The Quality Of Work Of NGC Experts Has Become Terrible!

I understand that grading and numismatics are different things. Grading is simply a business and a service. However, when we pay for a service, we expect it to be of high quality and performed by professionals, not made up of mistakes by amateurs. I won't talk about the grades assigned to coins — those are subjective matters. However, I cannot understand how a coin with green oxide stains on it can be graded MS65. (Latvia 1 santims 1922 MS65RB 5790621-006)



I want to talk about something else. I will not describe all the examples (believe me, there are many); I will only mention a few of them. We will talk about the coins of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. I understand that these are small countries and that many people may not even know they exist; nevertheless, coins from these countries are also submitted to NGC for grading.

Estonia 3 marka 1926 XF Details 4089189-001



The coin was sent to NGC in 2011. It was counterfeit but was graded by NGC as "XF Details." The counterfeit coin differed from the original in weight, color, and edge, and there were tool marks on the rim from the instrument used to apply the edge. These marks are characteristic of counterfeits.

Photos of a counterfeit coin before grading.





The edge of the original coin



It's hard to see the marks on the rim of the coin in these old photos. However, I have a photo of another similar counterfeit coin, and the marks are very clearly visible; they run along the entire rim and are especially noticeable at the top of the coin. This type of counterfeit was made in Lithuania.



So, how could such a coin be slabbed if only one part of the edge shows that it is a counterfeit?

Latvia: a few examples of slab descriptions.
The first example is my favorite: 1 santims, 1928, with the inscription on the slab "Name below ribbon" (MS65RB 2760076-006).





Let's look at the "names" on the bronze coins.




There are two types of "names." The first is the designer's name, "R. ZARRINS," found on the reverse of the coin. Please note that there are no ribbons on the reverse! Another "name," HUGUENIN, appears on the obverse of the coins under the coat of arms ribbon—but only on bronze coins dated 1922-1924. Why? Because only these Latvian coins were minted in Switzerland at the Huguenin Freres & Co. mint and were marked by the mint with its name! All other silver coins and bronze coins from 1926-1935 were minted in the UK at three different mints, none of which marked their coins with their name.

Question: How can a 1928 coin minted in the UK have the "name" of the Swiss mint on it? Moreover, how did NGC find the "name" of the Swiss mint on a 1928 coin and write it on the slab? What kind of super-mega-vision did they use for this?

OK, the next modern coin, dated 1996—I hope it will be easier for NGC, but.




There are four types that we know of now and that are easy to identify. All four types have differences on the obverse and reverse, but the easiest way to determine them is by the obverse and the edge.
The first two types are Large Letters and Small Letters, easily identified by the letter "E" (both coins have a lettered edge).



Normally, all coins have lettered edges, but some have ribbed edges—this is type #3.



And the last type - coins dated 1995



The obverse was minted using one of the dies from the previous 10 latu 1995 "Gaff-sail schooner Julia Maria," which was minted at the same mint (You will see this coin later in the post).

So, you can see the four types (varieties), which can be very easily identified, right?

The story begins with a coin that has a ribbed edge. A description of the coin was submitted to NGC, including images and an explanation that these coins have two types of edges - ribbed and inscribed. Along with this, a request was made to indicate the variety on the slab (that this coin has a "Ribbed edge"). All the information was printed and submitted with the NGC form, where "variety" was noted. The result: they charged for the variety but did not indicate it on the slab.



OK, I tried to send it one more time and created a detailed description explaining all the differences between the coins: all possible varieties, many images, etc., and I asked them to please write "Reeded edge" on the slab. The result was this:



"RE - Griffin with tail." What is this? Is it really a problem to just write "Ribbed Edge"?
OK, third attempt: I sent a few coins and wrote another long letter. Moreover, I found an image of the coin with the correct, normal description on the Internet (please see below).



I added the number of this coin to my letter and asked NGC a third time: Is it possible to mention "Reeded Edge" on the slabs? Of course, I paid for the variety for the third time. I also explained in my letter that mentioning "Griffin with tail" is incorrect for this "Corncrake" coin, because all of these coins have "Griffin with tail," and no coins exist with "Griffin without tail." I clarified that "with or without tail" varieties exist, but for another coin, not the "Corncrake," namely the 10 latu 1995 "Gaff-sail schooner Julia Maria." The "Julia Maria" has five different obverse varieties—one of them being "Griffin without tail." But the "Corncrake" does not have this variety.



So please write on the slabs: "Lettered Edge" and "Reeded Edge"—that's all I am asking. Again, everything was printed and sent together with the form. The result:




I asked three times, paid for it three times, provided an example of a coin with the correct inscription, and sent printed explanation letters with images of the varieties three times. I cannot understand what kind of idiot works there. I give up—I am very tired of trying to explain elementary things to people who seem completely incapable of understanding.

The last story about Latvian coins concerns the 2 santimi 1937. There are two slabs: 3352292-010 and 3212458-001. Both of them are counterfeit! These counterfeits were made in Lithuania.




First, neither of them has the correct weight. The proper weight of these coins should be 1.99-2.00 g. The counterfeit coins usually weigh 2.3-2.6 g, sometimes 1.90 g. The second thing that every amateur collector of Latvian coins knows is the mark on the leaf under the coat of arms—a stripe on the leaf. If you see this stripe, you know it is a 100% counterfeit coin.



And now let's talk about Lithuania. The last straw of NGC's dilettantism finally filled my cup of patience. After that, I decided to write this article.

We will be discussing the 5 litai 1999 coins, some of which have striking errors that can be called "die chips."



This piece of metal looks like a bird or a rooster, which is why some people sometimes call these coins the "5 litai with bird." Some amateurs think this is the mint mark, but we know that these coins were minted at the Lithuanian Mint, and the mint mark of this mint looks different.



However, the Lithuanian Mint never used mint marks on these coins. Moreover, a request was sent to the Lithuanian Bank regarding this error, and a response was received. It stated:

"In response to your letter, we inform you that the speck you indicated on the surface of the coin, located on the left side of the reverse, is not an element of the design, but a small technological defect, within the acceptable limits of the approved technical requirements for the circulating 5 litas of the Republic of Lithuania."



So, as you can see, this is just a usual die error. But what did NGC say?



No comments.

Dear NGC, if you don't have enough experts who can properly recognize coins from the Baltic States, maybe I can help—for free! I am very tired of seeing what you are doing with these coins. Totally zero professionalism.