When is it worth to grade

All,

As I go through my collection, I have some proof sets and loose Morgans and other various coins and was wondering when it is right to send in coins to get graded.

For example, 2006 W 20th Anny Gold Eagle Set. Is it worth shipping out to PCGS to get graded?

 

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Will grading increase the value of the coin by more than the cost of grading fees, shipping fees and insurance fees? If the answer is yes, it's worth grading.

 

Yeah, I guess that was a dumb question. Is eBay the best feel for fair market value to see if grading is worth it?

 

Ebay will give you a good feel for values. Make sure you look only at sold results, though. Asking prices mean nothing.

You can look at Great Collections and Heritage Auctions sites for more info on sales prices, too. I think that you have to sign up for an account on these two sites to get sale price info, but it's free to sign up.

 

Perfect. Thanks

 

I would go with E-bay as well. And like a previous reader suggested go to the sold results to get an idea on what it commonly sells for. Good Luck and hope all the posters opinions help you on your decision.

 

Have you examined the proofs to determine what they will grade, or are you just hoping that PCGS will grade them high just because they are proofs? What about the Morgans? Are they common dates that will grade high or are they keys that will grade below gem? It wouldn't make much sense to compare previous sales to coins of unknown condition.

Chris

 

On the Proofs, yes. On the Morgans, I probably have all common dates, I will have to find out which ones are key dates.

I also have some graded coins that were graded by companies that aren't PCGS or NGC. Is it worth cracking em open and re-grading them?

 

Aside from ANACS (and some say ICG), most likely not worth it. They tend to be problem coins and/or grossly overgraded.

 

A number of years ago, I would not have said this, but now I must - if it isn't in a PCGS, NGC, or an old small ANACS holder, it may even be worth more raw than in some other kind of holder. It isn't fair, but it is what it is.

The "rep" of ANACS and ICG have both slipped lately, and aside from the fact that some other companies had/have nice slabs physically, they are truly punished in the marketplace. You can sometimes truly ask, "How much more do you think I can get for this if it weren't in this slab." I have seen this at auction myself. Nicer coin in a third tier slab sells for less than a worse raw one.

 

Perfect. Unfortunately, I do have a handful of PCI gradings, but majority are PCGS, NGC, small ANACS, some ICG.

 

69's are pretty common, so unless they are 70's, I don't think it would be worth it to have them graded.

Chris

 

Consider each PCI or ICG coin on an individual basis, but it would be better to crack them before submitting.

Chris

 

My personal threshold: $300 or more FMV, and I would consider certification.

 

Leave the small ANACS unless they are particularly valuable. PCI and ICG could possible be descent coins. You would be best having someone knowledgeable look at them.

 

It's an interesting question. As I go through my Morgans, I'm getting the Key and Semi keys graded. When I first started collecting though, it was much more fun handling coins, even in flips, and potentially finding a treasure. Going through slabs just isn't as much fun to me. I still like going to flea markets with loop and Redbook in hand. I know, dork!

 

Do you mind posting some pictures of these coins?

 

Any cheat sheet for key Morgan dates?

I will try my best.

 

So I bought 2nickels offered as graded coins.SCGS and AGC since i have learned it means nothing, but a seller had them slabbed and graded.Now is this a standard practice? Or some sellers do this as a marketing tool? The ms70 looks no better than a business strike 64p and I now know the difference,but still feel duped..

 

For most coins, grading is a marketing tool. For some coins, it is seen a a guarantee of authenticity.