Question On PCGS Online Price Quide

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Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,723
gary1218 Valued Member United States 67 Posts	Posted 03/04/2012 08:03 am I can't seem to find an explanation for this any where on the PCGS web site. For each coin in their price guide PCGS lists 2 lines, an MS line and a "+" line. I'm assuming the MS line is the price for the coin in that MS grade. What is that "+" line? Also, are these dealer buy prices or dealer sell prices? Thanks. Report this Post to the Staff

okiepb Pillar of the Community United States 1213 Posts	Posted 03/04/2012 09:18 am For the Mint State grades, PCGS has instituted a + grade meaning that the coin is at the top end of that grade. For instance, if a coin is MS64 + that means it's better than an average MS64 but not quite to the MS65 level. As for the prices, they've always seemed high to me, so if anything they would be sell prices, but a PCGS dealer isn't obligated to sell at that price. They are supposed to be "market prices" but for the most part you'd be hard pressed to be able to sell for the listed price. Others may have more input for you. Report this Post to the Staff
nickelsearcher Moderator United States 15433 Posts	Posted 03/04/2012 09:37 am with that reply. Although I personally believe that the value of the + intermediate grade is somewhat silly given the subjective nature of grading to begin with .... Quote: Also, are these dealer buy prices or dealer sell prices? They are neither of those ... keep in mind that the PCGS price guide is just one of many 'guides' out there and by no means the definitive answer to the market value of a coin. Other 'guides' could include the Red Book, Numismedia FMV, CDN (greysheet) and past auction prices. None of these 'guides' will match each other ... but an examination of multiple sources should enable the buyer or seller to establish a reasonable starting point for fair negotiations. That said ... all bets are off when considering a truly quality coin with high demand/appeal ... in these cases the ultimate selling price might be many multiples (5x to 10x) of the 'guide' price ... as a specific example ... Check out this 1918 Illinois (Lincoln) half dollar that is currently available in a Heritage auction ... note that the Numismedia FMV 'guide' for this coin in MS66 is $830 ... check out the current bid. http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleN...8&lotNo=3816 Bottom line ... all guides are just that ... guides. True value is based on whatever someone is willing to pay. David Edited for spllegning Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.art Edited by nickelsearcher 03/04/2012 09:40 am Report this Post to the Staff
Conder101 Bedrock of the Community United States 17884 Posts	Posted 03/05/2012 1:45 pm Quote: Although I personally believe that the value of the + intermediate grade is somewhat silly given the subjective nature of grading to begin with .... I agree, but I also feel that eleven MS grades is somewhat silly for the same reason. Report this Post to the Staff
cc99999 Pillar of the Community United States 1302 Posts	Posted 03/05/2012 11:22 pm I think the eleven grades are fine- so long as the grading companies get it right. There is a huge difference in appeal between an MS-65 and an MS-67 or MS-68 coin. It's visible, real, and obvious. I think the problem most people have is that the bands get narrower and narrower for certain coins when big money is involved. For instance an MS-67 or MS-68 sacagawea is easy to "make" - but unless you are an insider you'll never "make" such high grades submitting raw coins if the top pop grades are high dollar. Report this Post to the Staff
BuffalosRock Pillar of the Community United States 500 Posts	Posted 03/06/2012 3:45 pm Those claim to be "fair market value" based on their recent sale prices, but in reality they are RETAIL prices that dealers WISH they could sell them for - mostly. As said, the "+" is a gimmick PCGS came up with to add more MS grades than just 60-70 ( for which most older coins can't be found in 68-70 anyway so it was a way to produce "halves" in between - in essence ). Kinda farcical but it works for them! Report this Post to the Staff
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