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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Insider, post: 2459476, member: 24314&quot;]You think?&nbsp; That&#039;s the way ALL the grading services got started.&nbsp; There were ONLY TWO impartial, we don&#039;t give a rat&#039;s what you think services in the history of numismatics that I know of and that&#039;s the way it should be in an ideal world.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>A grading service should be in an &quot;Ivory Tower&quot; rendering a professional opinion that you can take or leave; not need to rely on the market or income - a well funded endowment.&nbsp; Your coin is AU, if you don&#039;t like it - shove it, we don&#039;t need you, we don&#039;t care if you ever use us, say/write anything you like, our grading will not change...sort of like a Supreme Court Justice - there for life no matter what.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>A little history: First came the original ANACS in DC; however, they DID NOT grade coins for the public but used a strict &quot;technical&quot; grading system DEVELOPED by employees for internal records and coin ID.&nbsp;&nbsp; ANACS was like an untouchable &quot;Ivory Tower&quot; (good or bad) when it came to authentication although they made some mistakes.&nbsp; ANA funded the project as a basically independent entity.&nbsp; It was a real shocker when after a year or two the place started making a huge amount of money.&nbsp; That&#039;s one of the main reasons it was moved to CO - control of the money and practices!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Unfortunately, the FIRST TPGS - INSAB was not independent.&nbsp; They were staffed by the former ANACS employees and started grading the coins they authenticated FREE OF CHARGE using the technical grading system they had made.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Soon, ANA published a grading guide and ANACS ( the second TPGS) began grading coins they authenticated.&nbsp; Unfortunately, the ANA Guide had little in common with the TRUE technical system because the distinguished and knowledgeable numismatists who wrote the book NEVER UNDERSTOOD or ever used the actual technical system that HAD PROVED for almost a decade to be precise, simple, and very strict.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Unfortunately, true technical grading did not consider a coins, value, rarity, or eye-appeal!&nbsp; It would NEVER work in the commercial market.&nbsp; Eventually, for that reason, INSAB went out of business.&nbsp; ANACS continued to grade coins.&nbsp; While not the first, they are the oldest grading service still in business.&nbsp; The grading they used which UNFORTUNATELY was not followed/used by major professionals in the commercial market brought about the establishment of PCGS and others that followed.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>ALL TPGS need to turn a profit.&nbsp; They are not independent or endowed. That&#039;s a big problem.&nbsp; They are subject to change, greed, and the whims of the market.&nbsp; CAC is too.&nbsp; Fortunately, a companies reputation is important and that may keep many of the abuses in your post to a minimum or non-existent.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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