I hate when that happens! This one did: Was a 66. Next time I saw it it was in a 67 holder. Mark Goodman image.
Pretty coin. You just never know what the services will grade a coin. Mark did a great job of imaging the coin.
Heritage bought a 64 CAC indian cent from me once. I later saw it in a 66 holder, back up for sale on their site.
This happens many more times than we'd like to know . . . I sold 2 coins that made monstrous leaps in value afterward. I can't cry over spilt milk, as I've done fairly well in a few instances myself.
No as bad as the 1938 S Merc that upgraded from an NGC MS-67 (sold for <$1000) to a PCGS MS-68 FB and sold for >$300K. But yes, I can see how your experience would be really frustrating, especially if there is a huge $$$ increase between grade levels. From CoinFacts: PCGS AU-58 PCGS MS-63
Billionaires are allowed to make bad decisions while another one runs them up on the price, it's their money.
I still find it amusing that the holders are the driving forces behind the values. Exact same coin, vastly different values... The coins themselves are no longer able to hold their own in the current market. They have to be slabbed to be worth anything. Without the holders they are worth much less. It is completely indicative of how far off the deep end the US coin market has gone.
Or how someone with a clever and and cunning eye (with a dab of grading experience most extraordinary) can make a real killing.