I've always said NEVER trust the attributions listed by the top two TPG's. They are wrong way too often. You must always verify them for yourself.
Jaelus, posted: "The majority of PCGS world coins are overgraded. I've only seen their world service get worse, if anything. I treat PCGS world coins as genuine but raw." What you post is generally correct FOR ALL TPGS's in the U.S.! Decades ago the difference was huge. It has narrowed a great deal since then. IMO, I should think that you and all the folks in this country who collect world coins would be aware that these coins are STILL graded differently in the US from how they are graded overseas? So thanks for pointing that out to the uninformed. As for other opinions posted in this thread, The TPGS's are not perfect. None is the absolute "expert" in any field of expertize INCLUDING VAMS! That's because any collector with access to the Internet and a reference book (perhaps one borrowed from the ANA Library) should be able to correctly attribute 95% of the non-ancient U.S. and world coins in a short amount of time (unless it is a 1921 Morgan dollar ).
New Collector Thoughts: #1: Right now I'm using ANACS primarily because they're respected (although not the most respected) and inexpensive. My purpose is to use them as a learning tool - to acquire a small collection of Peace Dollars of various grades so that I can learn to grade them myself. The goal is, at some point, to not need the grading services anymore. #2: Some people use the grading services and coins as an investment tool. For my part, a thousand dollar difference in price between a modern MS70 and a modern MS69 is a bunch of guys playing roulette with holders. Totally cool if people want to go that route - I think most of it is rather silly. #3: Some people here use the grading services as a second set of eyes - they want to make sure a coin is genuine or put it in a holder so it becomes more 'liquid' and easier to sell. So I think the question for you to answer is "How am I going to use (1) the coin grading services?" All of the reasons (and more) that I listed are legit. Once you establish your purpose picking the correct service will be a much easier decision. NOTES ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1: There is a huge difference in viewing the services as making you legit as opposed to the perspective of using them. I suggest you use them.
I had actually been wondering regarding how to best go about this. Many thanks for the thorough advisory!
That looks drastic, but it appears to be an enlightening demonstration of how nothing can ever be guaranteed to be unequivocally sacrosanct by everyone.
#4 Some people use the grading services because they don't want to put in the work to learn for themselves.
Think on this a minute. What you will learn by doing that is how ANACS grades peace dollars. PCGS and NGC do not grade exactly the same way, but they are a lot closer to each other than ANACS is to either of them. I suggest looking at a lot of peace dollars in slabs from all three TPGs at shows and online to get a feel for the grading.
Jaelus, posted: "Think on this a minute. What you will learn by doing that is how ANACS grades peace dollars. PCGS and NGC do not grade exactly the same way, but they are a lot closer to each other than ANACS is to either of them. I suggest looking at a lot of peace dollars in slabs from all three TPGs at shows and online to get a feel for the grading." On the surface your post makes sense yet I wonder if you collect Peace dollars. If not, I wonder what you base your comments on. Do you follow your own advice (study slabs) in order to make some of the claims in you post. Nevertheless, if you don't collect Peace dollars, I commend you for spending your time learning how to grade them and passing on your opinion concerning three of the four major grading services.
Another thread beat to death. Anybody else wonder why the Coin Collecting industry hasn't examined the differences in grading among the top graders and ANACS? Is that special guy still working and ANACS? If he's so great a grader why hasn't he moved on? Is he still alive? Without that guy would ANACS bite the dust. Do the TPGs get together and decide who is going to be the top grader for which coins. Is a conspiracy afoot? Hhhhhmmmmm?
Maybe he doesn't want to change. Very likely the first tier TPGS have no interest in expanding to do every Morgan VAM so if he wants to do them all they aren't an option. They survive on lower value submissions with their specials and their deal with HSN. They can remain a viable business with low cost for lower grade coins for a long time if they want to since PCGS and NGC don't seem to have an interest in going after that part of the market.
"Maybe he doesn't want to change." Do you know how long he's worked there and does "he" still work there? What facts do you know about him?
Am I an expert on peace dollars? No. I have a few, and I've submitted a handful to PCGS, NGC, and ANACS over the years. Generally speaking I've seen enough ANACS graded US coins and submitted enough to ANACS to know that their grading is different than PCGS and NGC. I've certainly studied enough coins in different slabs to know the value of doing so, and to know that if I was going to study one company's slabs to learn grading of US coins in terms of market grading/market acceptability, it would not be ANACS.
midas1, asked: "Do you know how long he's worked there and does "he" still work there?" For your information, until a person gets good at what they do and has possibly even earned a share in the company, working at a top two TPGS can be very stressful. Perhaps if you go to an ANA Summer Seminar you can talk with a "horse" and learn some things. Now, I'll answer your questions with a question. No, I don't. Yet, if you could sit on your butt at your house in your skivvies and attribute coins in a timely manner between the soap operas, lunch, and tennis, would you quit that job?
Insider, it appears you have drifted away some from my direct questions. The question: "Do you know how long he's worked there and does "he" still work there?" So, it comes down to speculation about the mysterious altruistic grader at ANACS. We can conclude nobody knows this grader or if he even exists.
Jaelus, posted: Am I an expert on peace dollars? No. I have a few, and I've submitted a handful to PCGS, NGC, and ANACS over the years. Generally speaking I've seen enough [??] ANACS graded US coins and submitted enough [a handful?] to ANACS to know that their grading is different than PCGS and NGC. Thanks for your honesty. We'll just disagree as I've had the good (?) fortune to see too many Peace dollars (they don't excite me) from all four major TPGS. IMO, the grading is very similar. Jaelus continued: "I've certainly studied enough coins in different slabs to know the value of doing so, and to know that if I was going to study one company's slabs to learn grading of US coins in terms of market grading/market acceptability, it would not be ANACS. As for this comment: I'm in total agreement.
midas1, posted: Insider, it appears you have drifted away some from my direct questions. The question: "Do you know how long he's worked there [NO] and does "he" still work there?" Are we speaking about Jonh Roberts? I'm purposefully being evasive as it is my nature on occasion. I will say that I spoke with him about a Morgan dollar about a month ago. "So, it comes down to speculation about the mysterious altruistic grader at ANACS. We can conclude nobody knows this grader or if he even exists." Don't be silly, he may even be lurking around here.
You'll notice in this sentence I said "graded US coins". Perhaps you read it as "Peace dollars", but it clearly does not say that. I've been submitting a few hundred coins a year for quite some time. I'll take your word for it that ANACS mysteriously grades Peace dollars similarly to PCGS and NGC despite inconsistency otherwise across the board.
