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I Know PCI is not one of the top "best" companies for getting coins graded, but from some of the scans I have seen on E-bay some of the newer companies are really, really messed up on grading. One example I saw a Liberty nickel graded VF-20 by SEGS that by looking at the picture it was AT BEST G-4.
I really can't afford to pay the $25-$30 to have some of the coins I want graded, graded at this time. I am not talking about getting Gem Morgan's and the really high buck coins graded. I just want to get some of my circulated Semi key and Key dates graded for protection and way down the road maybe to sell. So I don't want to spend a lot on a coin that's worth a C-note or two.
I have been out of the collecting loop for over 7 years and most of the better stuff I have has at least doubled in price over those years. Which was a GREAT surprise and I want to keep them nice so I want to slab some of the better ones I have aquired.
So I really want your opinion on them as a grading company. Would you consider them # 5 after the big 4 PCGS, NGC, IGC, ANACS? If not why?
if you just want them protected then a good airtite would be better than having them graded by PCI in my opinion, and when its time to resell you get to pocket the money you would have paid to get them graded because you are only going to get what the coin is worth even if its graded a MS-64 by PCI. What I am trying to say is people will only pay raw prices on coins in a PCI slab anyway so a airtite would be just as good as a PCI slab in my opinion
Well, some here might not agree with I am going to say but here goes:
I am a member of NGC's Collectors Society. It costs $99 per year. With this membership they send you an 2006 ASE (ms68), and a packet containing all information & a certificate to have 5 coins graded for free (or any other item you want cert) (included in the membership)(DOES NOT include shipping charges there & back). You can check all the particulars by going here:
You might just want to surf the page and get informed. As for prices they charge, it is not $25-$30, in fact $16.00, or even $12.50 per coin is possible depending on what you want and how fast: here is their page with charges:
Now some here will claim that the $99 charge is a rip-off, I look at it as an advantage: 5 submissions @ $16.00=$80.00, 1 2006 ms68 ASE=let say $15.00 total so far? $95--Hmm, looks like a break even point to me almost at this point. My final point, it gives the privilege of letting you submit coins directly yourself w/o going to a dealer/shop doing it for you...
O yea PCGS also has a similiar program, I was a member with them also for awhile, but got discouraged when they kept under grading my coins--I want a fair accurate cert, not an under graded coin. Not sure how their bennies are today, but I do know we have members here with them, perhaps they'll post the particulars--
Joining one of these might be advantageous if your going to get alot of coins graded... Save a few bucks any ways--
Good Luck!
CiScO
Confucius say, "The best men are born wise. Next come those who grow wise by learning: then, learned, narrow minds. Narrow minds, without learning, are the lowest of the people. "
Thanks for the replies so far, I'm not really into needing a big name on a slap, I don't care if or when I sell a coin that it might have a premium attached to it just because it has NGC, PCGS or IGC on the slab.
I really just want them graded fairly. The Semi or keys dates that I might have graded are not always perfect so with PCI having the "Red tag" holder could be a plus for me since if they think something is wrong they will still grade it and if I don't like it I could always crack it out.
Years ago I did send in a couple coins to IGC to be graded, a ‘14-D cent and a 1906 Liberty Nickel.
The 14-D had a scratch on the back so they wouldn't do it. And the 1906 Liberty which is a proof was of questionable toning they said. (Dealer's I showed it to said it was natural.)
I just got the 1906 Lib back from PCI, obviously they didn't think there was a problem with the toning and gave it a PR-63, and the other 2 that I sent with it I thought we graded right when they came back.
I really want your opinion on if you think PCI grades coins fairly.
absolutely not, they are well known for overgrading coins. That is the reason nobody pays what they say the coin is worth because to anyone that knows better will only pay what a raw coin would cost even if the slab from PCI says its a MS-64 it probably wont get but VG price when time to sell. So in my opinion their grading isnt fair to anyone, not the person paying them because they make them think they have something they dont, and not fair to the new collector that doesntknow any better, because they just may buy that MS-64 coin they slabbed at MS-63 prices and then send it to a "reputable" company and ponly get a VG grade (which would be correctly graded) and on some coins that can mean thousands of dollars difference. So I still say a good airtite is better than a PCI slab
Years ago I did send in a couple coins to IGC to be graded, a ‘14-D cent and a 1906 Liberty Nickel.
The 14-D had a scratch on the back so they wouldn't do it. And the 1906 Liberty which is a proof was of questionable toning they said. (Dealer's I showed it to said it was natural.)
I just got the 1906 Lib back from PCI, obviously they didn't think there was a problem with the toning and gave it a PR-63, and the other 2 that I sent with it I thought we graded right when they came back.
I really want your opinion on if you think PCI grades coins fairly.
Howdy,
You basically just answered your question yourself--You sent the coin to ICG, they did not slab it cause of a problem--You then sent it to PCI, it comes back in a nice slab--What does that tell ya??[:0]
I would not send anything to them--Next time you want a coin slabbed by them send it to me, with the fee, and I'll slab it fer ya--at whatever grade you want HAHAHA Guess I must be more careful responding to newbs questions, it is almost like you are pushing pci--wrong place for that bro--
Cisco
Confucius say, "The best men are born wise. Next come those who grow wise by learning: then, learned, narrow minds. Narrow minds, without learning, are the lowest of the people. "
I am also a member of collectorsociety and I love the advantages of being a member also.
Me too on both.
As for PCI, I wouldn't recommend it. They overgrade and have a reputation that is reflected in the prices these coins raise on ebay. Check it out. Vast numbers of collectors don't take them seriously. I stick with PCGS or NGC.
I haven't seen enough of their slabbed coins, but I perceive ANACS to be very strict. But it doesn't matter. According to the CoinValues online site, coins in ANACS slabs are not realizing nearly as high prices as PCGS and NGC. Slabbed coins are investments, whether that's the first consideration or not. So it doesn't make sense to me, at this time, to be submitting to ANACS. Perhaps that will change with the new leadership and the groovy new holders.
I wouldn't go with ICG or SEGS either for the same reasons, and I don't trust their grades. I've been seeing so many ads with ICG soliciting for MS70 and PR70 Silver Eagles. I think that's bottom trawling and I also hate their holders. NGC does this too. It's been often repeated but the difference between a 69 and 70 is a market issue, not a grading one.
I have to admit, I can tell no difference between a MS69 or MS-70 or the equal in proof coins but I always seem to buy the 70 coins instead of the 69 just because of the value they posess. I kind of got lucky with my Ben franklin founding father and scientist commerative coins, I bought one of each and sent them to NGC and they both graded PF-70, They should be here sometime next week and I will post a picture of them both
Not wishing to ruffle too many feathers- but have you noticed in Coin World how many graders there are- Some haven't been in the hobby for more than 5-10 years. This tells me that excellent eye sight and a ANA PHOTO Grade BOOK will enable you to grade your own coin-- However, when you go to sell it- of course you want the best deal you can get. I have seen dealers at shows with at least a 1000 slabbed coins in a bin that they were not selling- Why/ the consesus was among collector friends with me at the show was that Slabbed coins are overpriced--simply because they have a grade on them. An MS 67 slabbed coin- will not get you the "Coin Value Price from any dealer- Take it from an old timer- But to each His own.- In Last issue of Coin world- a Slabbed 1881-S Morgan dollar(Certified)- was priced at 84.95 directly across the page was an ad that had an 1881-S morgan advertised BU (By a long time dealer) for only 54.95.. Now I ask you for an honest answer.. Which coin do you think is the best buy.? I would like to see some answers-- but for my money, I will take the BU -non-slabbed coin anyday. The fact that many people are cracking slabs shows that they don't believe the current grader- Let us get back to basics! Dewey Knight #28
ANACS accepts direct submissions from everybody, and only charge about $15 for basic grading of US coins (plus the shipping and insurance to send them back). Probably the most reasonable way to get a reputable opinion.
I have to jump in here and say that I am at a disadvantage, I buy 100% of my coins from the internet (mostly ebay) and since I cant see the coin in hand or on someones table I have to go by pictures of the coin (which most are just horrible) so if the coin isn't slabbed by a reputable company I just simply dont buy it. I have went out on a limb and bought a few raw coins (heck when I started thats all I bought) and I ended up with other peoples bodybags while they said they were a BU coin, they definately left out that they had ben scrubbed with a brillo pad. I know I am still young in the collector game (being a collector less than 1 year) but unless its from someone like on this forum that I trust I will always buy the slabbed coin over the raw one
Just adding to what Bryan stated: don't bother wasting your money having your coins slabbed by PCI. A coin which may or may not be graded accurately by PCI (or almost any other third-tiered or non-tiered company) is only a raw coin in a piece of protective plastic; PCI's grades are meaningless. Either buy your own coin holders from Coin World for a little over a dollar each or, if you want an accurate grade on them inside a protective encapsulation, send the coins only to PCGS, NGC, or ANACS.
I am also a member of collectorsociety and I love the advantages of being a member also.
Ditto on the Collector's Society, Bryan. I'm very pleased with the benefits and I agree, it pays for itself.
PCI is useless to me. I might buy a coin in a PCI slab, but it wouldn't stay in that slab, and what I will offer or bid on a PCI slab will be as though it were a grade or two lower than what's on the slab.
There's another consideration though that's extremely important, which goes to buying slabbed coins rather than selling them. With few exceptions, I would not buy a 1916-D dime, for example, that wasn't slabbed. In fact, I would not buy ANY very rare coin that wasn't certified, unless I bought it from Heritage or Stack's or a dealer that I completely trust. That's because they're too many counterfeits out there, and I'm not good at seeing the difference.
Another reason is, I'm collecting a complete date/mint set of Mint State Peace dollars and one for mostly Mint State Liberty Walking halves. I fully intend to keep these coins as long as I live and leave them to my son. But, should something unexpected happen, a "rainy day" requiring significant amounts of cash, I'm much more confident that my NGC and PGCS slabbed coins will realize higher prices than coins slabbed by any other companies.
I'm sorry but the only two grading services I use are NGC and PCGS. I am quite convinced that ANACS are excellent graders, but their slabbed coins will not help a coin realize its full value because people don't trust it as well. Pretty much the same with ICG. Plus, I hate ICG holders.
A TPG grade is an opinion, but a PCGS or NGC grade is an opinion by people whose opinion the numismatic community almost universally respects. I'm not talking about "First Strikes," and such other modern coin practices, which, to my mind are pure snake oil. I'm talking about prices realized at auctions and, especially on "sight unseen" venues like eBay.
Both PCGS and NGC are reliable, conservative market graders. I like NGC a bit better because they seem to take care of the little guys like me a little better than PCGS. And they're faster, and a bit less expensive. I like PCGS holders better though. (But when it comes to that, ANACS's new holders are very cool.)
Plus I have found NGC to be much more courteous and helpful than PCGS. Certainly quicker. Their grades are pretty much interchangeable. I know the feeling of wanting my rarer coins graded. And, I think Brkdnc is wise to want to establish a grade from a reputable company, as well as put it in plastic, because, face it, either we or our children, etc. are going to sell our coins someday. I like to know what the top experts think about the value of my coins. That said, in a perfect world, there would only be raw coins. Oh wait, that was the 70's.
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Posted 04/27/2006 9:09 pm
I wouldn't recommend it. They overgrade and have a reputation that is reflected in the prices these coins raise on ebay. Check it out. Vast numbers of collectors don't take them seriously. I stick with PCGS or NGC. 
I'm talking about prices realized at auctions and, especially on "sight unseen" venues like eBay. 
Their grades are pretty much interchangeable. I know the feeling of wanting my rarer coins graded. And, I think Brkdnc is wise to want to establish a grade from a reputable company, as well as put it in plastic, because, face it, either we or our children, etc. are going to sell our coins someday. I like to know what the top experts think about the value of my coins. That said, in a perfect world, there would only be raw coins. Oh wait, that was the 70's.