I'm gonna throw in the towel and have a few coins graded. I have a special medal that is from the "Freedom March" of Martin Luther King in 1965 that I want graded and I have a couple of halves, quarters and maybe even two dimes that I may throw into the mix. First time that I am having anything graded and I'm wondering which company I should use and why? Anyone? Oh and I don't really want to pay more than 10 bucks a coin, is that doable?
I'm going to throw my two cents worth of opinion in and watch how I get clobbered. With no facts but just feelings and impressions I beleive ANACS is considered the least stringent grader of the three. BUT, I feel they grade small cents better that PCGS and NCG. When it comes to grading VALUEABLE silver coins or currency then PCGS and NGC is the way to go. Anything not too valueable go with ANACS WHICH IS A LOT MORE ECONOMICAL in SOME cases. Okay here I am, clobber me. f
No clobbering here... everything you said is perfectly reasonable. I personally don't know small cents much so I can't comment there. But all the OP has to do is hit the 3 websites and he'll find you're right... ANACS costs a little less. ANACS: http://anacs.com/contentPages/Services.aspx NGC: http://www.ngccoin.com/services/services.asp PCGS: http://www.pcgs.com/grading_list.chtml
........i'm not sure you'll get your asking price for grading unless you use a company like "the acme coin grading company"
If this is strictly for your satisfaction, then I don't think it much matters which you choose. But I personally don't care for the ANACS slabs. They are all about equally capable and each has their strengths and weaknesses. IMO ANACS has tightened up on grading since the ownership changed about 2 years ago. If you are thinking in terms of selling then PCGS leads the pack in perceived value. I think you are out of luck trying to get them slabbed for $10, at least with the three mentioned. I believe even ICG charges more than that. IMPORTANT: Check with the TPGs before you send the medal in. I'm not sure which ones (if any) will grade it. Is that the company owned by Wile E. Coyote?
Yep - As mentioned ANAC's is probably the cheapest, but not sure about the $10. You might even want to look at DGS and see what they cost. Just thought I would mention them.
Yeah, getting it done for $10 might be a problem. I think ANACS is running a special right now where they'll do 10 coins for $120 though.