ever wonder why pcgs gets top dollar?ngc 2nd,icg 3rd,anacs 4th?

it because pcgs and ngc allow there graders and owners to buy and sell coins,thus self promote their product.it also means they can be as bias or unbias as they want to ,to promote sales.im not saying they do,but its possible.

icg does not allow any owners or graders to buy, sell ,or own coins. this makes them less likely to be bias,[they only grade coins,not sell them].and be more likely  to be unbias,in my opinion.

ever watch shop at home network,and see them tear apart icg.its because they know icg is as good if not better than ngc and pcgs.and they are scared.they dont want you buying their [icg]coins.

icg has some of the most renouned numismatists in the world,[1 of whitch used to work for pcgs for yrs].imagine that.

icg also uses the same three person system for gradeing coins as ngc, and pcgs.that is to say that 3 different people,seperated,and apart,grade the coin.if all 3 say the coin is a 70,then thats what it is.but if just 1 person says its below that,then the grade falls to that.

icg is the only grader to use the intercept insert ring in their slabs.

icg also garuanties their coins for authenticity,clarity ,grade,etc.

 but im just a collector ,so do some research,go to each of their sites, and see for yourself.  be informed as a buyer.thats why icg are  the coins for me.

ATTN: pcgs and ngc was recently sued by an attorney in florida over their first strike label,it seems they were not adhering to the rules set up for first strike designation ! they were gradeing more than the first 30 day releases as first strike ,THEY LOST!!now according to the graders rateings system ICG has moved into the #2 spot with ngc  falling to #3 grader.ALL indications point to ICG as being the #1 grader in the world SOON !! this is a FACT!! and not fantasy or wishful thinking .

ATTN:i recently purchased a 2007 washington dollar graded and slabed by icg as a double error,(missing edge lettering&struck thru grease). i also purchased 7 ngc slabbed coins w/missing edge lettering and starburst pattern(also struck thru grease).i was going to resubmit them to ngc for proper gradeing but they are refuseing to regade these coins!! they say it's not a struck thru grease error,but caused by the mint useing a used die? lol what a joke! regardless of what caused it ,it still deface's the coin ,and it's still a double error that ngc is REFUSEING to acknowledge! if you have these types of errors ,icg WILL regade them properly. i've also seen that anacs has some listed properly also so they will probably regade them too.but ngc will not .i talked to them in person on the phone so trust me.they wont.i also contacted the ana ,about this blatent error on their fav.company's part.nothing they can or will do about it, this is one reason ngc HAS dropped to the #3 gradeing company! and apparently the a.n.a. backing of n.g.c. graded coins means nothing either!

NOTE:icg has LOST the 2 most prominant numismatist in the bussiness.They are now working for ANACS.ANACS has moved their facilaty to englewood colorado.look for anacs to be on the up swing because of this change!!

the above is my opinion only based on information i receive from coin dealers !!

the following is from a well known coin site on the web.hope it helps to shine some light on the subject.

     There are many third party coin grading companies, I will try to give an overview of each of several of the most noted  ones here.  No

one is perfect and mistakes in grading do happen.

     Also do not always depend on the grades given the coins by the grading services. Learn to grade coins yourself, ask questions and

find a dealer you can trust and learn from. Nothing can replace experience and knowledge.

    It is believed, but not proven, that some companies show favoritism to those who submit large quantities of coins as well as to those

who are owners/dealers associated with the company.  Although not proven it should be a factor when buying or selling slabbed co    This also brings to light the practice of "Cracking Out" a coin for resubmission. If a person finds a nice coin that is high end for the certified grade and the value between the current grade and the next higher grade is large enough, the coin gets broken out of its slab and resubmitted hoping for the higher grade. If the value is great enough, the coin may be cracked out and resubmitted several times until it gets the higher grade. ins.

 WARNING
     There are a lot of "so called" 3rd party grading services that use "slab like" holders.  These should be approached with caution.

Some of the things to look for are: Coin World logo in the bottom left corner of the holder, ACG in the bottom right corner of the holder,

holders that are "sealed" with  foil stickers (many are gold with black writing).

     Many of these sell for a fraction of market value  for the grade listed.. and are still over priced for what you get.
 

.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

PCGS Professional Coin Grading Service 
 
One of the top four grading companies and the one most accepted for “sight unseen” trading.  PCGS is part of Collectors Universe,

who's primary owners/CEOs are among the nations largest coin dealers.
Nice holders
Grading is pretty accurate
Does not grade problem coins
Attributes errors and varieties
Customer service is OK
Authorized Dealers or Collectors Club Members

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
ICG Independent Coin Grading Company 
 One of the top four grading companies. Owners/graders do not buy, sell or trade in coins.
ICG  also has the intercept® insert ring, the only company with this product. 

They tend to be tough on gold and easier on modern proofs.

Nice holders
Grading is accurate and consistent
Does not grade problem coins
Attributes errors and varieties
Customer service is fast and friendly
Authorized Dealers or Collectors Alliance
Certifies and grades Ancient coins

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
NGC Numismatic Guaranty Corporation of America 
 One of the top four grading companies, some of the owners are also major dealers.
Nice holders
Grading is not always consistent
Does not grade problem coins
Attributes errors and varieties
Authorized Dealers  or through  The ANA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
ANACS  
 One of the top four grading companies, Once owned by The ANA and one of the first third party services to authentic and grade coins
Holders are OK, but could be improved
Not as consistent with grading
Grades/slabs problem coins (net graded)
Attributes errors and varieties
Authorized Dealers or Direct submissions 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------