Who's Your Favourite > P.c.g.s. Or I.c.c.s. Or C.c.c.s. ?

You *do* realize what you're asking, in this forum, right?

Posters to follow: When you share your opinions, and I know you'll share your opinions, please try to keep the level of discourse below the melting point of steel.

I use all three. ICCS for prooflike ultra heavy cameo coins, CCCS slabs for coins that I just want to
look at and enjoy in the holder (no intention of selling), and PCGS for expensive key date stuff in circulated grades (for maximum market exposure when I do sell in the future). If I had to pick only one as a favorite, that's a tough one. I'd probably pick PCGS just because they are doing so much more than other grading houses from a technology standpoint. For years ICCS was "it" for me, but I can't rely on their grading anymore, and
that's a shame.

I think it's as in..."this" forum, where coinsrfun et al will probably chime in
and chew a strip off anything and everything to get the ball rolling...lolol

Selling ICCS/CCCS on ebay (US) has been a problem for me. A couple knuckleheads at ebay (probably paid by a "recognized" grading company) roam the auctions and report any deviations... Can't mention the grade or that the coin is graded. Can't even put the acronym ICCS in the title. The wrath of ebay will come down striking with no mercy. Bamm! Cancelled. No recourse, no appeal. But that's an entirely different subject. I digress...

Unfortunately, unless the rules change, I can't buy ICCS/CCCS.

I voted for CCCS

PCGS is the way to go if you want to place your coins in the murrican market - not the case with my twoonies: most of them present "quality control issues" that will not be recognized by PCGS

Now ... ICCS ... they are supposed to be good with cents - anything with a different denomination is problematic. I saw a HUGE number of misgraded coins, cleaned coins, scratches and all other blunders one can imagine. They certified fakes, forgeries, fabrications and are the single responsible for the most moronic term ever - the numismatic BU (fill this space with your preferred slurs on my behalf) BECAUSE they fear being sued (like NGC and PCGS) by using "first day" denomination (since they do not know the difference between a PL an specimen and a business strike, it came handy). Lack of transparency, consistency and accountability will result on serious $ losses - the market is getting tired of the flood of garbage wrapped in plastic.

CCCS is everything ICCS is not. To start - CCCS when in doubt consult experts and collectors. There are now 2 graders and a third will join when the volume insure profitability. We know WHEN a coin was graded, and they do not invent terms to suit their needs or paranoia. They have a web presence and visit all major shows in Canada. If you don't agree with the grade you can discuss with them. The slab they use is AMAZING (during CNA in Ottawa, Louis threw a slabbed coin at the fountain in the Bank of Canada and left it there for hours - there was not a single sign of infiltration). They assign errors and varieties even if not listed in Charlton. In other words - a great product for the price, and a product for the Canadian market

just my $2/100

I can't vote in you pole because it is too restrictive.

For Canadian large cents I like NGC because they are so undervalued. It is often possible to buy a "best ever graded" (and beautiful) NGC large cent for under $1,000. Canadians have contempt for NGC, which is why the price.

For PL dollars I like PCGS not considering Cameo (which they don't give) designations and ICCS for Heavy and Ultra Heavy Cameos.

I hear a lot good about CCCS and looking at their population distributions they are probably strict, but their pop reports show that few coins are being sent there and essentially NONE of the high end, valuable material goes there.

In my opinion ICCS is the risk. Maybe (and I repeat MAYBE) in the past one could trust an ICCS "opinion." Not today - the quality of their "opinions" dropped. To make matters worse - there is no way of knowing what is an old certificate (with a more reliable "opinion") and what is a recent one - the IDing system is as moronic as the nubu thing.

I don't like, I don't respect and I don't trust ICCS. The few coins in ICCS holders I have are 2$ gems like: 1998W-MS68; 1997-SP68 Winnipeg; 1996-MS66 (it is a proof); 2000W SP67 and so forth. I was the underbidder on the now famous 2$ "upset core" (for those that do not know about this one, a coin offered a few weeks ago in ebay that had its core popped out, flipped and re-inserted. ICCS certified as genuine - so much for an expert opinion ... If you owe it, PM me)

I like PCGS. Also, I cannot understand why NGC is not popular in Canada (are they popular in US?).

Hello TY,

Having collected in the US since before PCGS and NGC started, most people there think that NGC and PCGS are equivalent up to MS/PL 65, PCGS is slightly stricter on older coins above 65 and perhaps a full grade harder on modern "commemorative junk" with NGC much more willing to go 70 then PCGS.

Canadians have contempt for NGC which can get you some real bargains. I have a 1953 PL67 dollar that sold at auction (in the US) for $7,000 a few years ago that I got from a well know dealer for $2,300 recently because the owner had it slabbed in an NGC holder. Since it is a "name" coin, from the old Pittman collection,and still has has the PCGS PL67 tag (both denote it as Pittman) I may try to see if I can get it to cross at 67 with ICCS.