Has anyone ever used NCS? What were your results?

Has anyone ever used NCS? What were your results? Would you send this one in?

Very curious about other collectors experience with sending coins in for conservation. NCS is probably the leader in that sort of thing, or at least they seem to advertise the most. Have you ever had a coin come back looking nastier than when it was sent in? Any idea if they charge you just to look at it if there's nothing they can do?

I have an 1938 Egypt 100 Piastres that I was thinking of sending in. NGC MS62, it was part of the Eliasberg collection and so noted on the holder. From a straight-on perspective the coin is a magnificent cameo semi-prooflike uncirculated. However, when held at an angle, especially in day light, there appears to be a dark "handlebar mustache" shaped dark spot. Not sure if it is just a break in the luster and I need to live with it, or if it's something that can actually be corrected by someone who know's what they are doing.


Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

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II have but won't do it again.I sent them a MS-60 gold label to remove a spot that had grown on one there already graded MS-60 and it was regraded as AU details & cleaned.
I wont use them again.

But if raw & ungraded I would send it in to Ngc not NCS.

 

Yes, there is an evaluation fee of 1% of the delcared value or $5 whichever is greater. It's not a good idea to fudge on the value because you would be cutting off your nose to spite your face. Suppose you had a coin that, if conserved, could grade MS67 and be worth $5K, but you didn't want to pay a $50 evaluation fee so you claimed a value of $1K ($10 evaluation fee). NCS conserved the coin and it was submitted to NGC where it indeed graded MS67. Now, suppose the coin got lost in the return mail. NGC would only be responsible to pay no more than your stated value.

Angelo, it is unfortunate that situations like yours happen, but it certainly hasn't been the first time and won't be the last. What sometimes occurs is that conservation exposes an underlying problem that was previously hidden. You really shouldn't blame it on NGC. You should blame it on the person who doctored the coin in the first place to hide the problem. What you should have done is try to get compensation from the person who sold it to you.

Chris

 

Here are before and after photos of a 1978 US National Medal that I submitted for conservation and grading. It was really in bad shape as you can see. NCS was able to remove most of the contamination, but not all. You can still see a faint halo along the perimeter, but it still looks 100% bewtter than it did before.

Chris

 

Not sure I follow what happened. Gold label?? Was this coin slabbed already? Did you send it in raw or in the original slab? How could they take a coin out of a holder, clean it, then reslab it as cleaned?? Yikes, I think I would be pretty upset about that if that's indeed what happened.

 

I think Angelo means that it was already in an NGC slab when it was submitted for conservation.

NCS was attempting to conserve it (not clean it). In doing so, I think they detected an underlying problem.

Chris

 

Sounds to me like they messed the coin up if NGC wouldn't put it back in a holder. Reminds me of the physicians hippocratic oath, "First, do no harm". If that's what really happened then my original question has been answered. I would be extremely upset if NCS took my slabbed coin, screwed-up it up so bad it wouldn't slab and then sent it back to me labled as "cleaned". And then NCS got paid for the deal on top of it? Outrageous.

 

I haven't used NCS before, but given your coin has an amazing lineage, and it is already in an NGC MS62 holder, I personally would not take the risk. The pictures you have posted make me think that there was some abrasion or break of the luster on the cheek and near the lip on the obverse. My guess is that NCS would not be able to fix such a problem anyway.

The coins I have seen significantly improved are those with milky residue, and coins with some spotting. I think they can also conserve a coin with minimal PVC damage and coins with other types of unstable residue.

Best of luck!

 

Then, you don't understand the process of conservation, and you also don't know the extra precautions that can be exercised by the submitter before conservation is attempted. For example, a simple note could have been added, Do not conserve before contacting submitter!

Chris

 

If I fully understood the process, I wouldn't have made the post to begin with now would I? I think I understand enough of it now and I'm inclined to agree with bgr5658 on the very limited situations when conservation would even be considered.

 

Yes, I have used NCS. I feel that if a coin like a Morgan dollar worth 100 bucks needs a dip, I can do it myself. But lets say I have a morgan dollar with some spots and haze and it is worth 1000 if that stuff wasn't there, then I would send it to NCS and have them dip it and then have them carry it next door to be graded. Weather it is valid or not, I believe the coin will be graded with more attention. JMO and strategy. Matt

 

It was unfortunate that Angelo's coin was given a Details grade after conservation, but NGC DID NOT screw it up. It wasn't their fault that someone had doctored the coin to hide a problem, and the conservation uncovered it.

Chris

 

Chris, would you agree though that if the issue is one of a slight abrasion and/or a softening of the luster in that particular spot, I don't think that NCS will be able to do much anyway? Your example of the milky haze (before and after) is the more typical stuff I have seen reported sent to NCS.

It's hard to tell from the original pictures, but if I'm seeing it right, it looks like a "knock down" of the original luster on that part of the cheek. Some things can be improved princeofwaldo, but I think your coin is probably not a great candidate for conservation.

If you decide to ship it off to NCS, let us know how it turns out.

 

Let me see if I follow this.

An NGC, cleanly graded-coin gets sent to NCS for conservation. Afterwards the coin grades genuine, details.

If it were PCGS there would be a payout. TPG's do not lower the grade without compensation.

For those of you wondering, yes, PCGS conserves coins...in their own holders. I have had it done several times. If they can't fix the problem then their guarantee covers it.

Sorry to hear this sad story, Jello. I would have made a huge stink. I hope you did.
Lance.

 

Wasn't there an AU 3 legged Buffalo that was sent to NCS by a member here, then was cracked out, and sold as MS??? I remember there being a big to-do about that while I was lurking. Whatever happened with that???

 

NCS seems to be of questionable ability.

I sent an slabbed gold coin (PCGS I think) to them that was known to have PVC contamination.
I just wanted the PVC goo removed and then I'd turn it over to NGC for grading.
NCS could not figure out why I had sent it to them and returned it to me.
They said something about not removing the toning!?
But of course they kept the money.

 

NGC compensates for the grade guarantee, too, but in Jello's case, I'd really want to go after the slimeball who doctored the coin.

Chris

 

I agree! Maybe the wires got crossed somewhere along the line. I was referring to Jello's coin rather than Waldo's, and in defense of NCS, it simply couldn't have been known that there was an underlying problem that the conservation exposed. That is why I really get ticked at the coin doctors who perform "plastic surgery" like this and then pawn it off on someone.

Chris

 

If NCS was incompetent, then why would conservation of the National Collection and many of the "Shipwreck" collections like that of the S.S. Republic be entrusted to them?

I really hate it when an isolated incident is blown out of proportion, and libelous comments are made about a company. It doesn't matter whether it is NCS, NGC, PCGS or whomever.

Kanga, did you stop to think that NCS returned the coin to you because if they had cracked it out, any chance of recovery under the PCGS guarantee would have been voided? And, yes (!) the evaluation fee is not refundable as specified under the terms of the NCS submission form.

Chris