Stick with the big 3 - PCGS, NGC, ANACS: Pedigreed Registered: 02/02/02 Posts: 6320 Loc: East central Indiana This is from a post I made ATS back in 2004 that lists 107 companies The list would be even longer now. Some day, some day. A-Mark A California coin company that has been around since at least the 1960's. In the mid 1970's they formed an alliance with several other firms to form Paramount corp. ACCS (Ancient Coin Certification Service) This is a service created by Roman coin expert David R Sear. ACCUGRADE also known as ACG or ASA-ACCUGRADE. Owned by Alan Hagar. Founded in 1984 ACGS (American Coin Grading Service) One of the newest grading services, this one first turned up in mid March 2002. ACGS (Australian Coin Grading Service) Australian based grading service AGA (American Grading Association) Old company but first seen September 2001. AGS (Advanced Grading Specialists). Apparently another private company, quite possibly a single dealer. AGS (American Grading Service.) First saw this companies slab in September 2000. It is out of East Meadow New York ANAAB (American Numismatic Association Authentication Bureau) Service begun by ANA about seven months after sale of ANACS in 1990. ANACS (American Numismatic Association Certification Service) The first company to authenticate coins professionally. Begun by the ANA in 1972, grading did not start until March 1979 for US coins and Non-US in 1987. Slabs were not used until 1988 or 1990 ANICS (American Numismatic Institute Certification Service) Active in 1987 to 1989 ARC (American Rare Coin and Collectors Inc) Active in 1986 and 1987 ASA (Accugrade Sports Authentication.) This company was first brought to my attention in March of 2001. Yes this company did slab coins. BLANCHARD An "in house" slabbing service by Blanchard Co. CCGS (Company name unknown) First seen 8/02 From the style of the slab and its label it is clear that this company is somehow connected with Distinctive Coin Grading Service/NSCGS. CGA (Currency Grading Association) Included here for completeness because they “slab” a numismatic item. CGC (Currency Grading & Certification) A new firm that began operations in late 2001 or early 2002. Like CGA they only certify and grade currency but their holders are rigid and of the same acrylic plastic that several of the coin slabbing services use. CGCGS (Certi-Graded Coin Grading Service) First seen November 2000. Coinland (Coinland.com) This company produced a sample slab that was distributed at the 2002 ANA Convention. No production slabs COMPUGRADE New Orleans based research and development firm begun by Jim Diffenthal that planned to slab computer graded coins. They planned to be in operation by late 1991. CTGS (Coin and Token Grading Service) Begun in 1993 in Denver CO strictly as a service that specialized in the grading of tokens. DCGS (Digital Coin Grading Service) Debuted in June of 2001. DCGS (Distinctive Coin Grading Service) Formed in early 2002 but when they learned that Digital Coin Grading Service existed they changed their name. I have seen just two slabs with this name. The company then became CCGS and then NSCGS EAC (Early American Coppers) In 1984 and 1985 the Early American Coppers club formed a committee to grade half cents and large cents submitted by their members and others. FCS (Federal Certification Service) This is an old company. Unfortunately I have never heard of it before and all I have are examples of its product FTGS (First Token Grading Service) First seen in April 2001 this company seems to specialize in grading just tokens GCS (Global Certification Service) A new company that planned to begin operation at the 2001 fall ANA convention. Operations began in November 2001. The company is based in Lexington Kentucky. GLGS Reported. Have seen one scan. GSA (General Services Administration) Arguably the first group to "slab" coins. During the period when the GSA was processing the 3.4 million silver dollars from the Treasury hoard they separated them into four different groups. Each of these groups was placed into a different style of holder. These are found in one pliofilm and three types of hard plastic slabs. All holdered in approximately 1972. HALLMARK Grading service founded in Woburn MA by Q David Bowers and Lee Bellisario in 1987. HOLT (T J Holt company) Apparently after NCI closed down they sold off the remainder of their slab shells to a private company which then slabbed their own coins. ICCS (International Coin Certification Service) They appear to mostly certify Canadian coins, at least I've have seen only one non-Canadian coin in an ICCS holder. ICG (Independent Coin Grading) New company started late 1998 (By some of the most respected numismatists in the business.) with the first coins being slabbed on Dec 12th of that year. ICGS (International Coin Grading Service) Seems to be another old service from back around 1986. ICGS was based in Hong Kong ICI (International Coin Investments) Reported to me in May 2001. All I know is it was based in Minneapolis, MN. IGA (Independant Grading Association) First seen November 2000. IGA was based in Atlanta, GA and was active in the mid to late 80's IGS (Independent Grading Service) Scan seen for the first time January 2001. INC (Independant Numismatic Certification) Not a true grading service. This is a dealer who has begun using sonicly sealed slabs in order to prevent coin switching on items sent out for mail order purchases. INGS (International Numismatic Grading Service) Based in Philadelphia PA this company was active in the mid 1980's. INL (Independent Numismatic Laboratory) In general style it is very similar to FCS and it may be the same company but under a previous name INS (International Numismatic Society Authentication Bureau) Little known service based in Washington DC. Active beginning in the mid 70's it specialized in Non-US coins at a time when only ANACS would certify Non-US coins and no one else would grade them. INS actually began grading coins before ANACS making it the first grading firm. Once they began grading the number of US coins submitted rose greatly and the number of “international” coins dropped to a miniscule percentage of those submitted. This company had a very low profile and most people didn’t know it existed even while they were in operation.. They used a certificate back in the 70's and 80's. They announced in Jan 1989 that they would start using slabs Jan 27th 1989. IRI (Investment Rarities Incorporated) This company has been around since at least the late 70's. During the early to mid 80's they began sealing Unc gold coins in holders and selling them to investors as an “improved” way of buying gold coins because the grade and authenticity were guaranteed. LCG (Laser Coin Grading) Only the one variety seen. The seller claimed that the company uses a laser and a computer to grade the coin but I couldn’t get any more information about the company. MCGC (Modern Coin Grading Company) A new company first brought to my attention in mid Feb 2001. This company was created specificly to grade and slab coins issued since 1964. The company probably went out of business shortly thereafter since they have not updated their website since March of 2001. MonExpert (MonExpert Grading Service) A new start up service first noticed in May of 2002. Located in upstate New York MTB (Mantra, Tordella & Brookes Inc) Another “in house” grading firm, MTB produced a series of slabs during the 1986-87 era in order to have certified coins for their investors. NCCA (National Coin Certification Association?) I'm not sure what the initials actually stand for. All I know of this company is that it exists or at least existed. (4/01) I do not own one of their slabs and have only seen one scan of a slab that was sent to me by E-mail. (Have since had a second piece described to me by a dealer. He didn’t know the company name but his description matches NCCA. He said they used to advertise fairly heavily in Coin World but I do not recall them.) I now have several examples from this company, all #2. NCG (Numismatic Coin Grading Service) They were based in Cordova TN but their submission address is in Memphis TN. Although their web site was last updated in June of 2000, their E-mail address does not work NCG (Company name not known) Private company beginning to certify coins under their own name. He caught so much flak over his NCG initials for the firm that he dropped the whole project and never sent out any of the slabs. So theoretically this companies slabs are not available and now only exist as the plate in this book. NCI (Numismatic Certification Institute) Started by Heritage Rare Coin Gallery in 1984. (Some sources say 1986, Jim Halprin in the NCI grading guide says 1985 NCS (Numismatic Curation Service) A division of NGC this company provides professional curation/preservation services. NECA (Numismatic Error Collectors of America) This was a national club. It later merged with Collectors of Numismatic Errors to form the current CONECA. In the mid sixties when a rash of counterfeit errors entered the market they began certifying error coins. The earliest certified coins yet seen. NES (Numismatic Evaluation Service) A photo-certificate company, which holds the distinction of being the shortest lived of all the grading services. NES came into existence at the spring Long Beach show in Feb 1986. Unfortunately for them, this was the same show at which PCGS debuted. PCGS was offering free slabbing at that show as a come-on and the principals of NES realized that their certificate could not compete with the plastic slabs so they closed their doors at the end of the show and never re-opened. The company lasted a grand total of four days. NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation of America) Incorporated in 1987 NIC (Company name unknown) Found at the 2002 Indiana State show. Probably a private dealer but the coins do have a “serial” number of sorts NNCS (National Numismatic Certification Service) I know nothing about this service other than that it was reported to me to have been located in Marlboro, Massachusetts and produced a rectangular slab beginning in 1986 NSCGS (New Standard Coin Grading Service) This company was originally DCGS (distinctive) but when they learned of Digital Coin Grading Service they decided to change their name first to CCGS and then apparently almost immediately to NSCGS NTC (NumisTrust Corporation) This company seems to have come into existence in May of 2001. (Formed May 1st) Owned by Rare Island Coins NUMEX (Numex This appears to be yet another third party service based on a license from ACG for the shells. Dates of operation unknown, first seen June of 2002. Paramount (Redfield Dollars) After LaVere Redfield died in 1974 his hoard of over 400,000 silver dollars was purchased in Feb 1976 by Steve Markoff of A-Mark in a courtroom auction for 7.3 million dollars, the largest numismatic purchase ever up to that time. (Hardly a fair auction though as Markoff knew in detail what the hoard contained while the other bidders did not.) As part of the group chosen to market the dollars by A-Mark, Paramount had the dollars graded and sealed into 3 X 3 ½ inch holders. These come in three types. In addition Paramount also included some of their regular stock dollars and enclosed them in the same style holders but these do not refer to the Redfield collection. PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) PCI (Photo-Certified Coin Institute) PCS (Preferred Coin Grading Service) I have seen two slabs from this company and I am assuming that it is the same PCS that I have listed in the Miscellaneous section. PHOTO-SEAL Service begun by Richard Snow it was actually isn’t so much of a grading service for the coins as it is a confirmation service that examines the slab PNG (Professional Numismatic Guild) Shortly before ANACS came into existence the PNG began issuing Certificates of Authenticity (and grade?) upon request for coins valued at $200 or more. PNGL (Professional Numismatic Grading Laboratories) Have seen scans of five so far. This company appears to have been active in the mid to late eighties PPGS (Peoples Professional Grading Service) New service apparently begun in 2002 RCGS (Rare Currency Grading Service) A new company that began operations in June of 2002. I have seen one example of their certificate. S&G (S & G Rare Coins of Florida) Not a true slabbing service. This company took advantage of a recent offer by ACG to slab any ones coins in a private label at the owners grade with no responsibility as to grade or authenticity. SEGS (Sovereign Entities Grading Service They started back in 1998. In late 2001 SEGS relocated in Chattanooga TN. SILVERTOWNE Certificate issued by Leon Hendrickson’s company in Winchester IN. Silvertowne did these in 1986 - 1988 but stopped after John Hunter left the firm TCGS (Twenty-first Century Grading Service) Begun in late 2001. TCTS (Tom’s Coins Technical Services) Owned by Tom’s Coins. The parent firm opened in 1975 and began slabbing coins, both on their own account and for others, in 1999. This was creating a conflict of interest so in November of 2000 TCTS stopped certifying coins for the general public TMM (The Merrick Mint) First seen in November of 2002 this is most likely yet another dealership merely slabbing their own coins to prevent mail order switching but the slabs are graded, serial numbered and barcoded. TULVING (Hannes Tulving) Private firm from Newport Beach CA. UNKNOWN. Was shown this certificate in May of 2002. I have no idea what the company was but I suspect it is related to FCS due to similarity in photo qulaity and layout. USGCO (United States Grading Company) Seen for the first time November 2000 USGCS (U. S. Grading and Certification Service) Another old company, probably from the 1986 to 1989 era. Possibly associated somehow with the old Paramount Stamp and Coin company as all the pieces seen so far have been registered to them USRCCT (U S Rare Coin Certification & Trading Co Inc.) Well that has to be the longest name of any of the services. I have been told that this is a fairly new service but I have my reasons for believing that it is an older one USTI (United States Tangible Investment Corp) This slab, from the values printed on them, was apparently active at the height of the market in 1989. Website has not been updated since April 2000. WCG (World Class Grading) Originally a sports card grading firm, they saw a chance to cash in on the 9-11 disaster among other novelties. The company only slabs and “grades” colorized coins. WCGS (World Coin Guarantee Service) As of yet I have no idea when this company was in business or its location of operation. Webcoinage (Webcoinage.com) Not truly a slabbing service but rather a company which has gone to slabbing coins sent out as mail order purchases in order to prevent coin switching. Those are all extracted from the book. Since then I have also turned up. ACCGS American Coin Club Grading Service AGI American Grading Institute CCGS Canadian Currency Grading Service CCGS Capital Coin Grading Service CGI Currency Grading Institute CSA Coin Slab Authentications CSGI Coin & Stamp Grading Institute JNDA Japanese Numismatic Dealers Association MM Merrick Mint NNC National Numismatic Certifications PCC Premier Certified Coins PCG Professional Currency Grading PCGA Prestige Coin Grading Association PCGA Professional Coin Grading Association TMM The Morgan Mint TruGrade TruGrade SAGCE South African Gold Coin Exchange SDGS Silver Dollar Grading Service SGS Star Grading Service USGS United States Grading Service USNS Unite States Numismatic Service VSS Variety Slabbing Service WCCS World Coin Certification Services WMP company name unknown WWCS World Wide Coin Grading _________________________ ------- Slab collector and researcher reported as of 2/5/06 150 companies 331 production varieties Top
