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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Insider, post: 3029922, member: 24314&quot;]I&#039;m going to start my answers - may not finish tonight. </p><p><br /></p><p>First some background to the OP&#039;s test, most of which should be well known.</p><p><br /></p><p>1.&nbsp; Plenty of times, a coin with an obvious problem is straight graded; especially with regard to cleaning, damage, and scratches.&nbsp; The lower its condition the more chance it will happen.&nbsp; That&#039;s because most old coins have defects.&nbsp; I don&#039;t agree with this but I don&#039;t make the rules.&nbsp; So, buy the coin based on what you tolerate and make darn sure you know the proper way to examine a coin so you don&#039;t miss something. </p><p><br /></p><p>2. Once a coin is given a &quot;detail&quot; grade, it seems that the coin&#039;s actual grade does not matter so much at a TPGS.&nbsp; It becomes a &quot;who cares.&quot;&nbsp; Therefore, detail graded coins can seem to be graded all over the place.&nbsp; Net graded and still detailed; graded accurately and detailed; or over-graded yet detailed. </p><p><br /></p><p>3. All graders must grade by company standards.&nbsp; There was a note on a computer at one TPGS that read:&nbsp; &quot;Monkey see, monkey do, monkey get rich.&quot;</p><p>I believe my personal grading standards are more strict than 99% of the numismatists in the U.S.&nbsp; However, there are commercial standards in the market and company standards I&#039;ve had to follow at each of the five companies I&#039;ve worked at.&nbsp; Company standards must be fair to the buyer, the seller, the coin, and in line with the real commercial world.&nbsp; That is one reason there is gradflation.&nbsp; The values of coins tends to rise over time. </p><p><br /></p><p>4. Based on what I see and my experience guessing the assigned grades on NGC and PCGS slabs that are shown to me at shows and sent into ICG to cross, we all grade basically the same.&nbsp; I cannot speak about ANACS because I see less than a dozen of their slabs in a year (as of today - none).&nbsp; However, I should bet they grade as well as the others.</p><p><br /></p><p>5.&nbsp; We can find examples of over-graded and correctly graded coins in all TPGS slabs.&nbsp; Under-graded coins are also around but they are found and up-graded quickly by folks who can grade for themselves.</p><p><br /></p><p>6. It is in the best interest of a TPGS to do a good job, give accurate opinions, and offer a guarantee.&nbsp; If they don&#039;t do it right, they will not stay in business and business this year has been very good.&nbsp; Each TPGS has pluses and minuses.&nbsp; We all know that ANACS and ICG coins are discounted so there are very many great buys to be had. </p><p><br /></p><p>7. I tell my students to try all the services and make up your own mind which is best for you.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, a plug for ICG:</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the grading is similar, the only things ICG can offer that the top two services cannot match is the speed of service, free conservation, low cost, and a personal connection (in person or on the phone at any time) with the folks who grade your coins.&nbsp; ICG is the only TPGS that sends a professional grader with over forty years of experience to every show they attend to give free opinions and discuss submissions.&nbsp; They are available during the show hours.&nbsp; NGC and PCGS have a grader available at major shows for an hour each day but you must make an appointment.&nbsp; ANACS has a professional grader at major shows giving free opinions.&nbsp; Unfortunately, at most shows they are at, there is some local guy (NOT a professional TPGS grader) accepting submissions.&nbsp; That is the reason &quot;ANACS&quot; is seen all over the country.&nbsp; If we cannot do it &quot;right,&quot; we don&#039;t do it.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;ll get to the OP&#039;s coins tomorrow.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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