Guys, can you please give me your opinions about ACG graded coins? I have an opportunity to buy and ACG graded early U.S cent, but i have some reservations based on what i have read about ACG. Specifically if i recall a tendency to overgrade. If overgrading is the only issue, then i would just knock down the grade when setting the price i am willing to pay. Or are there other isssues as well? thanks, Eduard
If you search the site for ACG, you will find several threads and comments on their service - including by the owner of the company. They (we?) were a little rough on the poor guy. I do not remember all the specifics, but it is the second oldest grading company and I believe that the general tenor was that they just over grade. Look at this thread -http://www.cointalk.org/showthread.php?t=15723&highlight=acg I hope that is all correct because I just bought one of their coins. I will be posting pictures when it arrives
Thank you RLM, i did not know ACG and their service were so controversial. I just want to make sure that if if do buy the coin, the worse that can happen is that it is overgraded, and not corroded or manipulated etc. Ben, i don't get it with the link you posted.What is the connnection here? Thanks
Could be a suggestion to crack the coin out of the holder. Just figure out what you would pay for it if it was raw. Slabs aren't meant to stop you from thinking about grade and condition.
Ah quite witty! Got it now with the visegrip. My problem is that this is an eBAY item, and i only have a picture to go by. That is why i was asking about ACG "reputation" as a grader. Ed
The safest thing to do is go with PCGS or NGC. You don't want to try and re-sell a coin and find that people have a bias against the grading service.
Way back when ACG first started slabing coins they would note on the slab if a coin was cleaned but still give it a grade. I don't know if they still do that. Lou
With clear pictures you should be able to decide if it is a problem coin. I bought an IHC that looked nice when I bought it, but rapidly changed colors from the dipping it received. I would personally stay away from ACG graded coins.
Personally without coin in hand I would be very hesitant bo buy any ACG slab. It's the only company that I've seen slab a Franklin Half Dollar as 3/4 FBL (Full Bell Lines). I'd really be wary of old copper.
Its my understanding that most of the nice coins that were graded close or even correctly have been cracked from the holders as the negativity surrounding ACG usually hampers the price received.
Eduard, When purchasing a coin like this, from a third-tier grading company, treat it as a raw coin and you should be OK. NOTE: Be extra careful and examine the edge, too, as any defects on the edge will often be hidden by the slab -- so from that perspective a third tier slab is actually worse than a raw coin. BE CAREFUL! Respectfully submitted as my humble opinion only...Mike
p.s. if it is one of the two dates I'm thinking of BE EVEN MORE CAREFUL. It's one thing to find an 1853 large cent in third-tier plastic, it's another thing entirely when it comes to 1799s (or other rare issues).
p.p.s. I would also suggest that you find one (or more) collectors or dealers you trust evaluate the coin for you prior to purchase. Often another set of eyes sees things that you might not.
Buying on Ebay is dangerous, slab or no slab. If this is a major purchase, you're probably in the wrong place if you are looking at Ebay. If it is a minor purchase, particularly if it is a circulated coin, a second tier TPG opinion to supplement your own opinion of the grade might be all you need.
it all depends on the following variables; date, die pair, price, and your grading ability/counterfeit detection skills. usually if you have to ask...you should probably stick to pcgs/ngc/anacs/segs or icg. good luck
