Listed "Prices" On Their Websites And TPG Guarantees?

Thx alcoclo.




I don't quite follow/understand this. Sounds like a chicken/egg type debate. How can one know what the market price is "first" and then grade accordingly? Do submitters label the flips with "what they want" to influence the grades?

I guess it is a corrupted process from what is being said! I would expect that the graders shouldn't KNOW who it is that submitted a coin ( to prevent collusion or preferential treatment as seems to be what most feel happens ) nor what the submitter thought the grade or price was/is/should-be. They are supposed to be the "watchdog/verifier", in theory.

I understand that the biggest beef most have is that big customers or dealers are less likely to get their coins returned as "cleaned/details/etc." than any ole shmoe that submits. That is a valid problem if they just "ASSUME" all of one guys coins are authentic but "overly scrutinize" anyone else etc. It's kind of like my beef with instant replay officials. IMO, they should never KNOW what the original call was on the field. As they are likely to let that influence them and less likely to "overrule" and embarass their fellow officials. Thus there is bias built in. The graders should be "blind" to who submitted and what the coin has been graded BEFORE. I thought that was their policy. Many seem to be indicating they violate that principle!

As for the + and CAC, I totally agree. Why are such things necessary? Seems like 60-69 is NOT ENOUGH, they want 61.5 62.5 etc. by adding the +'s. Seems silly!

Interesting. So they can "require" a certain grade or ask that it not be slabbed, thus influencing. But the "price" to get it graded is the same regardless, correct? So they don't save on that coin, but can use it as a ploy - as in I'll stop sending you my grading business if you don't grade to my minimum.

Obviously, that shouldn't be ALLOWED at all. Scumbags infiltrate every field it seems!

NO. The services guarantee the grades and if they decide later they were wrong, of if the coin degrades in the holder they will pay the difference in value, but that value does NOT come from their price guides. They offer what THEY decide is the "fair market value" and it FREQUENTLY bears little resemblance to the prices in their guides and is usually significantly lower. What they use to come up with their guide prices I don't know.

Thank you for the clarification. You're right, as usual.

That price difference kind of indicates what their "price guides" are actually worth, eh?

In theory, that's how it works.

I read about whoever most recently graded the King of Siam proof set. Big deal about how they gave the coins higher grades than the previous TPG.

Ask yourself these questions:

1) When you're looking at an 1804 dollar, a coin that has been researched in detail, and perhaps photographed thousands of times, is it possible to not know exactly which one it is, and most likely the most recently assigned grade and by whom?

2) There's only one King of Siam proof set. It can be traced back to the day it left the mint. Does calling one of the coins ms63 instead of au58 change its value? It's not like the buyer will pay more, or upgrade it if it kept the old grade, because a better grade coin would not have been part of the set. Like putting a plastic fender on a crinkled Caddylack; perhaps prettier, but not original.

3) Which of your coins are in better condition and have less wear than when you got them? Count the ones you cleaned with an eraser when you were a kid, sneezed on when you were looking at them, made it through the fire, etc. The reason the finest graded coins go up in value is because every year, a few are damaged or lost, but none get to be better condition.

4) Why TPG the King of Siam proof set at all? There's no question it is genuine, even though the coins were never issued legitimately. Call a coin ms or vg on the next grading, and it doesn't matter, it's still the King of Siam proof set coin.

5) Let's say it bounces out of the armored truck on the way to the buyer, and gets scratched and run over. All coins take 40-point hits. So what? Does that really affect their value? Will someone else have a better King of Siam proof set? No, because there's only one, and it is what it is. Maybe not as pretty as it was, but still unique.

I would think you're entitled to a repackage only, since you didn't buy it as a graded 13s, only to find it's a 13p.

Dear customer-

We're too stupid to get the mintmark right.

Sorry about your ms65 rd 1909 IHC.