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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;talkcoin, post: 1672138, member: 38842&quot;]I started collecting coins (Thank You Gramps R.I.P.) about 5 years ago. I am from Southern California, so I, by recommendation of my Gramps, only used PCGS. I love PCGS and am currently a CU member and still send in coins for grading and ALWAYS will. I&#039;m a West Coaster, I have no problem purchasing NGC coins, but I never send a coin from Cali to Florida, just didn&#039;t and doesn&#039;t&nbsp; seem right (I grew up during the East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop War). </p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; I have also purchased a lot (less than 20 or so) of the old ANACS white holder slabbed coins as well in my 5 years of collecting. About a year or two ago I really got into The VAM Morgan Game; cherrypicking and sending in coins to PCGS for grading and attribution of Top-100 or Hot-50 and what have you. It was pretty costly to cherrypick a Morgan off the Bay for $50 to $75 and then pay the $18 grading cost and the $24 attribution cost on top of everything else (not that this is too much $$$ for their service; just too rich for a coin that is worth less than $150 at current after market spot). </p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; So anyways, I also noticed that on the secondary market, Top-100 VAM keys were selling at about the same price-range regardless of if it is attributed by PCGS or NGC or ANACS. I then realized that PCGS, which IMO is the Best TPG out there for PQ coins, fell short on their ability to Micro-VAM and attribute anything outside of the Top-190 VAM keys and some 8tf and 7/8tf 1878&#039;s (Morgan) and the Top-50 Peace Dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; I also learned that ANACS had a crew of graders that could attribute almost any VAM, and since in reality, every Morgan is indeed a VAM key.... I gave ANACS a try and they have not let me down yet with over 60+ coins graded and attributed so far (not one coin over $1,000 in value). </p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Not to shock anyone here but I attended the PCGS grading course at the last LB Expo and we took a grading test on 50 different coins of all types and grades that Mike Sherman pulled off of coinfacts.com (we in the room took the test from a projector screen of images; maybe and I am pretty sure the Pro&#039;s did as well)... I didn&#039;t fare well (and if someone calls me out here, I just may show you a picture of my test and score.... PLEASE Don&#039;t <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie9" alt=":eek:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />).</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; I was surely surprised to learn from David Hall himself that out of the same 100 point test, HE scored 53 or so and Ron Guth only scored like 59 or higher or something (far better than me or anyone in the room, but I&#039;m a newbie). So guess what guys/gals, I hate to break it to you but the guys/gals over there at #1 PCGS are human-beings just like you and I. I was shocked; not disappointed, but shocked none the less that the bell curve ended at a 12-point D- at best (a sample of only 30 or so people, normal classroom size, I assume).</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; I also don&#039;t plan on selling my collection for many years (God Willing). With all things said, I do respect ANACS so far from first hand experience just as I respect PCGS from even more first hand experience and proven market-driven power! Now, I at this point in time, would never send any Gold or PQ 5-figure coin to ANACS, or any coin that I was planning on flipping quickly, but for Morgan &amp; Peace Dollar VAM&#039;ers and common date coins and/or moderns; I completely trust ANACS and like there holders much better than any of the others as they stack up nice into rubber-banded 5-coin chunks for the SDB. </p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; I respect everyone&#039;s opinion, but I truly see no problem with slabbing a raw coin that you think should be slabbed and protected through ANACS. If you know your VAMs then it only costs $5 more to have it attributed, $10 extra for them to figure it out. Also, in 30+ years, when my collection either liquidates or changes hands, you can cross a coin through any top-3 TPG for under $50... Good Luck to all in whatever you do, just do it well <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>P.S. also, I fully understand that ANACS does not have a set-registry for competition reasons, so if your into that sort of thing, gotta go with the Top-2! Also, I figure that since PCGS &#039;counterfeit slabs&#039; are so abundant and readily available, maybe all the bad publicity ANACS gets on the Web will indeed shy overseas crooks from even attempting to mess around with #3!!! and considering that just about every piece of plastic we have in our households comes from overseas.... Well, you get my point.</p><p><br /></p><p>P.S.S. in the end, if, as stated by many prominent CoinTalk members to &quot;Buy the coin and not the slab,&quot; truly does hold merit.... Then if you have a raw coin (purchased or inherited) that you see as a &quot;Slab-Worthy&quot; coin, what difference does it really make what Top-3 TPG you send it into for grading-slabbing-preservation??? They all have guarantee&#039;s and hardly ever; if not, NEVER slab non-genuine coins. </p><p><br /></p><p>P.S.S.S. Mr. David Hall also said that is was the ultimate objective for PCGS to slab every PQ coin on the market... So who knows, maybe one day many years from now they will not even charge to cross a true-PQ coin from another TPG into their precious plastic... <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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