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the big 2 and little 2 PCGS NGC ANACS ICG

BUFFNIXXBUFFNIXX Posts: 2,759 ✭✭✭✭✭
Can anyone explain to me why ICG is included in the list of "legit" coin grading services. It seemed that shortly after they came into existence the were included in the group and others were not.
What gives? It is a mystery to me.
Collector of Buffalo Nickels and other 20th century United States Coinage
a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"

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    TopographicOceansTopographicOceans Posts: 6,535 ✭✭✭✭
    Included where? eBay?
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    coinkatcoinkat Posts: 24,487 ✭✭✭✭✭
    ICG has had and still does have some very capable numismatists and graders

    Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.

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    Bigbuck1975Bigbuck1975 Posts: 1,278 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I recently purchased a complete set of Morgan Dollars with the keys being graded by ICG.

    For the most part, the grading was very consistent and accurate and some of the coins were even a bit conservatively graded IMO. They are now over at our host for review so we will see how that works out.

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    rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I have ICG coins and they appear to be properly graded. I have not seen any poorly graded ICG coins - although poorly graded - or at least coins that appear improperly graded - appear in all TPG's holders from time to time. ICG just has not got the star power... image Cheers, RickO
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    TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 45,093 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Toughest slabs since …. let me think who's tough ?

    ICG slabs can be used as spacers under the leg of a table at a show, to balance it from rocking.
    You can stack 2 dozen and use them as jackstands under the car (don't try this at home, kids).
    Don't have a door stop ? Shove one under the door and 'voila"

    The coins in them are pretty good too. In most cases.
    No seriously, there are other people in the world who's opinions matter. So much so , they compete. And competition is as good as red army ants at a picnic.
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    This could have something to do with it:
    Randy Campbell

    Senior Grader, Numismatist

    Randy has been deeply involved in numismatics for over 35 years. In the 1970’s he helped to build top quality investment portfolios for professional groups in south Florida.

    In 1977, Randy was elected President of the West Palm Coin Club. Two years later, he was elected to the board of Florida United Numismatists (F.U.N.). Then, in 1989, Randy was elected President of F.U.N and currently serves as F.U.N. Educational Chairman, a position he has held for 30 years.

    A prolific writer, Randy has had over 200 articles published in Coin World, Numismatic News, F.U.N Topics and The NSDR Journal. He has written a monthly column for Coin World titled “Grading Insights” since 1993.

    Randy has been presented with several awards during his numismatic career, including three A.N.A. Presidential Awards; FUN’s Excellence in Numismatic Education Award; and the National Silver Dollar Roundtable’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

    Since becoming a professional in 1989, Randy estimates he has professionally graded over to 2 million coins!

    Randy holds membership in the following professional organizations:

    American Numismatic Association: LM#3031

    Florida United Numismatists: LM#217

    Professional Numismatists Guild: #709

    National Silver Dollar Roundtable: LM#7

    Georgia Numismatic Association: LM#277

    CONECA: LM#64

    LSCC: #1070

    Oh and this guy:
    F. Michael “Skip” Fazzari

    Numismatist

    Skip is an internationally recognized professional numismatist who has been involved with coins in one way or another for most of his life. Skip became a professional numismatist in 1972 when he joined the American Numismatic Association Certification Service (ANACS) . While working for the ANA Certification Service, he served as the Chief Authenticator and taught at the ANA Summer Seminar. While in Washington, he routinely handled numismatic inquiries from the Secret Service, FBI, and the White House.

    Since 1972, Skip has been involved in the development of coin authentication and grading. While at ANACS, he developed the “Die Scratch Method” of coin authentication which continues to be used today. He also devised the internal grading standards (Technical Grading) used at ANACS when it was located in Washington, DC and also those used at the International Numismatic Society Authentication Bureau (INSAB) which was the first third-party grading service in the U.S., predating ANACS by six months. As an instructor of the Advanced Grading and Authentication classes for the Institute of Numismatic and Philatelic Studies at Adelphi University in New York, he was elected to the Board of Overseers and given the honor of Distinguished Lecturer in Numismatics. He has been asked to testify as expert witness by the State of New York and the United States Federal Trade Commission.

    For over thirty-five years, Skip has provided expert services in authentication, grading and conservation of both U.S. and foreign coins. He has also worked as a grader for PCI, and the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation of America (NGC). Skip was the principal numismatist, researcher, and variety specialist at three third party grading services. Skip joined ICG in 2008 after leaving the Numismatic Conservation Service (NCS) a non-grading division of NGC.

    Skip has written columns on grading and authentication for the Numismatist Magazine and currently has a column in Numismatic News.

    Skip holds membership in the following professional organizations:

    American Numismatic Association: LM#5734

    Florida United Numismatists: #21665

    Professional Numismatists Guild: #710
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    BroadstruckBroadstruck Posts: 30,497 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I happen to like ICG and have found some fabulous coins, tokens, & medals in their holders. Finding them is hit or miss just like any other third parties holder and I judge all of the top 4 the same as if the item in the holder doesn't meet my standards I pass. For exonumia I feel ICG is more conservative and consistent then anyone. A couple years ago a token collection crossed S/B in ICG holders and talking with member exojunkie thought it would be a bloodbath and we'd be able to clean house for pennies on the dollar. Wrong I only managed to win 1 token as the bidding was insane as the tokens talked and not the plastic. Some went for 3-5 times my expectations and QDB bidding sure didn't help me winning any either. That being said as I own 3 stuffed double row boxes of raw tokens and it's going 4-5 figures no mater where I go. I just last week mentioned to coinsarefun that they will go to ICG once I'm ready as having spoken to them they will list all the provenance info on the label I want for each since most are from famed collections some dating back 115 years. Although at one point I felt keeping them raw was the way to go slabs will be an easier management system for sorting and locating each. This is something I've pondered for awhile and do not in any way feel using ICG would be money falsely spent. I'm also very fond of ANACS just do not like the holder they use.

    Edited to add:

    Honestly if I owned the Pogue collection I would have sent it all to ICG.... Wrong plastic and no stickers would have been a blast to see how today's market reacted image

    imageimageimage
    To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
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    Just like any TPG you will find nice coins for the grade and not so nice. That being said I do find more varieties not listed such as VAMs in ICG holders than others and have taken to looking at all Morgans very closely that are in an ICG holder.
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    BroadstruckBroadstruck Posts: 30,497 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Like I said it's tough to find great coins in ICG holders as they don't get the volume of submissions as the other services. But they do exist and since your a Buff guy here's one they graded 66 which was a total blazer with slight touches of light gold, blue, & pink patina which popped when rotated under a light source. I sold it 5 years ago for $295.00 which is more then PCGS MS65+ values today and the buyer loved it.

    image

    To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
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    TPRCTPRC Posts: 3,817 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I happen to like ICG and have found some fabulous coins, tokens, & medals in their holders. Finding them is hit or miss just like any other third parties holder and I judge all of the top 4 the same as if the item in the holder doesn't meet my standards I pass. For exonumia I feel ICG is more conservative and consistent then anyone. A couple years ago a token collection crossed S/B in ICG holders and talking with member exojunkie thought it would be a bloodbath and we'd be able to clean house for pennies on the dollar. Wrong I only managed to win 1 token as the bidding was insane as the tokens talked and not the plastic. Some went for 3-5 times my expectations and QDB bidding sure didn't help me winning any either. That being said as I own 3 stuffed double row boxes of raw tokens and it's going 4-5 figures no mater where I go. I just last week mentioned to coinsarefun that they will go to ICG once I'm ready as having spoken to them they will list all the provenance info on the label I want for each since most are from famed collections some dating back 115 years. Although at one point I felt keeping them raw was the way to go slabs will be an easier management system for sorting and locating each. This is something I've pondered for awhile and do not in any way feel using ICG would be money falsely spent. I'm also very fond of ANACS just do not like the holder they use.

    Edited to add:

    Honestly if I owned the Pogue collection I would have sent it all to ICG.... Wrong plastic and no stickers would have been a blast to see how today's market reacted image

    imageimageimage >>



    I remember this auction and had a similar reaction. Many of the HTT were conservatively graded or undergraded in ICG holders. And prices reflected the actual grades. That said, most ICG coins are over-graded in my opinion. It was a great concept when it started, and I had high hopes for it, but it never seemed to gain traction and, IMO, grade creep set in.

    Tom

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    gripgrip Posts: 9,962 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Looks proof.
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    AUandAGAUandAG Posts: 25,038 ✭✭✭✭✭
    This is the correct answer:


    Criteria for approved grading companies
    To be an approved grading service on eBay, the grading company must, at minimum, meet the following objective criteria:
    The service has graded at least 50,000 pre-1956 coins.
    The service provides a live, online population report.
    There are at least 3 graders on staff who are considered numismatic experts. A numismatic expert is an individual who
    has been a full-time numismatist for at least 5 years. At least 1 of the graders should be a member of the Professional
    Numismatists Guild, and all 3 should be members of the American Numismatic Association.
    The service provides a written buyback guarantee for coins later determined to be counterfeit, damaged, misgraded, or misattributed.
    Slabbed coins must be encased in a unique, tamper resistant holder with anti-counterfeiting measures (such as a hologram or other method).
    The service enables online verification of unique serial numbers.


    bobimage
    Registry: CC lowballs (boblindstrom), bobinvegas1989@yahoo.com
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    cameonut2011cameonut2011 Posts: 10,483 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>This is the correct answer:


    Criteria for approved grading companies
    To be an approved grading service on eBay, the grading company must, at minimum, meet the following objective criteria:
    The service has graded at least 50,000 pre-1956 coins.
    The service provides a live, online population report.
    There are at least 3 graders on staff who are considered numismatic experts. A numismatic expert is an individual who
    has been a full-time numismatist for at least 5 years. At least 1 of the graders should be a member of the Professional
    Numismatists Guild, and all 3 should be members of the American Numismatic Association.
    The service provides a written buyback guarantee for coins later determined to be counterfeit, damaged, misgraded, or misattributed.
    Slabbed coins must be encased in a unique, tamper resistant holder with anti-counterfeiting measures (such as a hologram or other method).
    The service enables online verification of unique serial numbers.


    bobimage >>



    Criteria according to whom?
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    TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 45,093 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>This is the correct answer:


    Criteria for approved grading companies
    To be an approved grading service on eBay, the grading company must, at minimum, meet the following objective criteria:
    The service has graded at least 50,000 pre-1956 coins.
    The service provides a live, online population report.
    There are at least 3 graders on staff who are considered numismatic experts. A numismatic expert is an individual who
    has been a full-time numismatist for at least 5 years. At least 1 of the graders should be a member of the Professional
    Numismatists Guild, and all 3 should be members of the American Numismatic Association.
    The service provides a written buyback guarantee for coins later determined to be counterfeit, damaged, misgraded, or misattributed.
    Slabbed coins must be encased in a unique, tamper resistant holder with anti-counterfeiting measures (such as a hologram or other method).
    The service enables online verification of unique serial numbers.


    bobimage >>



    Criteria according to whom? >>






    image

    We're coming to get you , my little pretty !

    image


    "Ebay is not for everyone" ~ Meg Whitman~
    Since EBAY wasn't brought up in the body , I couldn't resist.

  • This content has been removed.
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    AUandAGAUandAG Posts: 25,038 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I just assumed, and am probably incorrect, that the OP was referring to the four approved
    grading companies that are allowed on Ebay.
    I posted ebay's requirements for the big 4.
    bobimage
    Registry: CC lowballs (boblindstrom), bobinvegas1989@yahoo.com
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    koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    ANACS USED to be a respected slabber but they don't seem to garner much respect any more.
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    ctf_error_coinsctf_error_coins Posts: 15,433 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I fixed it for ya image



    << <i>PCGS is here as well as ANACS Little White Slabs









    NGC is here


    ANACS New Yellow is here




    ANACS Blue is here

    and ICG is here >>

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    cameonut2011cameonut2011 Posts: 10,483 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I just assumed, and am probably incorrect, that the OP was referring to the four approved
    grading companies that are allowed on Ebay.
    I posted ebay's requirements for the big 4.
    bobimage >>



    I see that. Sorry I didn't pay attention to eBay in the body. I feel so stupid!

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