Comparison of third party graders.

I've had coins graded by PCGS and had one graded by ICG, which I got back yesterday. Comparing the two companies, I would say that ICG does a better job and they give you a memory stick so that you don't screw up the photo with your amateur expertise in photographing coins.

 

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What do you mean by, "a better job"?

 

Is your impression of a better job based on the supplied memory stick, or timeliness of process, or grading process or grading opinion or the encapsulation quality or the grading opinion it self...meaning it aligns with your opinion or was a pleasant surprise because it was a higher grade opinion than you expected?

Is a one coin comparison of value going forward?

 

I would say the memory stick is not what you are paying for. When you submit a coin for grading, you want expertise in authenticity of a coin, and accuracy of grade. The two top tier companies in doing those two tasks are PCGS, and NGC. This is the consensus of numismatists.

 

based on the supplied memory stick, Yes!

timeliness of process, No! They took a month

grading process or grading opinion or the encapsulation quality or the grading opinion it self...meaning it aligns with your opinion, Yes!

was a pleasant surprise because it was a higher grade opinion than you expected? No!

 

@CHARLES GINETTO did you just randomly send the coin to ICG, or was it the coin talk special and @Insider graded it?

 

Thank you for answering.

 

The ICG photo option is done on a memory stick is a $10 option and usually adds a day or two to process. I don't believe it took a month to process a one coin submission.

As for:"This is the consensus of numismatists." I guess it depends on the question you ask one. The only question about the four major TPGS I've heard where there is a consensus is which TPGS slab usually brings the most money.

PS The Chinese Virus did slow us down a few months ago; but I still don't believe it took a month for one coin.

 

A month wow. Our local numismatist is our TPG, and then, I am the sealer and inventory guide. The rest is left to my heirs...

 

What are your/their thoughts on ANACS? For the most part i am happy with their service, and I had them grade some Unc Frankline 1/2 and may were MS62-64, some 65 and if it had counting wheel damage, it was a MS60. Also had a penny with a scratch also get that MS60 when i have seen Morgans scratched to heck with MS65 by PCGS/NGC. They also picked up some indian head pennies as cleaned that i could not tell. thanks for your reply.

 

I believe dealers would agree with your consensus, where a generally less established collector who may be viewing the coin rather than the grader, may differ.

As a better than 70 years collector of generally U.S. high value coins, with an ultimate goal when submitting, of CAC subsequent approval, I believe generally these 2 firms have deferred to market acceptance. In the past, when having greater competition, as the remaining opposing competition, who are believed held to a higher standard, they often performed to meet the original published technical standard.

This opinion is based on my experience of having many thousands of coins submitted to just NGC and PCGS, having posted on this site examples of the top four TPG, a specific coin having all parameters supposedly identical, where the believed normally lesser selected TPG was clearly the most accurate technical grader.

JMHO

 

I am not certain what you mean by a generally less established collector. I assume you mean a collector that has a knowledge of grading, and does not purchase a coin because a TPG has

However, I am more interested in the end goal, a CAC approval, that you mention. Is the end goal a coin with market grading acceptance or technical grading acceptance? If, and I do not disagree, PCGS and NGC bases their grading opinion on market acceptance, what is accomplished by not using a TPG that is exercising a "higher" standard, or, if you will, a weighted technical consideration standard when issuing a grading opinion?

Would you consider the lesser utilized TPGs if CAC accepted their product for consideration? if not, why not?

Is it your opinion that CAC adheres to technical standard as a criteria for approval via their green or gold opinion?

 

I personally don't know what unpublished standard is used by CAC, but when using the original "ILLUSTRATED A.N.A. U.S. COINS GRADING STANDARD" as my basis for buying, I've had significantly greater CAC acceptance.

I talked with John when CAC was established, and was allowed "collector" submission status.

I have thousands of "Green Bean" CACed coins, but very few "Gold Bean" coins.

Yes, I would accept a lower tier TPG CAC accepted coin, as my many year break-out of lesser TPG coin has eventually resulted in better acceptance after CAC submission.

I've submitted many normal process graded coins with a lesser acceptance to realize grading improvement upon re-submission.

The past random grading evaluation by collectors, versus that by dealers, also supported my findings.

I eventually suspended direct submission to TPG because of the rate of "details" return after submitting "cracked-out" graded coins, just purchasing previously CACed coins.

The cost became prohibitive when selling, but some resubmitted coins came back with an appreciable grade which is easy for Type I Gold U.S. coins.

JMHO

 

While reading comments here, I think another consensus might be that ICG and ANACS are more likely to "detail" a coin for problems that the top two services might ignore more often.

 

Thank you. We have a little in common.

 

Agreed.

 

Has nothing to do with being a dealer, it is a fact that PCGS and NGC are the leading grading company firms in numismatics. They are both international on several continents, the only ones CAC will look at, and have literally billions yes billions of dollars worth of coins in their holders.

 

Perhaps there is a reason CAC will not sticker other TPGS coins. Perhaps it has nothing to do with the actual condition/quality of coins themselves. Makes one wonder.

 

Oh go on. Marketing. That's the only thing that differentiates any of these TPGs. One has better graders than all the others, lol, in your dreams. And please, I was already called a hater recently for disagreeing, don't call me that, I'm a lover not a hater.

 

CAC could accept ICG/ANACS coins, too. Assuming many of them are overgraded, CAC could simply NOT put a sticker on them ;-)