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Message:: [QUOTE="900fine, post: 335444, member: 6036"]I agree.  I agree.  I disagree. One of the fellows here enlightened me. There is one place where there is a dramatic difference between PCGS and NGC ... The frequency at which they award the perfect grade of 70.  NGC is far, far more likely to give out 70s. I'm talking about modern coins here - proofs, state quarters, etc. Depending on the issue, they are 15 to 30 times more likely than PCGS to deal out a PR70.  Check the census data. It's true for every issue. The two companies have similar standards, except here - they have a very different philosophy about 70s. PCGS modern proofs are typically 1%-3% 70s, almost all the rest 69s. In really late dates, NGC is sometimes more than 50% perfect 70 ! Now check the price / sales data. As expected, PCGS 70s sell for much, much more than NGC. Maybe 10 or 15 times more, depending on the issue. And here's the rub - these moderns are disproportionately collected by beginners and less experienced collectors. They are more likely to extend the observation that "PCGS sells for more" way beyond its bounds, into places where it simply makes no sense. Which is almost everywhere. <edit> Other things to keep in mind - NGC 69s trade for about the same price as PCGS 69s.  The difference is in the 70s. For both companies 70s bring a nice premium over their 69s - but with PCGS, it is much more extreme.[/QUOTE]