I'm considering making my PD collection a registry set. I am still early enough in my collecting journey that I am able to make the "jump" between either PCGS or NGC. I currently have 2 NGC slabs (-26 and -26S) and do prefer the look of their slab, but am willing to make the jump to PCGS if the consensus is that it will help the value of my collection, particularly on key dates. This is a set I plan to hold on to for a few years and am looking for the best coins in each date. I've personally noticed that some PCGS coins look to be a bit better looking than NGC coins in the same grade, but I am still learning the ropes and scouting over the PD Red Book to get a better outlook. So, in your opinion, would I be better served to look at PCGS coins if I am looking to do a registry set, particularly on key date coins?
No. Don't worry about the slab its in, and don't worry about the Registry. Build the nicest set you can with the nicest coins you can find. Upload the pictures to a gallery here where you can show them off. I used to think the Registry was a really cool thing, but not anymore. Buy the coin and not the holder. Don't pay a premium for a different holder, and don't pay to cross things over.
Don't believe that any more than the smallest fraction of collectors give a hoot whether the coin they're contemplating is in a Registry set or not. And if they do, it's because that coin is in a ranking, complete set, and is therefore probably a fine example for the grade because those who build sets of that type generally know what they're doing. Those buyers will also know a good coin from a bad one, and will pass on a coin from the #1 All-Time Set if it doesn't meet their standards. Build a Registry set because you feel like expressing your competitive spirit in that fashion, and for no other reason. Don't expect value added for the effort.
I believe you can use PCGS slabs in the NGC registry. Not the other way around though. This might have changed. I do prefer PCGS, but for no other reason than I own stock in the company.
It has actually changed and from now on (01/2017) only NGC coins can be added. PCGS coins already existing in registry sets can be kept though. There's a crossover special for those PCGS coins and I may consider it as some of my older PCGS coins don't have online pictures and are excellent for the grade.
Yup. I never participated in the PCGS registry because of their exclusivity. It had an air of unwarranted snobbishness - an imagined superiority that smacked of marketing hype. The lie that PCGS coins are "worth more" is due solely to the fact that only PCGS coins were allowed in the PCGS registry - you had to pay to compete. In recent years, PCGS has actually been a bit looser in grading (and they've never even been close in foreign coins - why anyone would have PCGS grade foreign coins is a mystery). I always appreciated the fact that NGC was more focused on the coins and on the collector. The fact that they allowed both NGC and PCGS coins indicated their confidence in their product, and seemed to indicate they cared. Buy the coin, not the holder! That's always been my motto - and by participating in the NGC registry, I could do just that. I liked the Registry for its ability to display sets, show off nice coins, and share with my fellow collectors. I don't have the financial resources to compete at the top, and that was never the goal or purpose for me. It gave me a nice place to look at other collectors sets, and a nice place to share my sets. However, Mark Salzberg (the president of NGC) has inexplicably and suddenly mandated that only NGC coins are allowed in the registry as of 1/1/17, and all others are verboten. This is exactly what turned me off the PCGS registry! I feel betrayed by this foolhardy decision. Since NGC has turned their back on me, I feel beholden to now turn my back on them. So, I say screw the Registry. Buy the nice coins. Forget the holders. If the coin is nice, why on earth would you pay a high fee just to have it in different colored plastic?
Amen. Excellent post. I still want to compete in the NGC registry and may submit/crossover a couple of coins in the future. I am slowly coming closer, Jason ;-) #55 with a score of 42475. However, this change won't make me stop buying PCGS coins. As you said, buy the coin...
