As a fortunate collector witnessing the very begining of third party grading and later encapsulation, curiosity as to which is most sought after by others is needed for an accurate blog I'm writing on the subject. While I am of the "buy the coin not the holder" sort, NGC would be my personal preference as the more accurate across the board having many of the others as well. However, I can not conclude on CACG as I've not acquired any to this point. Ultimately, only three things factor into which I choose. Personal eye appeal, authenticity and price point. As previously mentioned, this stems from collecting long before plastic encapsulation. The choices listed are in the order at which they enter the hobby.
For me, NGC is by far my preferred TPG. This is largely due to the sort of things I have collected. I really got serious with Franklin Halves, and their FBL standard is much stricter than PCGS. Then I got into Prooflike coinage, and at the time PCGS didn't recognize PL on anything other than Morgans. So NGC was my default only option (they are still better, even now that PCGS does recognize PL). And finally, I am an avid collector of foreign coins, and NGC has always been recognized as superior in the foreign market.
I chose other because the small white Anac holders are my favorite and I don't know if the poster was combining the different Anac holders. James
NGC is good but I don’t like that white slab as it hides and detracts from the coin. I’m a PCGS collector but I do have slabs of all sorts because I buy the coin, not the slab.
I am like the OP. I witnessed the beginning of TPG's and I too am a "buy the coin - not the label" guy. If the coin pleases me I could give two hoots about what the label says. And it tickles me when I am admiring a coin on the bourse that the dealer will expend so much effort justifying a label to me. I don't care... That plastic has no other meaning in life other than to protect my coin. Period. End of story... And that is why I prefer ICG. They are quick and very, very cost friendly.
Sorry, but I like raw coins. An agreed upon grade at an agreed upon price. Win win. And besides, I like to hold the coins when I look at them.
@Jersey magic man . I am at the opposite end of the spectrum. In days of old I kept my coins in safety deposit boxes because I didn't even trust myself not to injure the coins or store them improperly. I hated having friends or relatives ask to see my coins and have to say no. Then came slabs. My coins live with me. I can look at them while cooking. I can hand coins to my jam drenched relatives kids with no fear. My collection has never been more hands on then since they became slabbed. james
I don't have any friends or relatives that are into coins so handing them out for viewing is not a problem. I guess there are pros and cons on both sides of the issue. And of course, "to each his own".
I collect NGC and PCGS graded coins. My preference runs toward PCGS because I have seen few mistakes in their holders, and I think the PCGS slab is more attractive. I purchase some less expensive U.S. coins and many British and ancient Roman coins raw. I prefer to purchase raw medals because I despise the huge slabs for medals which take up so much space in safe deposit boxes.
I like ANACs because they will attribute a trash can lid , but I hate their funky shaped yellow slabs. The blue ones were just as ugly. They should have stuck with the soapbox holder. For more valuable coins, PCGS is my pick, because of perceived value. I'll probably buy an ICG slabbed coin, but if rare I would have it crossed over to PCGS. I own many NGC slabs but it's not my preferred choice. Realized auction prices tell the tale between PCGS and NGC.
I respect most grading from PCGS, NGC, ANACS, and ICG, the first 3 I see the most of. Mostly PCGS and NGC are the ones I deal with when I go bidding on sites like GreatCollections, but depending on the coin, ANACS can bring just as much. I don't have much of an opinion on CAC-G, as I have owned just 2 slabs, only 1 of which has a grade. That coin is a mislabeled 1880-S Morgan dollar graded MS-62 DMPL, currently the prettiest Morgan I own. On another side, ICG is underrated to me. In most cases, I see nothing wrong with their grading. All companies are consistent at times, and inconsistent at others. NGC also recognizes DMPL (DPL) on coins other than Morgans, so that's a plus for PL collectors like you. I think the only other coin that PCGS regularly recognizes as DMPL other than Morgans are the 5 oz ATB's.
ANACS is tough on Morgan’s. I like them for those. At the moment PCGS tends to have best resale for US coins in general. Time will tell how CACG fits in that mix. In the end, for an expensive US coin I go with PCGS so that I have a chance of getting the best price at resale.
