Is PCGS Being Prejudice With Cross-Overs?

Here's a HUGE tip to consider when sending coins into PCGS. This comes from a former grader at PCGS. When sending in coins still in their holders for crossover to PCGS you must remember that the people at PCGS are unable to view the 3RD SIDE of a coin! You are at an immediate disadvantage when sending in holdered coins for crossover to them. Also, PCGS is not prejudiced against any other grading co. when it comes to crossovers. They would love to cross every coin that comes in so that one more coin would be in a PCGS holder.



Jerry

So, as I been saying all along, if your gonna send pcgs a coin to grade, (or any other TPGS) make 'em earn their doe--Crack those suckers outa the plastic surrounding the coin(s)--then perhaps, if your lucky, the coin will come back equal, & if really lucky @ a higherr grade--If I were you za, I would crack those suckers out, and resend them when u have 160 laying around, in fact when they said send em back, I woulda, AFTER I crack 'em outa their shell--

Okaym is there a prejudice? Probably so, but in what profession is this not true? Is the standards higher at PCGS? Probably not. Why are the values higher? People still buy slabs instead of coins. PCGS still does a much better job at marketing and making people believe that their slabs are better. Dealers also keep this myth alive.

Here is the problem that I see. First you submitted the coins yourself. In the ultra grades, ALWAYS use a major player. Second, you did this twice. Fool me once shame on you, but fool me twice, shame on me.
Now, you are basing the values on public sites. While I understand the logic, this is not the best choice. Sure you can use Heritage or ebay or anything else you like to get a rough idea of value, but in the end, it is the coin that commands the price.
I routinely buy and sell coins that are priced far greater than any price guide. When a dealer or collector or investor asks why the price is so high, I show them the coin, not a price guide.
If you are judging a coin based on value, you will get your feelings hurt more often than not. All of the grading companies change their minds pretty frequently. This should tell you all you need to know about their opinion.

I agree vwith you 100%! ANAC's does not seem to be caught up in the grading wars. If you are looking for a spot on grade and the truth about your coin as oppossed to an inflated grade they are truly the best. They are also fast, easy to talk to, fairly priced and if you look around, sometimes sell for more than the Top Twp TPG's because people speculate on a higher grade from PCGS or NGC if they resubit an ANAC's coin. Again, this my experience over many years of submitting to PCGS, NCG and ANAC'S. I'm not sure about any others. Mike

Look's like ANACS is the way to go

Update...

I sent in 5 RAW coins to PCGS as a personal experiment. They were all circulated coins that I picked up in other slabs (ICG and ANACS to be exact) that I broke out at prices far below if I tried to find them graded in PCGS holders. These coins were graded from EF40 to AU55.

Bottom line, 4 out of the five "crossed" at the same grade as the original holder. One was graded down from a AU58 to 55. Since these were dups, I listed them on ebay and realized prices far more than what I paid for them including the submission price (economy service). So I made a nice little profit that I could apply to other coins.

First conclusion...BREAK the coin out of the slab if you plan to cross. Unless the grader can hold and see all three sides of the coin, you are throwing your money away. You don't want a grader from PCGS or NGC looking at a PCI slab with a MS65 grade on it already thinking to themselves, "Well...it must be a MS63, if those boneheads gave it a 65". Unless they cover the grade in the slab before they see it...but I doubt it.

Second conclusion...if I want to submit raw coins for grading, authentication, etc., I will only use PCGS and NGC. FACT...they realize the highest prices if I have to liquidate these coins. Yeah, yeah...buy the coin, not the slab...but I just can't ignore that PCGS graded coins realize more than NGC (not as much) who realize more than ANACS who realize more than ICG who realize more than the rest of them! So if you have raw coins, use the service where the free market has spoken.

I don't care what is the reason. Whether be marketing, registry sets, hype, trends, etc. I watch auction houses like Heritage, Teletrade, ebay, etc. and you are cheating yourself if you don't study these market forces in action.

When I can...I try to acquire coin from the likes of ICG, ANACS, PCI and SEGS. I look at the coin and if need be, I would break them out and submit to either PCGS or NGC for asset protection and liquidation at the best prices.

The same goes for raw coins which I only buy at shows where I can at least run the coins off to one of the TPG's booth to ask for their opinion. Between artifical toning, dipping, etc., if I am going to spend some serious money, I just HAVE to be sure that I am getting the real deal (especially for keys) that hasn't not been cleaned or dipped.

It's your money...do with it as you please. But when you try to sell it, don't complain if the prices you get are far below the likes of PCGS and NGC.

Sorry...I can't "hope" for the market to change and "wish" all companies grade to ANA standards no differant than the standards that separate Unleaded gas from Super Unleaded gasoline. At least the government has a formula for gas, but without numbers, it would be "Super Unleaded Plus" selling against "Premium Plus".

We are going to own our coins only for a short period of time (compared to how long coins last). We will either sell them or some relative is going to find them after we pass on. Either way, they will spend them at face value or figure out they have something of value if we leave specific instructions.

Now I am sure there are exceptions here or there, but I watch the prices realized of Heritage, Bowers and Merena, Teletrade and ebay closely and I have to differ with you. "Seeming" to get closer is wishful thinking.

For instance, let's look at a Morgan 1878-CC because they are popular. Take a grade, any grade...how about MS63 with no problems (i.e. cleaning, whizzing, etc.)

Just over this summer (since 6/1/05), prices realized for the following from Heritage:

ANACS: Low of $253 to a high of $276
NGC: Low of $276 to a high of $299
PCGS: Low of $299 to a high of $345

Now I know this is just one example, but if you were buying or selling a house in the same neighborhood with the same extra's, wouldn't you look at the market prices from the surrounding homes?