how does everyone here rate pci grading service?

coinman420 · February 11, 2006 4:13PM

i recently got a couple rolls of morgans with most in very nice condition and sent them to pci for grading. i try to grade them myself before sending them in but i`m certainly no expert. thought they would grade higher than most of them did. 25% of them came back with a red label which is equal to pcgs bodybag. i`m not saying pcgs would grade them any higher or lower but was wondering how everybody here trusted pci`s grades. it seems to me that they graded very conservitive on my submission. i was hoping a couple would grade ms64/ms64 but the highest i got was ms62. i`m including a scan of one that made ms63 but it was red labeled "wiped". others were lightly cleaned. cleaned, whizzed, bent, envoiromental damage, scratched, etc. i saw a couple had been lightly cleaned but sent the whole lot in for grading. i`m sure pcgs would have bodybagged the same coins that pci did. my question to you is do you have confidence ince for your opinions. pci grading? thanks in advance for your opinions.

Cameonut · February 11, 2006 6:08PM

Your question comes up about once a month on this forum.

The current product that PCI provides is not well thought of. Personally, I would not buy a coin in a new PCI holder for anywhere near greysheet.

If you were talking about the old green PCI holders, they were more strictly graded.

Barry · February 11, 2006 8:59PM

I have no respect for PCI. Their grading is way off the mark, compared with the "big 3." Also, the ones you got in a red label must be REALLY bad, given what I've seen in their gold label slabs. This is my personal opinion, of course.

SUPERCARCOINS · February 11, 2006 9:01PM

PCI ? what are they good for ? nothing

Boom · February 11, 2006 9:06PM

Oh Boy, where's the popcorn?

Just the other evening I totally went off on a PCGS NGC authorized Dealer that was selling nothing but PCI. PCI had graded and labeled a 34-D Regular Motto Washington Quarter as a Heavy Motto. Amazing! Not even close....so what does that tell you?

A couple years ago I was able to eyeball some Washingtons and Morgans in PCI holders and did rather well because I had the coins in hand and was able to cherrypick but as for buying them like on the Bay, I automatically deduct AT LEAST 3 grades from whatever is on the label.

nwcs · February 11, 2006 9:18PM

I am not a big fan of what I see in the PCI holder. But, of course, there are always neat coins to be had if you look carefully.

ldhair · February 11, 2006 9:31PM

I didn't know they still did the red label.

jdimmick · February 11, 2006 9:37PM

To put it nicely,

If these were your results from PCI, then there is something that you are not seeing. You may want to seek out others advice such as another dealer you know or take it to a local show for opinions and try to educate yourself on what you were overlooking.

jim

Boom · February 11, 2006 9:42PM

<< <i>try to educate yourself on what you were overlooking. >>

Stated perfectly.

Cameohunter · February 11, 2006 9:50PM

Your question comes up often but it does not hurt to alert newer collectors to the pitfalls of PCI.

I treat them as raw coins and usually ask myself what they missed. For the cameo and deep cameo coins I like I also ask myself why a supposedly low population coin is not in a PCGS or NGC holder.

As others have pointed out some really nice coins can be found in PCI holders. Since many collectors distrust PCI graded coins they can be great bargains if you can examine them in hand and if you are confident about your grading skills. I will not buy them on the internet since lighting doctors can induce you into making poor decisions in the hope of big profits.

When I first started collecting I purchased some PCI holdered large cents. I submitted all five to ANACS. Two graded straight while three net graded with either cleaning and corrosion noted. When I tried to cross the two non net graded in ANACS holders to NGC they were body bagged.

In terms of liquidity you may find it much to difficult to resell a PCI coin in comparison to one graded by PCGS or NGC.

PerryHall · February 11, 2006 10:00PM

Don't confuse the old PCI holders with the green bordered labels which were very conservatively graded with the newer PCI holders with the gold bordered labels. There was a change in ownership with a major change in grading standards.

Cameohunter · February 11, 2006 10:28PM

Good point. Green border early PCI's are certainly more conservatively graded. All five of mine that failed to cross were newer gold labels.

50cents · February 11, 2006 10:42PM

Did you buy these rolls from eBay?

50cents

XpipedreamR · February 11, 2006 10:51PM

Lay off the weed, coinman420

goose3 · February 11, 2006 10:57PM

Xpipe.

Remember the Fake 1856 flyer thread a few years ago anyone.....???

LincolnCentMan · February 11, 2006 11:02PM

Old green label PCI's were graded pretty accurately. Back in that time, I'd say that probably 30% of them would cross to PCGS. Now, it's probably a little lower because a lot of them have already been cracked out. Since the gold label, it's probably more like 1-2% that I think would cross (I actually crossed one to PCGS at the same grade through a crack-out.)

David

BillJones · February 11, 2006 11:08PM

PCI?

Approach their coins as you would a raw coin. Their holders are worthless.

Even in the old days, the best thing one could say about PCI was that they were inconsistent. Some of their coins were undergraded, but enough of them were overgraded to warrent not taking their word for anything.

Kip · February 11, 2006 11:56PM

I'd ask the same about ICG and Modern SHQ coins, but with one of their graders next to the board, I doubt I'd get a trueful answer. I guess it goes back to buy the coin..not the plastic IMHO

nwcs · February 12, 2006 12:18AM

ICG did better with classics than moderns but I do think that the ol' sheriff (Cam) has helped them out a lot.

BAJJERFAN · February 12, 2006 12:24AM

I have two PCI green label slabbed coins and THATS IT!!!

Bochiman · February 12, 2006 1:08AM

I love older PCI holders for slabbed SAEs
They can tone nicely

btw.....for morgans, which are one of the easiest coins to grade, PCI doesn't do that badly for MS64 and below.
Key is to see the coin in hand.

vega1 · February 12, 2006 1:24AM

You really should have asked this question *before* sending in your coins, but thats the past.

Use the search function and you will see many threads on this topic. PCI is not well regarded, and IMO as another poster mentioned, they should be treated as raw.

dunerlaw · February 12, 2006 1:29AM

Just because the coin is in a pci holder doesn't mean is overgraded.
True - most are overgraded: I had a ms67fb that was au at best.
but I bought a red label ms62 "scratches" 1919d mercury dime and pcgs graded it ms63!
another green label 1938d ms64fb mercury dime pcgs graded it ms65fb.
Look at the coin. IMO

Conder101 · February 12, 2006 1:41AM

<< <i>I didn't know they still did the red label. >>

Yes they still do. For a long time I thought they had stoppd as well. But it turns out that they just don't use it anywhere near as often as they used to. So a lot of coins that in the past would what gotten red labels, they now consider good enough to be "worthy" of the gold labels. Think about that for awhile and act accordingly.

cartwheel · February 12, 2006 1:41AM

I have three green label PCI slabs (all Walkers) which I consider graded dead-on (MS64). Buy the coin, not the slab!

Cartwheel

coinman420 · February 12, 2006 1:51AM

yes i bought the rolls off ebay. i guess i should have picked through them and just sent the nicest ones to pcgs or ngc. i still believe that not a single one of these was overgraded, possibly one or more were undergraded. maybe someday i`ll crack a couple out and see how pcgs grades them. thanks for all your opinions.

coppercoins · February 12, 2006 2:16AM

I wouldn't send my belly button lint to PCI.

XpipedreamR · February 12, 2006 2:17AM

<< <i>I wouldn't send my belly button lint to PCI. >>

But if you DID, It would probably get a very good grade

BrokenArrow · February 12, 2006 2:36AM

I wonder if I sent in my rolls to pci what would they say the grade is. My wife tells me it would say Love Handles!!. I think you should invest your money into buying a rowing machine I have to get rid of my love handles, 36 inch waist isn't bad for a 45 year old fellow? Why PCI?

coinman420 · February 12, 2006 2:56AM

i sent them to pci just to save a few bucks per coin on the cost. something tells me i would have got similar results from pcgs or ngc. it would be interesting (but too costly) to crack em all out and let pcgs grade them and compare.

100proof1957 · February 12, 2006 2:59AM

iF ITS A GOLD label we dont !

BlindedByEgo · February 12, 2006 3:32AM

Wow - rolls of Ebay "uncirculated" Morgans sent to PCI for grading.

The mind boggles.

50cents · February 12, 2006 3:40AM

What was the auction #? I would like to see who was the seller..

Myqqy · February 12, 2006 3:49AM

So a lot of coins that in the past would what gotten red labels, they now consider good enough to be "worthy" of the gold labels. Think about that for awhile

Wow- that's crazy!

GAT · February 12, 2006 4:13AM

Not all PCI green slabs were created equal. The green 10 digit slabs are on the whole accurately graded, 9 digits highly questionable and the 14 digits iffy.

coinman420 · February 12, 2006 4:17AM

50cents... seller was christian65

fc · February 12, 2006 8:03AM

i have never seen in hand a PCI graded coin nor attempted
to buy one.

crito · February 12, 2006 8:14AM

Cracked out a PCI GOLD label 1927-S Peace $ graded MS60, sent it to NGC and it came back MS62. Glad I didn't let bad message board advice influence my buying decisions. Buy the coin, not the plastic. That said, to get top dollar you'll have to sell the plastic, not the coin. Why do you think peeps spend so much time resubmitting for a lousy point upgrade? The coin hasn't changed; it's the plastic that makes them money. Unfortunately (for competition and fair prices) nobody is getting rich selling PCI plastic.

ldhair · February 12, 2006 10:44AM

In it's day the old green label 10 digit was a great holder at the price.
I don't mind saying I used the service for several hundred coins, just for the holder.
Most every coin came back within a point of where I thought it should be.
I did get several red labels showing me something I missed.
It's really a shame they went the way they did.

airedale · December 24, 2006 11:36AM

Only the future ( sell time ) will prove how sharp my eye is. I have found that I return 20% and keep 80% of the PCI coins purchased. I have return a higher percentage of ICG coins.

leothelyon · December 24, 2006 12:13PM

Interestingly enough, while surfing the net for coin holders, I came across a website that sells slabs that you can start your own business with. One of the examples had a CSI label inside it.
http://www.mycertifiedcoins.com/BUY_COIN_HOLDERS.html
And here's their website.
http://www.pcicoins.com/
Doesn't say much of anything or about who runs that outfit. Anyone know?

Leo

Sunnywood · December 24, 2006 12:18PM

how does everyone here rate pci grading service?

BigDaddyz · December 24, 2006 12:26PM

how does everyone here rate pci grading service?

Picture a couple of 19 yr old college guys who cook up a scheme to make a bunch of money fast....

granddad · December 24, 2006 12:31PM

I don't rate them. Run, run as fast as you can.

Have a Great Day!
Merry Christmas to all,
Louis

koynekwest · December 24, 2006 1:10PM

Professionally Certifed Ineptitude.

how does everyone here rate pci grading service?

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