Does PCGS owe me?

"Authenticity Unverifiable" At NGC is a "NO DECISION." You get a refund less shipping and handling. Therefore (unconfirmed) it probably is a PCGS "no decision" also and if so, you deserve a refund. Call PCGS and let us know. I would; but I rarely get satisfaction on the left coast.

 

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Found my other counterstamp, not worth grading but I wonder if it would actually grade. A US host coin is much more rare.

 

Hmmmm, I'm guessing they have a resident expert on the purity of a nail.

 

I know what their policy is. As an electrician, you would not be happy with me if I came out to your house and said, "Yeah, I don't know what's wrong. That will be $100."

 

...and if people who use their service would revolt, this policy would be changed in a heartbeat. Do you have any idea what the overhead to run PCGS or NGC is? At one time, I had a clue about NGC and it has gone up plenty as now their parking lot size has doubled and then some.

If collectors and dealers quit sending coins to PCGS until this stupid rip-off policy was changed, IMO it would take less than two months! To bad it will never happen.

Although, the work/time/expense required to research a "no decision" is more than a normal coin; so what, they can afford to eat the cost.

 

I'm not a huge fan of TPGs in general because at heart, I'm an ancients collector. I understand that over the last 100 years, certainly 1500-2000, coins in nice condition have been cleaned/wiped which shouldn't disqualify a coin from being collectible. I don't plan on complaining to PCGS or expect anything to happen. I just wanted to spark a lively discussion.

 

Just about every ancient coin I've ever seen has been "played with." Nevertheless, there are "original-enough" ones out there but they are very rare. The bar for cleaning "details" is much lower for these coins. Unfortunately, even when a hoard is discovered they may end up being improperly cleaned before they reach our hands.

 

But this is EXACTLY what electricians do. Actually, they charge MUCH more to do exactly that. They'll look at the wiring, and attempt to track down an issue. If nothing is found, they still bill you for the inspection ("service call"). Typically this is $250-$500 for the minimal billed hour of work.

 

What percentage of coins do you think get this specific "Authenticity Unverifiable" outcome? Do you really think dealers will give up using PCGS because one out of every... 1500 submitted coins gets this label? I can't see that happening.

As for "regular collectors," I can't see them boycotting PCGS over something that they may *never* encounter in their entire collecting lifetime.

 

It does not matter. Collectors /dealers control the income and can get changes done. Anyway this is just a DREAM to correct a TPGS rip-off.

 

That's not how I do it. Rarely do I not know the problem but sometimes you can't find the problem. When I can't find it, I bypass it. If electricians in your area can get away with charging those rates, I need to move.

 

The rates I quoted "$250-$500 per hr billable" is pretty standard here. Plumbers (which seem to be the low end of the blue collar home repair spectrum) start at $85 per hr for something like RotoRooter. Cost of living is simply higher here. Do you go out on calls and charge nothing if you can't solve the problem after 50 minutes of searching and scanning?

 

@GDJMSP has a good point. As I posted, in most cases the coins that the TPGS cannot reach an opinion take a lot of time and effort. I quess by saying "Authenticity Unverifiable" rather than "We don't know one way or another" gives them an "out" to keep the money. Nevertheless, I believe most of the other TPGS's give a refund in a case like this.

I remember cases in the 1970's when the only two authentication companies in the US (ANACS & INSAB) would have sent the coin back with a refund and a note that "The opinions of our consultants are divided" or "No decision."

 

Yes. It hasn't happened often but if I don't fix the problem, I don't charge for my time.

 

You seem to think "We don't know" is an opinion. No, I wouldn't want it slabbed with Authenticity Unverified. I paid for authentication because we all know they sell better and for more in plastic.

 

I guess "We don't know" is an opinion, just not one worth paying for, in my opinion.