In Coin World this week, it reported that Michael Fahey was leaving ANACS to join ICG. Here is the press release: ---------------------------------------------------------------- "Press Release December 19, 2005 Michael Fahey Joins ICG Michael Fahey will be joining ICG as a Senior Numismatist beginning in January of 2006. Michael has spent 25 years at ANACS and has been a grader at a third-party service longer than anyone in history. Michael is a columnist for Coin World, has written for The Numismatist, and has authored ANA Counterfeit Detection reports. Michael will be rejoining J.P. Martin as the two worked together for years at ANACS in Colorado Springs. ICG has recently “rocked” the third-party grading world by offering to complete all economy and 15-day submissions in seven days. This is opposed to the 60 day plus turnaround times that are common in the business. This new service has created a significant increase in submissions to ICG. The addition of Fahey will help keep ICG’s turnaround times at seven days. Keith Love stated, “When I started ICG, I knew we had to have one of the top three graders/authenticators in the business. I was talking about J.P. Martin, Rick Montgomery or Michael Fahey. I have always felt fortunate that J.P. Martin joined me as my partner, but now I am simply ecstatic to have Michael Fahey working with us also. To have two of the top three grader/authenticators in the world under one roof really puts ICG in a leadership role in third-party coin grading.” J.P. Martin offered, “Michael Fahey coming to ICG is comparable to Rick Montgomery leaving PCGS and going to NGC. These are the two most significant employment changes in the history of third-party grading. I feel as though ICG is the recipient of a fantastic holiday gift in having Michael come grade here.” Michael Fahey will immediately begin work on all areas of coins. Including classic US coins, varieties – including VAMS and OVERTONS, world coins, and all authentication issues. For further questions regarding Michael Fahey or the ICG 7-Day Guarantee please contact the ICG Vice President of Client Relations and Marketing at (877) 221-4424 X203." -------------------------------------------------------- Charlie
The only thing I wish they would do (ICG that is) is make their grading tighter....if they would I would be buying more coins from them... Speedy
And the submitters would submit less to them. No reason to submit to ICG to get the same grade NGC or PCGS would give it.
But in really the submitters aren't getting the $$ they could if they sent their coins to PCGS or NGC....ICG coins sell much lower from the looks of things. I will say that on some coins they are right on the "money" (didn't mean to make a pun).... Speedy
Bad choice. I view ICG as fundamentally dishonest. This is why: I brought an obviously cleaned coin to a show to submit it (to ANACS who grades cleaned coins). I saw the ICG table and the guy started to talk with me and I told him that I was going to get a coin graded at the show, he asked to see it. He tried to convince me to submit it to ICG even though it would have come back in a body bag and I would be out the nonrefundable fee.
So because of what one guy said, who may have been a temp employee - the whole company is crooked ? :kewl:
It depends on the coin. Modern stuff in their slabs sell for nothing. They're easier on CAM/UCAM and the grading is much looser. There is no debating that. For older coins, their grading is decent - and much better than it was a few years ago. The prices realized can also be decent. I've slabbed and sold a few classics in their slabs. It's usually lower grade MS/PF stuff and the prices I got at auction were in line with what I'd expect for a NGC/PCGS graded coin of the same grade. Maybe I'd have gotten a little more in another slab, but there is a reason stuff is sent to ICG. However, I'll admit that I'm still testing them out. This year I've submitted somewhere between 150-200 coins to ICG. I'm still waiting for about 75 to come back, but the others that were sold (mixture of all types including foreign) have been acceptable.
1) What makes you think the coin would not grade at ICG? All services have different levels of how much cleaning they will allow before bodybagging a coin. Perhaps he honestly felt the coin would grade at ICG. 2) They charge a processing fee if the coin is bodybagged. It's $5 max. Do you honestly think he was out to screw you over $5? 3) Who was the guy? A grader? A guy who processes submissions and knows nothing about coins?
Either ignorant or corrupt . Both are bad. they obviously do not vet their empolyees very well and I do not trust them.
No really it was obviously cleaned (1932 s quarter AU/XF) but worth putting in plastic. This was a few years back I am pretty sure that $5 thing did not exist. This was their rep at the coin show the person represnting the company. I have no reason to smear them this is true.
There is ALWAYS going to be a debate when it comes to coin grading ! I did a deal with ICG on some Signature Series state quarters, and they are local to me (in the Denver area). So take my opinions for what they are worth. I have examined numerous modern coins graded by PCGS, NGC, ICG and ANACS. I bought some PCGS and NGC MS-69 Platinum Eagles on eBay for a friend. I was EXTREMELY dissapointed with them. One PCGS MS-69 coin had a large bag mark (caused by contact with the sharp rim of another coin in the roll) across the sun on the reverse. On the other hand, I bought a couple ICG MS-69 and MS-70 coins for a lot less than the PCGS coins, and the ICG coins were definitely superior. And there were some NGC MS-69 coins that I wouldn't even bid on because I could see flaws on the coins in the auction pictures (contact marks, small struck-through fragments, etc.). So as far as I'm concerned, PCGS and NGC are the ones that are sloppy on the MS-69s. I'm not going to bid on any more PCGS/NGC MS-69 Eagles unless I can examine them first in person and under magnification. But I would feel fairly confident bidding on a sight-unseen ICG or ANACS MS-69 Eagle.
This speaks well for the company, I don't care which one you are talking about! I't's my oppinion that they are every bit as good as any of the others.:kewl:
