Grading Older Commemoratives

I'll give these a shot. No ad lib, JMHO.

1. Different series' are held to different standards.
2. PCGS and NGC first. ANACS and ICG second. Quality of work.
3. Yes, but not all coins need to be certified.
4. Many do, some don't and a few don't care one way or the other.
5. If you want to spend the money to get it slabbed, it may increase it's market value.

Lastly, you have the best screen name on CCF! Reminds me of "Twister"!

Thanks for the response. Sometimes I feel like a Twister. Not knowing what direction to go but always looking for that perfect coin for my collection.

Here are my answers but I admit to being biased

1. Yes they have the experience, they were grading the older series before the moderns came along.

2 I don't, I hate all the services and I think a collector should learn to grade and attribute for himself.

3. Yes, but only my own. What someone else thinks of the coin is immaterial to me.

4 In general yes, because many collectors do not have faith in their own opinions and want someone to hold their hand.

5 It does give him some protection if the coin doesn't grade as high as he bought it for. This makes them happy because now they have two people holding their hand. Of course now that the coin is no longer in the dealers holder you run the risk that the dealer will deny it is the coin you got from him.

You're forgetting two other important factors. That sonically sealed holder does help to keep the coin in the condition originally found. How many times have you put a coin ( especially a large coin) in a book only to come back and find the plastic retaining sheet has scratched the coin.

This other point certainly isn't the main reason one sends it to a TPG but it's a contributing factor. I like the blast white or brilliant reds over the toning that naturally occurs. The holder won't completely stop toning, but it sure slows it down.

JMHO.

If you are an inexperienced buyer you shouldn't be buying high value coins unless you don't mind possibly losing the money.



And this would be a bad thing? And truly rare or nice coins had a strong market before the TPG's ever came along. They just let a lot of people who have no clue what they are buying feel confident throwing money that them.

Like I said I'm biased. I don't expect many people to agree with me. But the more knowledgeable the collector the less they are concerned with what the TPG thinks and the less they care whether the coin is raw or not. As a general rule, I think if you are afraid to buy a coin because it hasn't been blessed by one of the major services, you're beyond your Peter Principle.

Conder101

for the most part I feel as you do.....and grading is only an opinion even by a TPG company and they are not always right. If you do not have an idea how to grade then you will never know for sure whether or not the TPG company was even close.

remember Knowledge in this hobby is very important and as a hobby grading is part of what sets the price so if you can't or won't learn to grade you could lose a lot of money.

I think Remmys ending comments are spot on. If you are leaving any coins with moderate value to anyone who has no or little knowledge of what you are leaving them then TPG is a safe way to aid in helping loved ones get the best value out of your collection. Even more so take some time to set up a plan In Case Of What Ever, With who ever the collection is going to be left with. Remember if you fail to plan, Plan to fail. Taking the step to getting coins slabbed is a good first step. I think that's one of the great benefits to using TPG. I was able to join NGC as an associate member through the ANA. https://www.money.org Of course someones going to get your money. I'm glad it was them. Its about $20 for a year but well worth it. They have a Library full of almost every coin book you can imagine. You can borrow every kind of book cd dvd ect. This allows me to send coins in for grading without paying NGC Or having to show some of my personal buys with my dealer. And I get to learn anything I need to learn. That I believe is a win win. NGC and PCGS have made a name for themselves just try not to get caught up in their Modern Coin Sales Tactics. No ones perfect I've received MS-69 SAE from both company's with some pretty distracting marks on them. But they have an option to challenge and reimburse you what you paid say its not making the grade. At least that's what I believe. Knowledge is key to anyone of these issues. But the first coin I bought for over a $150 was a 1937 Texas Comm. MS-63 Old Green Slab. Cause it was slabbed. It was going for a good price, (I had been pricing them for a day or two. So checking the grade to the price sheet gave me a decent buy. I think if I crack this baby out and resubmit it I can get a higher grade on it. If you get good enough you find the Raw Coins for a great buy and get them graded then sell them for top dollar. To each their own. Thanks for your time. Ohh yea My mother and I just went over her collection so when shes gone and although I'm not going to sell it cause its a part of her at least we took a worry off the back of her mind.