Which coin grading service?

Was thinking about getting some coins graded, and I was wondering which company to use... PLEASE TELL ME WHY YOU MADE THAT DECISION. I listed all that i could find... does anyone have any experience with any that are NOT the first 5? thanks!

 

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NGC, PCGS and ANACS.
The others are looked upon as basement graders.
CAC is not a grading service.

 

ahh... what is it then?

 

CAC? They just review the grading of others. If they give it a green sticker (bean), it means that they agree with the grade. A gold sticker means they think it is really good for the given grade and might possibly be undergraded. To some, a CAC sticker adds a premium to the value. CAC also keeps no records of the coins they don't sticker.

 

No, looks like you listed them all.

I started with ANACS and just stuck with them. Why, I don't know. Probably because they were a little bit cheaper. They seem to have reasonable and frequent specials. You don't have to be a member. I don't have any MAJOR high end coins. The costumer service and feedback is prompt and timely. I like testing my grading (or lack of grading) skills.

 

I like NGC. Or ANACS for lower value stuff when it just doesn't pay to spend too much on certification fees.

Submitting coins can be enjoyable, educational, and puts your coins in a good holder, but the fact is that often you are financially better off just buying a coin that is already certified. Something to keep in mind.

 

NGC or PCGS. Many will say look no further. I will consider an ANACS coin in an older slab. I know a lot of VAM collectors like ANACS because they attribute more types.

 

ANACS. Simply because they have a rep at my local coin show.
You hand the coins to Paul and he sends them to Colorado free.
How easy can it be?
Right now they have a special:
10 coins for $99 with free return shipping. Now if they would just ditch that screaming yellow zonker label...

 

I loved these simple old white slabs they had!

 

Yup the old white ones were nice. I don't know what they were thinking by going to yellow. Did some designer actually get paid for that idea?

 

what do the yellow ones look like...?

 

ANACS has changed ownerships several times. Many believe the older slabs were graded tougher.

 

Which one do you use?

 

Why is ICG not being named? eBay and PCGS both acknowledge ICG as a viable (crossover and acceptable grader) option. If you're going to say ANACS, it's only fair to say ICG, also.

Personally, I think the following is probably the best way to answer:

If you're looking for marketability, PCGS for US coins & NGC for Asian coins.
If you're looking for affordability, you can't beat ANACS' summer/fall/winter/spring special of $99 for 10 coins (or $89 on occasion for Insider mailers).
If you want your coins in a strong looking holder, SEGS is a good choice.
If you're looking to get higher grades for selling on eBay, ICG might be where you'd like to go.

Again, it depends on what you're looking for. Generally this is how people view the rankings:

Tier One (depends on the specific coin, but PCGS seems to get more at auction due to the registry): PCGS & NGC
Just under Tier One: ANACS
Tier Two: ICG, SEGS & PCI
Don't bother (for now): anyone else

A rule I'm trying to adopt is as follows:

If a coin is worth more than twice the grading premium (which is pretty huge for me, being from Hawaii), then submit the coin to PCGS/NGC.

If a coin isn't worth at least the grading premium, but is tough to authenticate, then ANACS is an affordable choice during their specials. Generally, the only coins truly tough to authenticate are foreign issues, ANACS' US only special makes them useless for my purposes, especially now that I found out about the $6 attribution & holder service by one of the members here on CT for VAM.

I don't really use the other graders (tier two), but I will purchase coins in their holders, if they look decent.

 

Thanks!!!

 

Honestly, the current rendition (with Paul & Drew and whoever else are the owners) grades fairly rigorously. Whereas one of the tier one graders might find a foreign coin to be market acceptable, if it's toned & polished (fairly common among British proofs), it might be details graded as improperly cleaned.

The problem is that when they bought out ANACS, they didn't change the look of the holder (flips or case), so it's hard to discern what are the good ANACS (current owners) and iffy ANACS (previous ownership groups) graded/slabbed coins.

 

I think @Victor did a great job of explaining what many collectors think about the various TPG. I won't say "everyone" thinks that way...there will always be outliers...but I think he's nailed the general consensus.

 

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