Grading Services

Mark Host

<h2><a href="http://pcgs.com" title="PCGS homepage">PCGS</a></h2> Based in Newport Beach, California. PCGS is known as a consistent player in the market of third party grading. Although, not the first to hit the grading market, they have earned quite a reputation in the last few decades. Several key investment strategies involving PCGS encapsulated coins makes the buzz around the brand a bit more appealing. Also, a significant difference in price for many modern high grade coins on Ebay and even at Heritage Auctions. PCGS offers a registry service for it’s customers as well as population reports. Population reports are a significant determinant in market prices. Something another company differentiates from PCGS. Professional Coin Grading Service is owned by Collectors Universe (NASDAQ: CLCT) is a publicly traded company. This is somewhat of a different structure from the other services, but it seems to work well for markets. From the PCGS website <blockquote> In 1985, a small group of the nation’s leading rare coin experts recognized that in order for the rare coin industry to realize its potential, several serious problems needed to be addressed. </blockquote> <blockquote> Market participants soon became aware that one of the fundamental factors in determining rare coin values is the physical condition, or grade, of the coin. They learned that a coin graded Mint State 65, for example, may have market value many times greater than the same coin graded Mint State 64—although the difference in an MS65 coin and an MS64 coin may be virtually undetectable to the untrained eye. A coin sold by one dealer as an MS65 may be sold by another dealer as an MS64 (or less). In some cases a coin buyer could be victimized by product misrepresentation. In other cases, he was caught in the middle of a dilemma of wide ranging definitions due to the absence of a true standard. In other situations, they were simply caught in the middle of divergent definitions, due to the absence of a universal standard. </blockquote> <h2><a href="http://ngccoin.com">NGC</a></h2> Based in Sarasota, Florida. NGC is known for being the third coin grading service out on the market. Again, not being the first to the market, but maintaining a dominating position in the market from the beginning until the present time. While many will say PCGS coins are more valuable in modern high grade coins, collectors of NGC coins will note that many classic coins or even certain varieties are more valuable in their holder. The number in ”the book” or population reports can impact market prices. NGC also offers registry service for it’s customers as well as publishing a population report of submitted coins. NGC has recently offered a permanent solution, the <a href="http://www.ngccoin.com/services/edgeview_holder.asp">EdgeView</a> to the industry trend towards clear holders that display the edge or side of a coin. While the new holder is a solid attempt by NGC to account for collectors needs to see all sides of a coin, it is not a 100% solution to the problem as part of the coin is still not displayed. From the NGC website <blockquote> NGC was founded in 1987, and for coin grading, its opening heralded the introduction of a new standard of integrity. From the beginning NGC focused on only one objective, a standard of consistent and accurate grading. As NGC has grown to become the leader in third-party grading services, we have maintained a steadfast and uncompromising commitment to this standard. The knowledge, integrity and dedication of NGC’s team of grading experts ensures you a level of grading consistency unparalleled among grading services. This record of consistency, built over the years, has helped to foster greater stability throughout the rare coin marketplace. </blockquote> <blockquote> To ensure impartiality and accuracy, three numismatic experts, each with decades of successful professional experience in rare coins, evaluate each coin submitted for grading. A grading finalizer assigns a final grade and the coin is then sonically sealed in a protective, inert plastic holder. NGC’s full-time grading experts are no longer active in the commercial coin marketplace, and are prohibited from buying or selling coins to ensure impartiality. Most have been with NGC for many years. The NGC grading team’s only interest is in determining accurate grades for coins. </blockquote> <blockquote> At NGC we pride ourselves on our uncompromising standards and a commitment to integrity that makes us the leader in coin certification. </blockquote> <h2><a href="http://icgcoin.com">ICG</a></h2> Better known as the Independent Coin Grading company, their holders are often featured on home television shopping channels. The ICG holders contain the Intercept Shield™ corrosion protection. While the idea of this company seems to be idealistic and excellent on paper the value of a coin in an ICG holder carried much less worth, particularly in Sheldon grades 69 or 70. This independent grading service does not publish a population report and therefore avoids a conflict of price confusion. Though, the market has often changed tides. Technology or an unforeseen trend could ignite popularity in any grading service. From the ANACS website <blockquote> ICG guarantees that all coins submitted to its grading service will be handled and graded with the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. All submission and customer information is strictly confidential between ICG and the submitter. </blockquote> <h2><a href="http://anacs.com">ANACS</a></h2> The original coin grading service had it’s roots in the ANA or American Numismatics Association, the longest standing numismatics organization. While ownership has changed over the years to private organizations from the non-profit structure of the ANA. The ANACS has been a stronger player in the market for some years as the coin grading market matured, and lost much of it’s appeal in the last decade to NGC and PCGS. ANACS has made a recent effort to gain market share with a completely <a href="http://www.anacs.com/contentPages/AnacsNewCoinHolder.aspx">redesigned holder</a> for graded coins. While the effectiveness of the new design has yet to be determined, the holder is a big upgrade from the previous and reiterates an industry trend for clear holders. NGC has yet to follow suit, but has introduced the previously mentioned new EdgeView™ From the ANACS website <blockquote> ANACS’ rich and noble history began in 1972. It was created by the American Numismatic Association (ANA) with a mission to correct an urgent problem facing the coin hobby. The ANA is a century-old, not-for-profit educational association for collectors of coins, tokens, medals and paper money. The ANA, like the U.S. Olympic Association and the American Red Cross, is chartered by the U.S. Congress. </blockquote> <blockquote> In the early 1970s, the ANA board of governors recognized that something significant needed to be done about the counterfeit and altered coins that were plaguing the coin community. Their solution was ANACS, the American Numismatic Association Certification Service. ANACS began with a staff of two experts with Washington D.C. as its home. Washington was chosen in order to utilize the Smithsonian’s Numismatic Collection and to be near the Treasury Department, specifically the Secret Service. </blockquote> <blockquote> This was a time when many people could never be quite certain if the coins they were purchasing, or even selling, were genuine or counterfeit. Something had to be done to protect and uphold the integrity of the coin industry, especially if it was to grow into the mainstream as a hobby and a business. Little had been written on the subject and the science of counterfeit detection was still in its infancy. ANACS certified its first coin as genuine on June 15, 1972. As the need for the service grew and as the benefits were proven over and over, additional experts were added to ANACS’ staff. </blockquote> <blockquote> In 1976, ANACS was moved to Colorado Springs where ANA had its headquarters. Three years later, ANACS began grading coins using the technical grading standards that the ANA had established earlier with its book, “The Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins,” a monumental work that the ANACS staff helped create. Coins were given a grade for each side of the coin, obverse then reverse (e.g., MS-65/63). The service took off. A few years later ANACS was grading nearly 3,000 coins a month. (Today, that would be a good day at ANACS!) No one had yet thought of encapsulating the coins in plastic holders. Instead, ANACS issued a photo certificate showing both sides of the coin, the dual grades and pertinent comments about the coin. </blockquote> <blockquote> In 1983, Kenneth E. Bressett was appointed Director of ANACS. Ken was, and still is, the long-time editor of “The Red Book” and a frequent numismatic author and speaker. Ken hired and trained a team of graders at ANACS, many of whom moved on to become some of the most famous names in coin collecting. Many are still professionally grading coins today, others are leading, national coin dealers, while still others are highly respected numismatic researchers and authors. </blockquote> <blockquote> In 1989 ANACS discontinued issuing photo certificates and began encapsulating coins in tamper evident plastic holders. A year later, the ANA board of governors sold ANACS to Amos Press, publishers of Coin World. In December 2007, ANACS was acquired by Driving Force, LLC, of Colorado and on January 1, 2008 was relocated to Englewood, Colorado, a Denver suburb. </blockquote>

2008-10-27T04:24:49-04:00

grading-services 657192

2008-12-23T14:57:10-05:00

170552

Grading Services 2009-01-16T17:50:43-05:00 <h2><a href="http://pcgs.com" title="PCGS homepage">PCGS</a></h2> Based in Newport Beach, California. PCGS is known as a consistent player in the market of third party grading. Although, not the first to hit the grading market, they have earned quite a reputation in the last few decades. Several key investment strategies involving PCGS encapsulated coins makes the buzz around the brand a bit more appealing. Also, a significant difference in price for many modern high grade coins on Ebay and even at Heritage Auctions. PCGS offers a registry service for it’s customers as well as population reports. Population reports are a significant determinant in market prices. Something another company differentiates from PCGS. Professional Coin Grading Service is owned by Collectors Universe (NASDAQ: CLCT) is a publicly traded company. This is somewhat of a different structure from the other services, but it seems to work well for markets. From the PCGS website <blockquote> In 1985, a small group of the nation’s leading rare coin experts recognized that in order for the rare coin industry to realize its potential, several serious problems needed to be addressed. </blockquote> <blockquote> Market participants soon became aware that one of the fundamental factors in determining rare coin values is the physical condition, or grade, of the coin. They learned that a coin graded Mint State 65, for example, may have market value many times greater than the same coin graded Mint State 64—although the difference in an MS65 coin and an MS64 coin may be virtually undetectable to the untrained eye. A coin sold by one dealer as an MS65 may be sold by another dealer as an MS64 (or less). In some cases a coin buyer could be victimized by product misrepresentation. In other cases, he was caught in the middle of a dilemma of wide ranging definitions due to the absence of a true standard. In other situations, they were simply caught in the middle of divergent definitions, due to the absence of a universal standard. </blockquote> <h2><a href="http://ngccoin.com">NGC</a></h2> Based in Sarasota, Florida. NGC is known for being the third coin grading service out on the market. Again, not being the first to the market, but maintaining a dominating position in the market from the beginning until the present time. While many will say PCGS coins are more valuable in modern high grade coins, collectors of NGC coins will note that many classic coins or even certain varieties are more valuable in their holder. The number in ”the book” or population reports can impact market prices. NGC also offers registry service for it’s customers as well as publishing a population report of submitted coins. NGC has recently offered a permanent solution, the <a href="http://www.ngccoin.com/services/edgeview_holder.asp">EdgeView</a> to the industry trend towards clear holders that display the edge or side of a coin. While the new holder is a solid attempt by NGC to account for collectors needs to see all sides of a coin, it is not a 100% solution to the problem as part of the coin is still not displayed. From the NGC website <blockquote> NGC was founded in 1987, and for coin grading, its opening heralded the introduction of a new standard of integrity. From the beginning NGC focused on only one objective, a standard of consistent and accurate grading. As NGC has grown to become the leader in third-party grading services, we have maintained a steadfast and uncompromising commitment to this standard. The knowledge, integrity and dedication of NGC’s team of grading experts ensures you a level of grading consistency unparalleled among grading services. This record of consistency, built over the years, has helped to foster greater stability throughout the rare coin marketplace. </blockquote> <blockquote> To ensure impartiality and accuracy, three numismatic experts, each with decades of successful professional experience in rare coins, evaluate each coin submitted for grading. A grading finalizer assigns a final grade and the coin is then sonically sealed in a protective, inert plastic holder. NGC’s full-time grading experts are no longer active in the commercial coin marketplace, and are prohibited from buying or selling coins to ensure impartiality. Most have been with NGC for many years. The NGC grading team’s only interest is in determining accurate grades for coins. </blockquote> <blockquote> At NGC we pride ourselves on our uncompromising standards and a commitment to integrity that makes us the leader in coin certification. </blockquote> <h2><a href="http://icgcoin.com">ICG</a></h2> Better known as the Independent Coin Grading company, their holders are often featured on home television shopping channels. The ICG holders contain the Intercept Shield™ corrosion protection. While the idea of this company seems to be idealistic and excellent on paper the value of a coin in an ICG holder carried much less worth, particularly in Sheldon grades 69 or 70. This independent grading service does not publish a population report and therefore avoids a conflict of price confusion. Though, the market has often changed tides. Technology or an unforeseen trend could ignite popularity in any grading service. From the ANACS website <blockquote> ICG guarantees that all coins submitted to its grading service will be handled and graded with the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. All submission and customer information is strictly confidential between ICG and the submitter. </blockquote> <h2><a href="http://anacs.com">ANACS</a></h2> The original coin grading service had it’s roots in the ANA or American Numismatics Association, the longest standing numismatics organization. While ownership has changed over the years to private organizations from the non-profit structure of the ANA. The ANACS has been a stronger player in the market for some years as the coin grading market matured, and lost much of it’s appeal in the last decade to NGC and PCGS. ANACS has made a recent effort to gain market share with a completely <a href="http://www.anacs.com/contentPages/AnacsNewCoinHolder.aspx">redesigned holder</a> for graded coins. While the effectiveness of the new design has yet to be determined, the holder is a big upgrade from the previous and reiterates an industry trend for clear holders. NGC has yet to follow suit, but has introduced the previously mentioned new EdgeView™ From the ANACS website <blockquote> ANACS’ rich and noble history began in 1972. It was created by the American Numismatic Association (ANA) with a mission to correct an urgent problem facing the coin hobby. The ANA is a century-old, not-for-profit educational association for collectors of coins, tokens, medals and paper money. The ANA, like the U.S. Olympic Association and the American Red Cross, is chartered by the U.S. Congress. </blockquote> <blockquote> In the early 1970s, the ANA board of governors recognized that something significant needed to be done about the counterfeit and altered coins that were plaguing the coin community. Their solution was ANACS, the American Numismatic Association Certification Service. ANACS began with a staff of two experts with Washington D.C. as its home. Washington was chosen in order to utilize the Smithsonian’s Numismatic Collection and to be near the Treasury Department, specifically the Secret Service. </blockquote> <blockquote> This was a time when many people could never be quite certain if the coins they were purchasing, or even selling, were genuine or counterfeit. Something had to be done to protect and uphold the integrity of the coin industry, especially if it was to grow into the mainstream as a hobby and a business. Little had been written on the subject and the science of counterfeit detection was still in its infancy. ANACS certified its first coin as genuine on June 15, 1972. As the need for the service grew and as the benefits were proven over and over, additional experts were added to ANACS’ staff. </blockquote> <blockquote> In 1976, ANACS was moved to Colorado Springs where ANA had its headquarters. Three years later, ANACS began grading coins using the technical grading standards that the ANA had established earlier with its book, “The Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins,” a monumental work that the ANACS staff helped create. Coins were given a grade for each side of the coin, obverse then reverse (e.g., MS-65/63). The service took off. A few years later ANACS was grading nearly 3,000 coins a month. (Today, that would be a good day at ANACS!) No one had yet thought of encapsulating the coins in plastic holders. Instead, ANACS issued a photo certificate showing both sides of the coin, the dual grades and pertinent comments about the coin. </blockquote> <blockquote> In 1983, Kenneth E. Bressett was appointed Director of ANACS. Ken was, and still is, the long-time editor of “The Red Book” and a frequent numismatic author and speaker. Ken hired and trained a team of graders at ANACS, many of whom moved on to become some of the most famous names in coin collecting. Many are still professionally grading coins today, others are leading, national coin dealers, while still others are highly respected numismatic researchers and authors. </blockquote> <blockquote> In 1989 ANACS discontinued issuing photo certificates and began encapsulating coins in tamper evident plastic holders. A year later, the ANA board of governors sold ANACS to Amos Press, publishers of Coin World. In December 2007, ANACS was acquired by Driving Force, LLC, of Colorado and on January 1, 2008 was relocated to Englewood, Colorado, a Denver suburb. </blockquote>