Why No ICCS Website?

Not having a website is a bit of concern by way of what the future holds in terms of coin grading. I can appreciate that for the present, ICCS likely has enough business from their existing client base and doesn't need to change. However given the company's dominance in the existing Canadian coin market - when at the same time it's obvious the Canadian coin hobby isn't growing by leaps and bounds -- I'd wonder if ICCS isn't actually part of that problem in an indirect way. Younger collectors would most certainly be attracted by websites as opposed to word of mouth or storefronts. In this day and age it's come to be that a company website virtually legitimizes that business. At the same time, the emphasis on grading is becoming greater than ever before in terms of proving price and value, even authenticity.

Step #1 find a group of 2-5 qualified graders who can consistantly grade coins accurately and in a relatively short period of time.

Step #2 Make sure those graders are willing to stand behind their grade and that they can also authenticate the coin

Step #3 get the technology to create either a coin flip or slab and print labels

Step #4 Build a website that will house all the information

Step #5 Build up credibility amongst collectors and dealers to the point where you could have a steady client base

Step #6 To be competitive with ICCS you'll have to do this for around $10 a coin

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Not an easy task at all.. and certainly NOT a good practice plan...

The canadian coin market is just a tiny blip on the radar compared to the U.S. There is very little chance that another grading company could come into the market and do it for the same price with a better slab or all the extras you want such as website, photos, and pop reports.

Right nwo I see the U.S. grading services as the top dogs in the industry and may eventually absorb many of ICCS's customers. If a Canadian company wanted to take the market share away from ICCS they had better also make a very concentrated effort to work the U.S. market as well.

I get it you want ICCS to stay relavant, and provide the extras but in short they really don't have to. There isn't anyone that will be able to take over the market and compete with them.

If ICCS operated like a smaller version of PCGS and charged 30.00 or so for a similar hard slab, I for one would transfer most of my coins over, I think most of us collectors are willing to pay for such services, if you are in the Toronto area make a visit to their location, you will understand

Well put skip79.
I was thinking the same thing but I couldn't have
put it in words as well as you did.

CCCS is a good option for those who want a hard slab, accurate grade and a reasonable certification price.

I agree, I'd pay more and I think most collectors would as well. Once a sizeable chunk of cash has been already spent on a collection, the cheapest service isn't the only consideration.

When companies show no interest in progressing with the times, it's often a strong indicator of a company that is one foot away from shutting the doors tomorrow. Hypothetically, what would happen if in 2 years from now ICCS ceases to exist? Cheap plastic flips, never an ebay approved TPG service......

It seems ICCS best meets the needs of folks with the intention of near future sales but really not the longterm collector at all.

ICCS doesn't need change currently to modernize.
I do think that a website would bring some more transparency. As ICCS is grading certain coins easier and easier, a website would be good so that from now on, coins can be searched up. This allows a more general public to check on how the company is doing, and helps maintain the company's standards.

For me this was the most frustrating part. I purchased several ICCS coins while living in Canada then suddenly they were downgraded to raw coins when I tried to sell them here in the US. I couldn't even spell the grade either on the title or in the listing.

Although I was able to display the scanned image (assuming the informed buyer would see the grade) the crucial elements could not be picked up by search engines.

PCGS on the other hand always holds intrinsic value. I sent several coins for grading and while some of them turned out to be duds i.e. MS64 vs MS66 ... I've always managed to sell (possibly at a loss sometimes) but in the overall scheme of things I'm profitable and 100% satisfied with the experience. ICCS was a complete disaster.

DISCLAMER: The only reason I don't like ICCS is because I can't sell their flips as graded coins. I am not judging their grading quality at all. In fact, with the number of Canadian coins they grade ICCS should be the undisputed authority when it comes to Canadian coins.