Do wannabe little Submitters get a break at PCGs?

LucyBop

I have some things in mind that I want to share with you all, based on some current threads that are running..

I personally don't believe that anybody gets a 'grading break' regardless of submission volume or teir. I believe PCGs makes every attempt to grade as accurately as possible. Have I ever been disappointed with PCGs? You betcha, I have also been elated with them as well....

When some of the 'little people' submit and get low grades it is very easy to cry foul.

I submit anywhere from 5 - 20 coins at a time. Usually I have friends/forum members piggybacking onto my submissions.

On my smaller personal submission I tend to send in coins that all have a shot at a UltraGem homerun grade so to speak, sometimes I hit, sometimes I don't. I will study the coins further when they return, and sometimes I see why PCGs gave the grade they did, sometimes I don't.

I find that it is very very easy to see your own personal coins that you are submitting in a better light then what others may. Particularly professional graders. This is a easy trap to fall into as we don't want to think we purchased a bunch of duds and then compounded it by submitting them for professional grading, but alas, it happens, atleast with me. I admit, I have had coins come back with low grades only to have me realize I didn't really send in a choice example.

Sometimes I get on a grading roll, and I have lots of hits and very few misses, boy times like that are fun. Lately I have been in a slump, which at times has caused me to really question my abilitys to grade, yet I am determined to do better and CONTINUE in my knowledge of understanding what constitutes a high grade GEM vs. a not so great coin.

I love having submissions in waiting on grades, I enjoy the excitment of when they post to see how well I may have done. Sometimes I wind up thrilled, other times I have to re-eximane why I submitted a particular coin.

Isn't it interesting that you rarely see threads about people complaining because PCGs over graded their coins? I know it happens, yet folks tend to be quiet about that, yet ready to scream bloody murder when they get 'hammered' so to speak.

You see, the professional graders are humans, and they are not perfect, but guess what? So also am I am human whom has also made some bad judgements in some coins being submitted. Heck, I really truely believe I can grade Frankies with the best PCGs has to offer, however, They do it at a fast rate were I get very intimate with a coin and examine it for quite sometime before making a decision, more times then not PCGS has graded my Frankies where I expected them to grade, though even in my area of specialty I have sent in some losers that became painfully obvious only after I received the coins back from PCGs.

I don't believe at all that there is foul play occuring behind the scenes to say the least. I am a little wannabe submitter, I enjoy it, I get on a roll, I take my lumps, but I enjoy it, I enjoy sharing my experiences with my friends here, I enjoy sharing images of the coins we all love, I enjoy it.

This past Saturday I sent in a 8 coin submission, I have high hopes for these coins.... Let the drama begin, and the anticipation and excitment, the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat begin.....

I love it, thanks PCGS!

Lucille

wondercoin

Best thread I have read in ages.

I echo much of the sentiment.

Wondercoin

GTOster

Paul

CarsonCityGold

Well presented and dead on accurate. There is no giant conspiracy. The thrill and anticipation to see whether a submission was a hit or miss is great fun. I love getting to day 40 + on an economy submission. It means I'll be entering the invoice number 3 or 4 times that afternoon to see if its been posted. Some I hit and some I miss. Use the experience to hone your grading skills and understand that your not always going to agree. Nice post Lucy, CCG

GTS

Wow could any of us be more grounded than this very classy lady.A fine example for all coin collectors to look up to.Thanks for your very well rounded perspective Lucy.
GTS

BlindedByEgo

Very fair minded post. Appropriate for us little people.

Well said.

FatMan

Lucy, thanks for your thoughts on the issue. But I am curious about this quote:

<< <i>Sometimes I get on a grading roll, and I have lots of hits and very few misses, boy times like that are fun. Lately I have been in a slump, which at times has caused me to really question my abilitys to grade, yet I am determined to do better and CONTINUE in my knowledge of understanding what constitutes a high grade GEM vs. a not so great coin. >>

Do you honestly believe that you can have slumps in grading? How can you be so dog on good at times and be so far off at other times. Does this mean your grading standards have loosened in your current slump? The most logical answer here is that PCGS makes adjustments to their standards, or more clearly stated have cycles of loosening and tighening. Don't you agree?

Coinhusker1

OMG Lucy, one more post and you are at 20k!!

As Lucy mentioned, the key is to learn from every submission and get better. It has gone both ways for me as well. I have had Morgans grade MS66 that I thought would go 65. After examining the coins, I realized I was too damn conservative, as the coins had exceptional strike, luster, and surfaces, whereas I was overly focused on strike and surfaces.

And with regard to overgrading and bulk submissions: The percentage that are overgraded are probably the same as for economy and modern sumbmissions . . . however, the sheer number of bulk versus economy/modern submissions will, by definition, result in more overgraded coins coming from bulk sumbissions. No conspiracy, just simple math.

nankraut

Well-put Lucy. Here's a "back-atcha" in advance3 of your 20,000th post

Cnitas

I agree with coin husker. It is a simple math problem. If you submit more, then more will be overgraded, and more will be undergraded. Combine that with the periodic loosening and tightening of grading, and you get a mess, but not a conspiracy.

ER

Nobody (big or little) should.

ThatImpalaDude

Excellent thinking; excellent writing. And she drives fast cars also. What a combination. I'm in love.

Steve

TorinoCobra71

Bopper -

Well thought out Post! I like the waiting on getting the grades too! I click Martys Page at least 2-3 times a day!

TorinoCobra71

cape

i agree with lucy , i feel i can grade a buffalo nickel with the best of the best . there are times we all make mistakes in our judgement, including the graders, that i beleive is why they call us humans!

STEWARTBLAYNUMIS

Lucy - Do you DEAL in Frankies ? What has been your best "Hit"

What is a wannabe little Submitter ? Laura ?

Stewart

Coxe

I sure wish I was better at grading Buffalo nickels, cape. I got a nice investor group of twenty common 38-D in PCGS MS66 (green tags - LOL) eight years ago from Teletrade. Already scanned them for OMM and I just know some of them are candidates for upgrades. The question always is which ones. I get lost in the gorgeous toning and strikes and, as Lucy pointed out, perhaps overlooked a few contact marks in the pride of ownership.

Where smaller submitters don't get a break is in price. Fewer coins in a tier/form, means a higher fraction of the the two-way registered shipping and insurance to bear for each. I have another box of VAMs to ship but keep adding to it with each auction win, holding on until it gets too close to risk not having them back before I go to FUN. Hope the 10 working day estimate for variety review is accurate.

moosesr

Well said!!!

LucyBop

This stunning GEM is my best hit so far:

Coxe

Gorgeous Frankie! Is that big tilde/wave from his mouth to the rim a toning separation or just an artifact of the lighting used in the second shot?

LucyBop

that is toning seperation....

These pictures don't do this Ultra GEM justice, the luster on this coin is incredible!

I believe this one to be amongst the finest known, finest ever graded..

bushmaster8

Hepkitty, tell us more about the 57. I have submitted thousands of Frankies, but never got a 67.

Were you confident it would go 67 when you submitted it?

Do you still own it, or did you sell it lickety-split?

Did you own the whole mint set, or just the half?

And , most importantly, is the rest of the mint set still lying around cluttering up your living space?

seanq

<< <i>I personally don't believe that anybody gets a 'grading break' regardless of submission volume or teir. I believe PCGs makes every attempt to grade as accurately as possible. Have I ever been disappointed with PCGs? You betcha, I have also been elated with them as well.... >>



I agree with this statement (and most of your post) 100%.



<< <i>I love having submissions in waiting on grades, I enjoy the excitment of when they post to see how well I may have done. Sometimes I wind up thrilled, other times I have to re-eximane why I submitted a particular coin. >>



I agree with this statement 1,000%. I have an economy submission on Day 46 today, it was in "verification 1" status Friday afternon. I finally took pity on Marty's bandwidth and started reloading the order status page instead. I'm going to have a hard time explaining to MIS why my mouse wore out.



<< <i>Isn't it interesting that you rarely see threads about people complaining because PCGs over graded their coins? I know it happens, yet folks tend to be quiet about that, yet ready to scream bloody murder when they get 'hammered' so to speak. >>



Once my grades post, I may be the exception to prove this statement. I have a PO-01 candidate that better not get bagged or come back in a FA-02 holder.



<< <i>I love it, thanks PCGS!

Lucille >>



No, thank you, Lucille!


Sean Reynolds