How are the different Grading Services ranked? I understand that each company grades a little differently, who is the toughest? I have seen a lot of TruGrade Service slabbed coins for sale on e-Bay lately, but I have never seen them before. How do I know if they are legit and what scale they are grading on? If I buy a coin graded MS66 by these guys, should I pay less then what I would from a tougher grading company?
I'm not much on slabs, but from what I gather, TruGrade is not one of the favorites among plastic collectors. Here'a a survey of how the "reputable" slab companys rank: LINK
Just about everybody will have a different opinion on this - but here's mine. #1 - NGC - there is no doubt they are tougher in just about every denomination when dealing with the special designations like FS - FB - FBL - FH - DMPL etc. Their guarantee - they back it 100%. But more importantly - they are without a doubt #1 in customer service. They are also far more consistent when it comes to grading than the other leading grading company. #2 - ANACS #3 - ICG #4 - PCGS I can hear the shouts already Why in the world did I put PCGS at the bottom ? Well - they hardly ever turn around coins submitted for grading on time. Even when they guarantee it. Customer service ? Forget about it - it doesn't exist. Consistency - it's a joke as there is none. Accuracy - sometimes - depending on the coin. Their guarantee - only if they feel like it. There are many more reasons as well - but I think I've made my point. As for the other grading companies - a couple are worse than the others but most are about equal. I would not recommend any of them. Now then - I should say this about now - I have never in my life submitted a single coin to ANY grading company. So how can I form an opinion ? That's easy - I know how to grade coins. I also buy a great many coins - slabbed and unslabbed. I have looked at countless thousands of them over the years - slabbed and unslabbed. I have even gone so far as to buy multiple examples of the very same coin in the very same grade, graded by all of the grading companies - and them compared them all. I have done this numerous times. But perhaps most importantly - I read a lot, I listen a lot more, and I frequent just about every coin forum on the internet and I see what a great many knowledgeable collectors have to say as well on this very subject. Many of them agree with me. PCGS used to have the reputation of being the biggest and the best. That is no longer true. NGC grades more coins than they do, NGC is far more consistent than they are. And NGC still cares about their customers. I'll admit that at the present time PCGS slabbed coins usually bring higher prices in the marketplace. But even that is changing rapidly. NGC has just about achieved parity. I expect they will soon pass them in this regard as well. People are beginning to find out the truth when it comes to grading companies. I hope more of them find out even sooner.
Now I submit about 1000 coins a year for grading. Currently I use NGC, PCGS, and Anacs. The service chosen is dependent on what coin is being submitted. Each service has guarantees that vary slightly. Some will attribute coins others won't. So you have to spend some time learning what each will do in a particular instance. Now as far as who is best, I certainly agree with GDJMSP. NGC- most consistant Anacs- pretty good PCGS- fast sales IGC- haven't used yet, but they are the up and coming service. Certainly worth keeping an eye on.
I find that you have to know which coins to send to each grading service. Example, NGC likes toned Morgans better than PCGS...but the same date/grade that's white will do better in a PCGS holder. I like ANACS because of the different attribution services offered...like VAM varieties for Morgans, Overton numbers, Breen numbers, etc. ANACS seems a little more collector oriented. Plus they set up at shows all over the country to offer free grade opinions on coins. I've always thought that was a nice public service.
Nothing wrong with personal preferences especially when people are aware of how they would be viewed on the wider scale
According to the current market, the PCGS-CAC approved combination is the "gold standard." Like all grading service buyers, you have to look at the coin. There are overgraded pieces in all brands of holders. The "fly-by-night outfits" are almost all over graded. I rate PCGS as # 1 for U.S. coins. I have found them to be the most consistent and conservative. Part of the problem for NGC is that many of their better coins have been crossed to PCGS. The NGC mistakes stay in NGC holders, and that pulls down the general perception of the service. I rate NGC as #2. Some of my best coins are in NGC holders. NGC does grade more coins than PCGS because they are #1 in foreign and anceint markets. Generally I think they are better graders of foreign materail than PCGS. I would also give them the edge for tokens. I would rate ICG as #3. I have found them to be less conservative overall than the leading two services. Nevertheless I have found some nice coins in the holders. As it is for NGC in the U.S. market, their better coins get crossed to PCGS. I liked the old ANACS. They did some solid conservative grading. I'm not as impressed with the new one, but I have to admit that I don't look at a lot of their material. As for the others, good coins can befound in them, but ownership changes and some sloppy grading have left them back in the pack. My advice is to treat them as you would raw coins.
