PCGS Undergrades!!!

ealandg

I tried to do some baiting about this in an earlier thread, without success. IMHO, the reason that we all find PCGS coins so much more desirable is that they are undergraded. We all go around saying how ANACS and NGC grade more "loosely", but what we really mean is more accurately.

When did PCGS become the grading standard we should use?

Hasn't it occurred to anyone that this is why their slabs are pricier? The coins are all undergraded!

My evidence is that there are hardly any PF70s among the moderns. We know the minting process has improved dramatically over the past few hundred years and with all the proof sets out there we should see a higher incidence of 70s. I don't collect moderns, so perhaps I am out of the loop on this, but I find this hard to believe...

What do you think?

Fairlaneman

PCGS grades coins like I grade coins so in my opinion the coins are graded correctly most of the time.

NGC grades to thier standard so those are graded correctly also. Same with ANACS.

Which ever service grades like you will be the service you will say grades correctly, wouln't you think ?

Ken

EVillageProwler

Prepare to don your asbestos suit!

EVP

ealandg

If that is so, then why do we crack out and resend, crack out and resend?

Also, why would a coin be worth more based solely on the plastic it is encased in? Simple - America responds well to a deal. If I say something is free or bargain priced or discounted, I will get much more traffic. If I undergrade all my coins, but inflate the prices slightly, everyone thinks they are getting a great deal.

tradedollarnut

If I undergrade all my coins, but inflate the prices slightly, everyone thinks they are getting a great deal.

Huh? As opposed to having the same coin in the higher grade holder and asking less than published retail value for it. Which would more likely appear to be the bargain.

Get over the false premise that pricing is only in discreet steps and you will finally realize that the quality of the coin means so much more than the ephemeral grade on the holder. Match the quality to the price - that's all that matters. The holder, and it's grade, are but transient pieces of man made material......

LucyBop

I think a few of MadMartys AU58's might actually be overgraded!

Bear

Dont really know why it should be it just is. Funny thing though, I find PCGS coins over graded

and I find them undergraded. Perhaps 80% seem on the nose. Why , how and who I cant really say.

stman

What does a "PCGS COIN" look like?

Bear

Ity looks like Lionel Barrymore.

Robgetty

I think that PCGS hits the grade that most people agree on more often than not. I think
that they are more conservative than some other services, and the prices for their
graded coins indicates to me that the market agrees. Are they perfect? No. Is anyone
perfect? No. Will any grading service ever be perfect? No, because deep down grading
has a subjective aspect, and there will always be a dissenting view.

All in all, they are doing a good job of grading. (Now if you want to talk about turnaround
times, you will open up the next can of worms. Stay away from economy, and you'll be fine! )

matto

PCGS hits the grade that everyone grades by, because they have set their personal standards to that of PCGS. Ultimately, I think they undergrade also.

nugget369

This is a complex issue, and there is no simple answer. Clearly there is variance from one grading service to another and subvariances within specific coin series and specific grades designated. For example, statistics prove that when it comes to grading Saints, NGC has been (historically) more lenient in designating MS65's relative to PCGS by roughly a 5 to 3 ratio. Or in other words about 40% of all NGC 65's would not make the grade at PCGS. In the 66 grade the percentages are nearly equal. However in MS67, NGC now becomes the tougher ticket with PCGS 67's more than twice as common as NGC 67's.
Again these percentages are based on historical statistics and don't necessarily reflect current grading tendencies by the two major grading services. It is my opinion that NGC has become more firm in grading 65's recently.
Generally I believe that I have seen more overgraded coins than undergraded. Perhaps this is due to the fact that at least some coins have not always been in their current holder, as they have upgraded.