't seen much difference between the old and the new. (And I like the new holders WAY BETTER than the old holders).

 

Their standards changed when they traded hands a few years ago. Most if not all of the old graders went elseware if I remember right.

I too am a fan of the old ANACS. You can find some nice coins in those holders but the new ANACS's standards have come "off" a little and a lot of coins are overgraded. Their holders might be neat and convenient, but the grading itself is problematic.

 

"cj - more than anything else the reason they acted that way was because of the ICG slab." Yes, that was my distinct impression. I could just tell that was a negative.

 

If I remember right the graders pretty much switched companies. When the new owner of ANACS left ICG he took the ICG employees with him and many of the ANACS graders went to ICG.

In theory this should make the current grading at ICG pretty good but so much has happened not many are giving them a chance and just having coins in thier slabs tends to de-value them.

For me I could care less who's slab a coin is in, if it is one I like I buy it and then just cross it to PCGS.

 

We do!

We do, the paying slabbing coin collection public that's why!
We have seen the product and these two companies are better almost all the time. Do I like them? No, do I submit to them, No, - I do not like slabbed coins but I cannot deny they are the top market players. They have done this by satisfying most people most of the time. They are successful business's. I cannot take anything away from them on that score.
But I would never tell a person "not to bother" with any others. Learn to look at the coin not the plastic. Many nice coins are in those other slabbs including rare die varieties that they simply did not know about or missed.
Buy the coin no matter if it's in a mason jar if it looks good and you like it buy it.

 

Thanks. Have you ever tried to crossover a coin?
Specifically target a perfectly good coin (or what u perceive to be a perfectly good coin) at a reduced price because it is slabbed by other than PCGS or NGC, and re-submit?
If so, have you had any luck?

 

That would stink. :headbang: