There's a new 3rd Party Grader on the block. BAC

They use a 10 point grading system, similar to NGCX. They grade bullion only.

I saw them for the first time at the 2026 Tucson Coin Show.

https://www.bacgrading.com/

 

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Ooh, I wonder what they'd do with a pack of silver granules?

 

I saw them at the Tucson show but missed the owner.
He wasn't going to be in until Saturday.
I had a number of the same art bars that were in the showcase.
Running price for a Graded Authenticated One Ounce bar was $140/$145.
They are located in Casa Grande Arizona, buy appointment only.
I'm working on a time to swing by next time I'm in the area...I've got some questions and was told they buy vintage silver.

 

If there is no numismatic guarantee, forgive me if I'm wrong but all you would need is a scales and decent XRF scanner to say Yup that's Gold or Silver at X% purity. Why grade condition of bullion? It is what it is. To pay to grade and encapsulate a bar seems easy money to me. I may be missing something though and it would appeal to people who have been scammed.

 

It's a Niche market, not everyone has access to an XRF.
Not sure if their slabs are tamper proof?
Like Grading and Authentication of cardboard...If you build it, they will come

 

My initial thoughts exactly.

its friggin BULLION, not numismatic collectibles (yeah, I know there are a lot of those). However, I am collecting bullion, accreting a store of wealth, with no expectations of collectibility. Verification is ok, but that gets done at point of sale for FREE.

 

There is bullion that is worth much more than the metal value.

 

Most of the bullion I have is generic and only worth spot pricing. But I do have done that are nice set bars worth more than spot but I’m not into paying that price to have them graded. I’d rather spend the money on more art bars, silver coins or buy a cheap stock.

 

That is true but the good stuff normally has special packaging and COA's like this one of mine which has a serial number.

You would have to be really determined to want to make the whole package as the items are easy to verify.

 

Every type of bullion silver I want cannot be had at anywhere near spot. Though I'm sure the offer to buy back would be below. Maybe there's a market for grading it but seems excessive when you're talking about stuff that could just as easily be sent to the refiner in any condition and nobody cares. Unless it's a nice vintage piece.

 

Many valuable vintage silver pieces don't have certificates, like San Fransisco Assay bars. https://www.ebay.com/itm/306619509241?_skw=san+francisco+assay+silver+bar&itmmeta=01KH51GM9B5SSY3AN2XWKWGXXT&hash=item4763f269f9:g:0hAAAeSwqcRpINwy&itmprp=enc:AQALAAABAGfYFPkwiKCW4ZNSs2u11xDvDZODCRlF3xui4xJKGxDFp65Ot/zRx4iFTmMktDxLNjO39jRA3RzM8k7M9GnjzS8cGfVzeLKF/iAkJn8sDLFG7uJPE4bGpWr/Z0PU0gZL7bpy7ZE+bsYiL8F7737OjU9JwbJQyaYAA1s3PccsDFQZgsmt2tbyAreg0PXPaQ7MkoXJIK6Mszy/tUbq0GPy4QTb8z/+ladk4PUZamzG2xy0qTLxEQtI1JP5KM0SnpCNbTLSjBYCE3TurY/MkuhqVDnoAjIrq3QVNNclNmTz/wJ4jz2ETNO9NU/Uh14EQ0O7eUDGGOmN5g62S9mRUR1eIEQ=|tkp:Bk9SR-zEwqGJZw

In think BAC's main goal is not to verify the metal purity (although that is important), but rather to protect against counterfeit collectable bars and rounds whether they're pure silver or not.

Personally, I too wonder if there really is a need for such a service. They are plenty of things that people don't accept at first, but later are viewed as almost necessary. Then there are also things that never become popular. I guess time will tell for BAC.

 

Grading bullion is a niche market IMO. I don't even look at a coin in bullion that has been slabbed. Just too much premium for a common chunk of metal.

 

I agree to what everyone is saying about numismatic value. I too USED to collect modern coins. I collect Ancient Coins now, not for the pretty premiums by marketing, but for their historical value. I enjoy holding many historical coins where less than 20 are known in the world.

I also enjoy accreting Gold bullion.

To my needs, when it comes to bullion, and its intended function, I feel “numismatic” value is a function of marketing. The premium value is only to the person willing to part with money on the “perception” of that premium value. Otherwise, in my book, I see bullion value based on its market commodity spot price. Not to collectibility. That is what I can take to the bank.

Personally, for Gold bullion, I eschew the marketing strategy of “putting lipstick on a pig.”

My thoughts.

 

I don’t mean spot literally. I used it as a figure of a speech to show a comparison.

 

I believe they started a few years ago. There is a group of people that collect and pay larger premium for scarce vintage bars/rounds. So it makes sense that someone would try to start a grading service for it. We will see if it sticks around for the long term but I do think they can carve out enough of a niche audience to stick around for now.

 

Frankly, I'm surprised PCGS or NGC hasn't moved into this area. I mean, I was getting the impression that "will it hold still long enough for us to get the slab closed" was about their only criterion at this point...

 

They have waded into the arena.
PCGS grades the Engelhard Prospectors now.

 

PCGS and NGC will buy them out. We have seen many get dissolved into nothing, hopefully the companys got paid. Who was the company that was grading the 50's mint sets? They were out of Centennial Colorado.

 

I doubt PCGS or NGC buy them out. It's easier for each to just grade the items themselves.

As far at the mint sets, you are thinking of OSV who verified the originality and then Anacs did the grading. I believe they are still in business.

https://www.osv.expert/about.aspx