Trouble Selling Higher End VAM

For the record, NGC was leading PCGS in their grading accuracy up until about 4 weeks ago. They passed PCGS some time last winter according to the CDN and only recently gave that up. That said, I think the marketplace prefers a PCGS holder for the most part.

I for one, don't pay a lot of attention to anything above MS65 because I (personally) have never been able to see the difference between 66, 67, or 68. This, IMO, makes TPG very subject to personal grader whims (ergo David Hall and the President's review comments).

I can go into my inventory/collection and show you coins that didn't make DMPL or even PL and then show you equally graded coins that did make it and you'd say, Huh!! In many cases it doesn't make sense.

Likewise, I can show you both PCGS and NGC coins that graded 65, 64, or 63, and they don't compare to similarly graded coins either from the same company or the competitor. Look at a collection of MS64 Morgans from NGC and you'll find yourself asking, how can this be?

I also believe that neither NGC nor PCGS will generally ever take a coin in the other's slab in a lower grade and cross it over to a higher grade themselves. Remember that when they do that, they are assuming the liability for their grade and if the coin for some reason is found not to grade that high and the buyer comes back to them saying, "what gives?"

Recall also, that it was only recently that PCGS changed their "buyback policy" as a result of challenged grades and having to pay out huge sums of money for coins that didn't make the assigned grade. Some of this also had to do with their lawsuit against the "coin doctors".

Here here Zee ...so true

Yes, I agree Dave, a currently accepted name would probably the most critical aspect of success.

If you can 'em, I'll be the administrative assistant, then all we would have to do is buy out NGC.

I think that a takeover of something like SEGS or USCG might set us up in a reaffirmation stage, that may prove to be a pretty deep hole to dig our way out of on our way to widespread acceptance.

Dcreek1968 posted : " also believe that neither NGC nor PCGS will generally ever take a coin in the other's slab in a lower grade and cross it over to a higher grade themselves."

That may be your experience, but I have tested that theory out with a test of my own. I bought a 1891-P Morgan dollar raw in 1980 that had plancet striations in eagle's breast. I sent it to NGC in 2005. NGC graded it MS 62. I thought it was MS 64.

I never was happy with that so I put tape over the grade and sent it to PCGS for crossover, no minimum grade specified. PCGS graded it MS 64. That's two grades higher!

I think what causes the greatest confusion with the different grading companies is they each have their own set of grading standards. These standards are not uniform, nor are they ANA standards.
In effect, they have their own nuances and if you understand that aspect, you will have fewer disappointments when using them.

Until such time as what you envision occurs, we will have to live with a large degree of subjectivity.

If and when the days comes and there is computer and optical equipment that can grade with a high degree of accuracy, there will always be people who will try to game the system.

The third party grading companies came about because over-hyped coins of all types were being sold. I might add, that many of these were problem coins as well. Coins that were cleaned, whizzed, dipped and artificially toned. Too many poor business practices that were hurting the hobby.

PCGS is the top tier third party grading company that is the most accepted and respected. This is not just my opinion, but that of the general market place as a whole.

Maybe we should start a thread for the beginning collector on the merits of third party grading companies and which one is the best fit for the collector relative to his or hers collecting needs.

OZ I think that's a great Idea with the one exception in that The High Rollers are going to want PCGS To protect its declared and somewhat insured values........For the bottom of the barrel trollers like me, The cheaper it is to get my stuff grades sounds great, but in the end these grading companies are supposed uphold the same grading standards...SUBJECTIVE is just an EXCUSE why they don't.....why they don't have to be accountable for there grades....So my bottom feeder graders would do just that.. not assure me of any money I spend..
After all this is just a hobby. Where my money is spent enjoying the collecting and filling my empty holes in my head.. No one said I should get anything back?

That is kind of what I was saying about SGS I am surprised we have not seen a MS-71 yet