You are most welcomed indeed. The evaluation process based on experience and knowledge. The two go together. Like defining fine scotch, the taste can be acquired. You can do it by reading here, on these boards, and observing pieces in the wild. Don't rely on TPG's for the definitive determination of grade......make your own assessment. And don't waste your money sending stuff to them.........you only feed the beast. Money making beast. Ya want it graded? Buy it graded, but only after you have determined that the coin is 'worthy'.....
Thank you very much. Appreciate your honesty. And for me it is really something I’m enjoying. I ask too many questions and probably do not explain myself clearly. It is about money for some and that’s ok, but discovering history of the coins are interesting. Thanks again.
Relax, Pam! Unfortunately, we do have some people here who would ask for your ID just to make sure that you are using the correct bathroom. Don't let it get to you! ~Chris
@PamR there are several books available that will give you guidance on grading too in case you decide not to spend the money for professional grading! I've also seen some DVD's but don't know how good they are! For U.S. coins the Red Book gives some very good, general guidance!! A few searches will help you find other books, to include grading foreign coins! Good luck and please keep posting!!!
The problem with this question is that you said "best" without specifying a specific coin. The answer for best depends mostly on the coin (with some subjectivity), and for some coins the answer for best may be that you shouldn't send it anywhere. It's like asking what the best mechanic is to take a car to. The question is so general that it cannot be answered. If you're talking about a 1931 Ford Model A, you will get a very different answer than if you're talking about a 2020 Tesla Model Y. Coins (and medals) have been struck all over the world for thousands of years. There is no single place that has the best expertise on every type of coin.
I appreciate your reply but I think I have been beaten up enough on this subject. Not a pro nor perfect. Who is. All have flaws. Not just coins. It’s an opinion. I spoke with the U.S. Mint and she referred each one person. Fred Weinberg. He recommended this site.
I've been collecting off and on for almost 40 years, in the last few years I've become more serious and have been working to educate myself about "grades" and varieties, and "details" issues (cleaning, polishing, scratches, things that coin people consider damage - sometimes not so obvious to me). I recommend you get a good magnifying glass or two with LED lights built in - I got a set of two on Amazon with different magnification that I like for less than $20. I also bought an inexpensive digital magnifying device that plugs into my phone or laptop, but I mostly use the magnifiers. I am careful not to touch the surface of the coins (just the edges) and to keep my hands clean when handling same. I had a number of budget coins that were already graded by PCGS, NGC, ICG and ANACS - those are the 4 TPGs (Third Party Graders) that eBay allows to sell as "graded" coins, typically people consider PCGS the best, some people are snobs about it, but they are the market maker - if your coin is top notch and you want to sell it you want it in a PCGS slab to get the best price. Like you, I'm not interested in selling, so I looked into it and found that ICG was the one I liked - it's easy to use, just fill out a submission form and send it in with the coins, 3 weeks later they are back in your hands in neat little graded slabs. They have a discount for Cointalk members of $10 per coin for Economy service (plus shipping and insurance both ways). I have made 3 submissions since last year and I'm getting a much better eye for details. I've had them grade some lower level coins and some much nicer ones. My focus has been on a Standing Liberty Quarter collection that my youngest son and me have been working on since he was in high school, but I also have sent them things like a Victoria crown and an 1864 two cent piece. I have 2x2 coin flips and Guardhouse boxes treated with anti-corrosive materials (the factory seconds are really cheap) from Wizard coin supply to hold my raw coins. Distinguishing between an AU53 that has been lightly cleaned and is almost FH (Full Head - a good strike for SLQs) and an MS63 that does rate as FH isn't easy for me, but I'm getting there, and having slabbed coins assessed by professional knowledgeable graders is a real help to my education. It also helps you to judge comparing different coins of the same year in the same state - you'll see a really nice VF in an NGC slab and one that isn't as nice in an ANACS slab, or vice versa, anyway, you start to get a better feel for these things. It's really fun and I hope you enjoy your journey.
Thank you. All the foreign coins I have are from my dad’s travels. I don’t think I have been a month. I don’t know a whole lot and I have no doubt I will learn. It is interesting to me and this is too for my son and knowing my father got coins from places he actually has been is much more special. I’m probably out of my element having that type of outlook but hey, that’s me. Appreciate it.Ty!
Foreign coins you absolutely want PCGS or NGC if you're going to submit them. They're the world wide companies with submission places on multiple continents, the rest don't carry much weight for world coins
