What On Earth Has NGC Been Smoking?

This was just one of a few problems I experienced with NGC when they refused to place the variety on the slab, even though I noted the variety and paid the extra fee...
In the NGC holder it would have been a $36.00 coin and in Cherry Pickers it lists at $500.00 (in fact this coin is graded higher then the plate coin)..

CGB - OUCH!

I have a 1882 CC GSA Morgan (in the GSA holder) that is a LOCK 64+ or 65....came back as a 63.

apply and be a grader at PCGS or NGC since you feel you can grade really well, or take a class at the ANA and you might find that you have a lot to learn. Heck better yet, PCGS has a grading contest from time to time were you could win a graded $20 Saint, try and see if you can win it. Like I said before there are some older members that are dead on with their grading and many flunked.....

I believe wholeheartedly that anyone hired at PCGS or NGC knows how to grade coins well. My point has been that the magnitude of stuff coming in has caused the graders to be careless, uninspired, and thrifty with their work.

I actually read an article that included various quotes from a grader at NGC. One quote from the grader regarding the amount of coins he grades actually incriminated the grader/system. I don't have a link and I don't recall the exact numbers anymore as I read this article months ago. I do remember that I did the math myself, making assumptions for how many breaks/lunch time he takes and how long it takes him to remove and replace coins, as well as how long it takes him to process and enter information into the computer. I recall that I determined that this grader would spend far less than 1 minute actually looking at each coin. Considering they have to authenticate, look for cleaning and alterations, sometimes check for errors or varieties, along with grading the coin, that is absurdly low. That's how you get Buffalo nickels graded NGC F-15 with zero horn. Not because the guy didn't know it was a G-4, but because he took one look at it quickly, was careless, and moved on.

I guess to be fair, on some dates, some buffaloes do have weak strikes that kind of change the grading formula at least somewhat. But that's certainly not what they're limiting themselves to. Also that aside, another interesting idea I had is that they get so used to looking at MS-68, 69 and 70 coins that it totally throws off their whole style and 'art' of grading. If 90% of what you look at are essentially flawless coins, then you're going to start to naturally forget how to grade the rest especially counting for the factors you described.

Bryan1315, if I'm correct sometimes it depends on the severity? I've seen rarer coins with big scratches that got a grade and I'm like huh!? This is from NGC and PCGS.

Also regarding the horn, sometimes it can be a weak strike or worn dies. I've seen low MS buffalos with a very weak strike that didn't look at great.

lots of prooflike coins have hairlines on them, those hairlines don't mean its cleaned. Send the coins to pcgs and give us the results and lets see if you start complaining about them if pcgs doesn't agree with your grading.

I know that. I've had the same issue on some of my coins, but apparently they beg to differ or will drop the grade 4 points or something/bag it. But hairlines shouldn't be that prominent on a proof 66.