I know to buy the coin and not the slab, but was wondering which of the two major TPGs (PCGS or NGC) is considered tougher on grading (and thus preferable to the other) for each of the following coin series. Thanks for your input. TC Jefferson nickels Roosevelt dimes Washington quarters Kennedy halves
I was told by an elderly and rather high end N.Y. coin dealer that PCGS was his preference for all copper & silver U.S. coins. With regards to U.S. gold coins however, he claimed that they were equivalent. Personally, I believe that if you buy the coin and not the slab, it's up to you, your education & your 'taste'. Just sayin', J.T.
It really depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for strike designations (FS, FT, etc), PCGS is practically worthless and you should only buy NGC designated coins. If you are looking for Registry points, you have to decide which registry you want to play in and buy accordingly. Many consider PCGS to be slightly tougher on grading, but I don't think that's true. You can find nice coin in both, you can find dogs in both. In the end, you have to look carefully at each individual coin and buy the one that you like the most - that is, has the best eye appeal in your opinion, most accurately meets the grade in your opinion, and has the best price for the grade in your opinion. You're the one buying the coin - only you can decide which one is right for you.
I’d say for Jefferson Nickels NGC should be your number one choice. Great article on grading Jeffersons: https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/6752/learn-grading-full-steps-nickels/
Hard to define this moment to moment, but here are my observations as of late: 1. PCGS is Questionable Coloring Indian Cents A LOT. NGC will straight grade them, but if they have color, they're getting low MS. Like 61-62 grades. 2. Both services are equally grading Morgan dollars. Both have gotten more strict on what qualifies for PL and DMPL. 3. Both are lenient with early copper, almost to a fault. But NGC is more so than PCGS. I had a 1804 Spiked Chin half cent PCGS AU details Environmental damage and just got a NGC AU50 straight grade. My large cents with slight issues have been getting passes at both services.
I have also observed that NGC has gotten stricter over the past few years on PL (across all series, not just Morgans). The fact that PCGS just started designating PL means I don't really have much data to go on - but based on my limited viewing of PCGS PL coins at FUN, they seem quite a bit looser on the designation. They applied PL to several coins which wouldn't make it at NGC (especially in gold denominations).
Gotta go with Jason on this, NGC is and always has been tougher on all special designations than PCGS. So if special designations are your thing NGC is it. But take special designations out of it, things change a bit. It's purely my opinion but one often shared by others. Jeffs, NGC is tougher. Rosies, PCGS, but switch it to Mercs and I'd say NGC. Washintons, about the same. Kennedys, PCGS again.
