Did Heritage set up its own grading service during the 1980's?

Longacre

I was reading a book and it indicated that Heritage set up a grading service during the 1980's, I believe. Does anyone know anything about this? Were the coins slabbed, or where they somehow sealed and graded? Do any of these Heritage-graded coins still exist?

MrEureka

The company was called NCI and their standard was consistent and ahead of its time.

Barry

<< <i>The company was called NCI and their standard was consistent and ahead of its time. >>


The infamous NCI that's still valued in CDN...

roadrunner

Ahead of its time is an understatement. In another 5 years NCI graded coins will finally be accurate. But it will have take 25-30 years of gradeflation (and 2-3 MS grading points) to make that happen. What do they say? A clock is right twice a day. So is a grading opinion......if you wait long enough. Accugrade coins of today will finally intersect the TPG curve at around 2075.

roadrunner

DrPete

Does Heritage own a very big percentage of NGC?

roadrunner

Dr. Pete, rumor has it that it could be so. Wonder who bought Tom Noe's share in NGC?

roadrunner

Conder101

Technically Heritage did not start or own NCI, but it was started by at least some of the owners of Heritage and it was located in the same building.

Depending on what sources you check NCI started up in either 1985 or 1986, but these commonly available sources are wrong since NCI grading certificates exist dated in December of 1984. There are eight different varieties of NCI photocertificates, and during the use of the last two certificates the coin was also placed in a tamperproof slab. That slab may have also been used briefly by itself without the photocertificates and is listed as NCI 9. Trying to determine when each certificate type was introduced is very difficult. From study of the issue dates on the certificates it is apparent that at least six of the certificate types were in use at the same time.

At the time they were in production they were considered the bottom of the slabbing barrell and were regarded lower than ACG. After they folded around 1991 ACG became the whipping dog of the grading industry. Specimens of NCI graded coins are thought much better of today than back when the company was open.

DickyBetz

Great info Conder!

BillJones

Their standard was consistent. I’ll give them that in spades. The only problem was their standard was considerably below the industry, and their coins traded at considerable discounts to those who knew the score.

As for “ahead of their time,” if grade-flation continues old NCI coins might start trading at 100% of the present market.