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 Replies: 14 / Views: 3,030 |
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Valued Member
Canada
212 Posts |
Is ICCS still # 1 in Canada or are these 2 grading companies now equal? I prefer ICCS but wish they had a hard slab. Does anyone know if they will ever have a hard slab? Edited by Matrix1980
04/10/2011 1:22 pm
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New Member
Canada
31 Posts |
In my opinion PCGS has become more conservative and more consistent than ICCS. I've come to this conclusion via cross grading from ICCS to PCGS, with the latter quite often disagreeing with applied grade and offering a lower grade. I feel ICCS has been liberally grading coins now for the past 1-2 years. It's almost like they switched graders. ICCS used to be the toughest on coins with PCGS being a little more liberal, now it seems its the polar opposite. Again.. my opinion
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Valued Member
 Canada
212 Posts |
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New Member
Canada
31 Posts |
Personally have never dealt with them, although they offer a hard slab which I feel is a negative issue with ICCS. I haven't looked to CCCS as of yet just because of possible upgrading at a later date and with re-sell options. For me having a coin in PCGS holder opens up to a much larger market if and when I look to liquidate part of a collection even common coins/grades. If CCCS begins to permeate this market south of the border to a high degree, I'd be more than happy to spend my grading dollars here.
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Valued Member
Canada
212 Posts |
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Valued Member
Canada
183 Posts |
ICCS AND CCCS Still sets the standard in grading Canadian Currency,ask any coin auctions dealers.
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New Member
Canada
31 Posts |
Unfortunately lately ICCS hasn't been "setting" this "standard" very high
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Valued Member
Canada
183 Posts |
If lots of coin collectors think they can grade better than the pros, lots on ebay and other sites,buyer beware,that is why I like to buy from companies like ICCS and cccs graded material rather than American graders. |
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Valued Member
Canada
84 Posts |
I am a newbie here... but not to collecting or ICCS... I have probably spent somewhere around $5000 directly or in increased buying premiums to acquire coins graded by them. I have begun to have some concerns with this and wonder what the value will be when I am hopefully still collecting 20 years or more from now. Hopefully the more experienced on this site can help out with my questions/concerns. PCGS vs ICCS Both are for profit companies... PCGS may have share holders and not a sole proprietor... but both are in it for profit. PCGS may be around a lot longer because they have shareholders and are not reliant on one owner deciding to retire etc. Wondering if this will make PCGS more relevant in the long run? With the 1000's of ICCS graded coins appearing on ebay monthly... Brian can't be spending the time he did on each coin in the past... and I have seen some real issues with coins purchased in the last year or so compared to before.. so something seems to have changed. Market vs Technical I get coins graded for 2 reasons... one to help me become a better grader of raw coins I am less familiar with and secondly to help insure value and ease of sale when I go to sell. The main reason long term would be ease of sale... would not a market grader (PCGS) make the coin easier to sell in the long run if they are grading to the market? Fraud Detection etc. I do buy coins on line and felt safer buying a 3rd party graded coin until recently. The inability to easily find out from ICCS if the coins I have bought were even graded by them is a problem. When you call them they are extremely reluctant to agree to look at them... less then helpful on how to do it... and have no plans to do it any time soon. Both PCGS and CCCS have an easily used tool to help me do this (though CCCS has had some issues getting all of their coins available for look up). If ICCS continues to make this difficult and does not address the ICCS look a likes (not referring to CCCS but the basement graders copying ICCS almost completely) then the longer term value expected from an ICCS graded coin may not be there? If ICCS does not address some of these issues... their relevance to collectors may not hold for much longer... if Brian wins the lottery and retires next week... what happens? Will the extra $5000 or so I have spent on ICCS certification have been wasted? Not trying to beat up on ICCS here at all... I have 3 or 4 hundred of my coins graded with them... I just don't know if that was a good investment (other then the education I have gotten from it) or not. Your thoughts are appreciated... |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
902 Posts |
What makes one a pro so they can do TPG ? Do they have to take a course or have to be liscensed or is it just another opinion like your's or mine, but one you have to pay for ? |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1733 Posts |
It's just an opinion. Typically it's someone who starts out involved with coins who builds knowledge and trust at the dealer level and then moves into grading. No, there's no course or certification because there is no governing body that rules on the fine points of numismatics. My own core collection does not include a single TPG slab or package. I am always interested and open minded to other peoples educated opinions but since it's my money when I buy coins, only my opinion ultimately counts and I say no to a coin a lot more often than I say yes. The problem with ICCS and CCCS is no matter how good the grading is (or bad, however you label it) they are one trick ponies. Either one could close shop and be gone tomorrow. I sent nickels into CCCS and he nailed them all, dead on (imo), no mussing around and even the ones that looked JUST SO DARN FINE you wanted to upgrade, he didn't. Technical merits only. Of course, I sent them all in to ICCS and had them regraded before I sold them. All but one went up. That was last year and my first kick at CCCS and while I disagreed on some grades, overall he erred on the side of caution, which means as a buyer you might get a good deal on a really nice looking 63 that could be a 64 in your mind. There's the problem though with internet sales, anything expensive and high grade you get a lot more money for when it comes with an opinion from a TPG because no matter how good the picture is, grading from photos is pure heck when that last point means hundreds of dollars. Basically I've learned to accept them when I want to sell and almost totally ignore them when I want to buy. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
902 Posts |
Great come back ugly. I tend to agree with you. I have several TPG coins I have bought, not because of that reason, just coins I wanted. |
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Valued Member
Canada
84 Posts |
Thanks for the thoughts.. glad to have found this site... I have very few friends whos eyes don't glaze over when the topic of coins come up and the couple of dealers I know have become way to busy to take the time to talk to guys like me who are not just buying and selling bullion right now. What faith I had in ICCS has been severly eroded by the dozen or so coins I bought on ebay recently that are just terrible... luckily I don't buy anything really expensive there... really disappointed in what I see... |
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New Member
Canada
31 Posts |
Without tightening up the now liberal grading, lack of more secure holders, and lack of website / online verification, I believe within 10 years ICCS won't be around or at least a factor in TPG's. UNLESS some major changes are made. |
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Valued Member
Canada
109 Posts |
The big difference between ICCS and PCGS is;
PCGS guarantees the grade when the coin is slabbed and will stand behind it-that's why some coins don't get graded-they had a doubt about the coin. This doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the coin in many cases they just won't stand behind it. ICCS states its their "opinion" in an attempt to sidestep liability and doesn't guarantee the grade which gives them more leeway.
ICCS is more familiar with the Canadian series than PCGS.
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Replies: 14 / Views: 3,030 |
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Posted 04/10/2011 1:48 pm
