Is it better to submit an ICG coin in holder or crack it out?
Quincyboy12
Posts: 23 ✭✭
I have a very nice 1935 Peace dollar that I would like to crossover. Should I crack it out or leave it in the ICG holder when I send it in? Do the graders at PCGS/ NGC look at the grade the other 3rd party gave it or are they blinded to it? Would they look at an ICG coin and automatically give it a lower grade because it is in ICG plastic? Thanks, read board regularly. Very interesting and helpful.
2
Comments
They won't automatically give it a lower grade, but they also won't give any benefit of the doubt to a coin in another holder. This is especially true if the holder is scuffed or in any way impedes any grader from seeing the coin the way they want to.
If you post a picture of the coin and the grade, you'd get advice more tailored to your situation. Sometimes the cheapest form of crossing a coin over is selling it and buying another in the holder you want.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
If you are unsure what to then it might be a good idea to get additional professional sight seen opinions.
If it were me, I would crack it and send it in raw. Just my personal preference, no personal experience to validate one way or the other. Cheers, RickO
I have sent one ICG 1945 P MS66FS Jefferson Nickel in to PCGS in the holder and it returned the same grade. My only attempt and boy did I think about sending it raw but did not. I think it is according to the coin. If it is truly a gorgeous coin, then I'm not sure it matters. I do not believe that PCGS would downgrade it for no reason. JMO
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
The biggest advantage to sending the coin in raw is you don't have to pay the 1% fee on the value of the coin if it crosses.
Are you confident in its grade? If so definitely crack it out. At the very least it saves you some money.
Collector, occasional seller
If you send it for crossover, they necessarily have to look at the grade the other service gave to it. I recommend that you only crack it if you are feeling certain it should cross. If any doubt at all, just submit it in the holder. Unless it's a high value piece, the 1% is pretty much negligible, particularly considering the increase in value by getting it into a PCGS holder.
FYI, only PCGS will accept non-NGC coins for crossover. NGC only accepts PCGS coins for crossover. (If that has changed, someone please correct me.)
The coin is what it is. In theory it should grade at whatever it is per PCGS standards. You're really asking if the ICG grade will influence the outcome, and I don't think it will.
The only reason not to crack it out is if you believe, for example, the the coin is preferred as ICG MS65 vs PCGS MS64. If you think PCGS undergrades it you can always resubmit it although that has a cost too.
I'd like to see a pic of this coin. In many cases, if it were my coin, I'd leave it in the ICG slab and use the money for the round-trip shipping with insurance and the grading fee to buy another coin.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
With Lincoln cents I've had better grades cracking them out.
"A dog breaks your heart only one time and that is when they pass on". Unknown
A couple years ago I cracked out a 1921 Peace $1 graded MS62 by ICG.
It came back MS64 in a PCGS holder.
I'd image it in the holder, crack it out, send it to PCGS raw, though I have found them pretty much unbiased but they will probably embrace tougher standards if around gem in the holder, so they don't get embarrassed on the forums. "Hey, my coin from xxx crossed to PCGS, boy are they getting liberal on grading". ICG will reholder usually and will look at the tab unlike the other services.
As much as I like ICG for fast grading at reasonable prices, I wish they would upgrade their holders. Also they will usually honor the guarantee of the previous ownership which often overgraded some coins.
The only reason to leave it be is if it might not straight grade due to questionable color, cleaning etc. or it get's a downgrade. If you can live with those potential outcomes, get out your hammer.
Crack it out - send in raw