Ncg Grading Company?

Hi! I am just getting into collecting coins, and this is my first post! I love the way the peace coins look, and so I have started with those. I wanted a variety of grades, plus getting some of the more desirable years/mints without spending a fortune. I got a $35 cheapo ungraded coin (1935 P ~XF), and then a 1928 ICG AU58 (lowest production), a 1934 S NGC AU53 ("king" of collection), a 1924 NGC MS65 (high grade for relatively cheap), and I still want to get my hands on a 1921 slabbed coin; not sure of grade yet.

Anyway, that's not really the reason I am writing here. I am writing because I also bought what is labeled as an "NCG" 1923 D MS66 coin. Seller is "coin club"- ebay. As you guys probably know, a real, uncleaned 1923 D MS66 is worth some $6,000. They sold it as "raw". I know a little bit about grading now that I've seen some examples, and in my opinion this coin looks pretty good... (though I am absolutely no professional!)

let me point out that I CAN RETURN THIS COIN. I just bought it, and have 14 days.

I did ask the seller if it is real silver, is it made in china, etc. he said it is real silver, and it is not made in china... etc etc. I've read a bit about knock-offs being cast, 6% smaller than forged/stamped coins, etc. However, I cannot take it out of the slab to measure/inspect too closely because if I do, I cannot return it. I am wondering if the "D" is fake maybe? What could be some other "tricks"?

However, if the coin is real, even if it is cleaned, I would think it would be worth a lot more than the $160 I paid for it? Does it look cleaned?

So I am faced with a choice: Return it, or keep it, open it, measure it, and have it graded... (If I do open it within the 14 days, and it is smaller by 6%, I may be able to say item is not as described, and do a return that way?)

I am interested in meaningful opinions on what I should do. It is a beautiful coin to my eye, but I realize the seller is by no means reputable and it is almost certainly too good to be true... but if it is... (one can dream!)

Thanks in advance! I'll try to post pics if I can figure it out. I've not received it yet, so can only show ebay pics, which are a bit out of focus (another red flag...)

For reference, here is a "real" MS65 Peace coin.. Doesn't the hair look flatter? Eagle neck feathers look more dull than "my" "MS66"? Or is it my imagination?

My guess your NCG coin shows very nice details, but has been cleaned and/or overdipped, and therefore wouldn't make it into a "respectable" holder. It has that perfect evenness of finish between fields and devices that say "somebody dipped me waaaaaaaay too long".

A 1928 Peace dollar is a semi-key, the second-lowest mintage in the series and worth a substantial premium in any grade. Your 1923-D is_not MS66, probably never was, and cannot be considered as having a "percentage" of MS66 value. A Mint State coin adjudicated by a TPG as "Cleaned" does not base value on a high grade. So, as a cleaned coin, your is worth a percentage of what any Mint State 1923-D is worth, not an MS66. Melt value, in other words - you just threw $160 at a $20 coin.

I thought you were going to see this from my previous and the other posts; I didn't really want to put it to you this harshly.

A "decent" coin in a basement slab like "NCG" is an immediate red flag. You can assume such a coin isn't worthy of a reputable holder, and assign value with that in mind.

Thank you for the response! The comment about a cleaned coin essentially negating the so-called "grade equivalent" and bringing it to its base value was really insightful to me. I don't mind the harshness at all; in fact I appreciate it, as I am trying to learn. I was going to say, any time I see a (graded) cleaned coin on ebay, I don't even consider it; I want my collection to be free of cleaned coins. Since this particular coin seemed to have such clear features (as compared to previous posts), I though maybe the situation was different. Clearly MS XX has a lot more factors than just the detail of the features.

Besides, I am not really in this for the money, but rather to own pieces of history, and have a collection of the "genuine articles".

I will take a good look at it when it arrives to see what a cleaned coin looks like, even with the features fairly intact, I will compare it to my other uncleaned coins from NGC, PCGS, and ANACS, and then I will happily return it!

Thanks again for the insight & helping me on this journey..

btw, I thought the 1928P was *the* lowest mintage in the series...?
Unless you are counting the 1922 high relief?
Or the 1964? ;)

Very nice purchase

Now remember, PCGS, NGC, ANACS, ICG. There is also SEGS which is decent although I don't own one coin holdered by them. I stick with those 4.
Over time, you'll learn to by the coin, not the holder