Ridiculous Grading Result of the Day ...86 1c Cleaned

Manorcourtman

Ok I am just about done with PCGS. This is the most ridiculous result I have ever seen. Sent in numerous moderns including a 1986 penny right out of a mint set and they body-bagged it for cleaning. I am not only ticked but insulted and feel like I have been fleeced by a out of control corporate monster. I destroyed a perfectly good mint set by cutting out this coin because I thought it would grade 68 and they insult me with a cleaning/no grade designation. I am p'd beyond belief. Cleaning on a 1986 penny???? How dumb of a proposition is that, unbelieveable in my opinion. I guess I am the fool for wasting my money with this company. Wasted a $20+ gorgeous mint set and paid $12 to be insulted. The sad thing is that the 86D from the same set was graded. If you'd like to see the result, check out submission # 3020742.

C.

wondercoin

I had the same thing happen to me with a Kennedy Half dollar from the 1980's which I pulled from a mint set (may have even been a 1986 dated coin come to think of it). Rick M. explained to me that the US Mint washed these coins before sealing them and in a few cases their own wash (i.e. cleaning) was not done in a manner resulting in a coin PCGS could slab.

Yes, one can argue that since the US Mint did the "cleaning", the coin deserves to be slabbed. But, I can also appreciate the grading companies' desire to slab only coins which look "right".

The "cleaned" result seldom happens from these mint sets (it is certainly not the norm), but, it does happen from time to time.

Wondercoin

cointime

mcm,
I've been there, but actually was my fault for dipping a couple coins. One thing I found that helps (sometimes) is cut the coin from the set, but leave it in the mylar packaging and place that inside the 2x2 flip. Don't give up. I said last time I was done sending in Ikes, and well... I've got another batch in at PCGS. The best I have ever seen. Should find out in a week or two. Hang in there

Ken

MadMarty

Don't feel too bad, I had a 1979 T2 Quarter get bagged for being "Not Genuine". Even PCGS couldn't figure out how it got that BB. The upside was the 6 coin slabbed proof set sold for a premium because of the bodybag!

jacktheknife

It's hard not to get down on PCGS though when you feel like you've been ripped. I had sent in two absolutely beautiful Linolns in NGC holders for cross over. In fact these coins were so nice that I had a sliver of hope that they would upgrade! Both came back DNC! To add insult to injury, the coins were three days late on the submission guarantee! It just seems that PCGS has gotten to be such a big and dominant force that you feel helpless. I get the feeling that if I want my coins "legitimized" that I need to get them into PCGS holders. Otherwise, there is just no liquidity. So no matter how much we all would love to tell PCGS just what we really think, we all know that the big giant will just shrug it's shoulders and say "so what". The anger will wear off and I will again submit my coins to PCGS.

Datentype

Manorcourtman, I feel your pain. I have had several of the 86-p Lincoln's body bagged by pcgs but I finally learned how to tell. They have a slight haze around the date and several of the other devices under 5X magnification that is real easy to pick up.

Micth is exactly right about the mint cleaning some coins. It really hurts to wait on pins and neeedles for 2 months and then get crappy grades - been there done that. You really have to be extremely careful cutting up mint sets and then sometimes when you cut it out it has something that you did not see resulting in a wasted mint set.

wondercoin

Jack: If your (2) NGC coins were that incredible (upgrade candidates), then why did you not simply crack out the coins to submit raw to PCGS? This takes away any concerns you might have that they do not treat crossovers fairly. But, it also accomplishes something else for true collectors (and I know you are one) - if the coin does not slab exactly as you would like after resubmitting it, I simply crack it out and tuck it away in a safeflip in my personal collection. For example, I recently bought an slabbed NGC Kennedy half dollar (key date coin in pop top grade) that I thought was an easy cross and possibly even an upgrade possibility to a pop 1. So, I cracked it out and submitted it raw to PCGS. When the coin comes back from PCGS, in the unlikely event the coin would grade a point under the former NGC holder, I'll simply crack it out, place it in a safeflip and add it to my raw MS Kennedy collection of spectacular quality coins. In fact, after I cracked it from the NGC holder, I truly went back and forth about even sending it to PCGS at all vs. simply keeping it in a flip forever.

Of course, to those "investors" out there, my idea may make no sense at all, as one loses a certain amount of liquidity I suspect. But, as a true collector of your particular series, who cares if a coin you know to be killer PQ++ for the grade resides in a flip in your collection?

Wondercoin

coinguy1

While the major grading services sometimes no-grade coins out of original rolls, mint sets, proof sets, etc., they are often in a no-win situation.

They are supposed to grade coins, without knowing whose they are or where they came from. Yes, I know there are inevitable exceptions.

So, you might have a coin which you KNOW is original, but the grading service does not have all of the information that you do, upon which to render an opinion. Nor should they.

I don't think it would be fair to some submitters if others were allowed to lobby for getting a coin graded, by giving details of the history of a given coin or collection, in order to have it certified, when it would otherwise not have been. The playing field SHOULD be even, though it is not always so.

With the grading companies hypothetically grading coins in a vacuum, it means that some AT coins will get holdered and some original coins will get body-bagged - there is no practical and equitable way around those facts of life.

jacktheknife

Mitch,
I had originally wanted to crack the coins out, but lacked the cohones to do so. At $2500 a piece, it is a little hard just to close my eyes and jump, not knowing where I will land. But, as I am waiting for my coins to be returned, I am thinking about jumping. It's just annoying that we have to play such games.