Are there series that NGC is harder on than PCGS ?
BIGAL2749
Posts: 742 ✭✭✭✭
It's been discussed over 30 years that one service is more conservative than the other service and for the most part PCGS has been the winner of the debate.
Is that still true for all the series ?
0
Comments
In my experience, ATS is harder on tokens and medals than our host. Of course, one must consider that ATS has examined tens of thousands more of them than our host, so they are going to have a different perspective.
ANA LM
USAF Retired — 34 years of active military service! 🇺🇸
None in my experience.
Isn't NGC a little stricter on designations like FB, FS, FBL, and CAM? Not really sure why I am thinking this.. someone help me out or correct me if I am wrong.
Collector, occasional seller
(And....I just realized I got the question backwards. Nevermind.....)
You are correct, that NGC has a more strict definition regarding Merc and Rossies and the designation of bands.
[Ebay Store - Come Visit]
Roosevelt Registry
transactions with cucamongacoin, FHC, mtinis, bigjpst, Rob41281, toyz4geo, erwindoc, add your name here!!!
I am not sure about other differences such as full bell lines. I believe that it exists as well, but am unable to say with certainty
[Ebay Store - Come Visit]
Roosevelt Registry
transactions with cucamongacoin, FHC, mtinis, bigjpst, Rob41281, toyz4geo, erwindoc, add your name here!!!
There are two areas from what I’ve seen, although it may have changed recently.
Tokens and medals – At one time NGC could be very conservative when grading tokens and smaller medals. I heard that it was due to the fact that they had outside consultants do the grading, and they were quite conservative.
Some British coins. Some the NGC hammered gold I have is much more conservatively graded than PCGS. PCGS sometimes misses creasing (bent and restraightened), and I got caught on that with one of the gold angles that is my collection.
Toned moderns
All strike designations and toned moderns.
World coins, for example Mexican portrait 8 realest are often designated as cleaned with hairlines at NGC, then grade at PCGS. Probably the more accurate description is that PCGS is less consistent in this series than NGC.
I find even with Dave Lange as a NGC team member that they have a hard time grading Buffalo nickels, especially ones with known soft strike issues and the usual over grades on the 24 & 26 mint marked issues. just an observation!
this is a hard question to answer and most replies are based on anecdotal evidence, I doubt anyone does any real, scientific, controlled investigating. we have lots of cross-evidence from NGC to PCGS but I have honestly never heard of anyone going the other way.
Depends on when the coins were graded.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
In my experience they seem to be much stricter on Pre-33 US gold. It is not uncommon for pcgs to go 1-2 points higher than what you will get from ngc. I should also mention I am primarily a bullion dude so most of what I deal with is common date AU50-MS64 range. My observation may be off on grades above 64 which I would never look at buying anyway.
The whole worlds off its rocker, buy Gold™.
BOOMIN!™
Wooooha! Did someone just say it's officially "TACO™" Tuesday????
Yes, this is a good point. If you go back to the 1990s, there often was not much difference.
Also cross-overs have really hurt NGC. The good coins get crossed; the grading mistakes stay where they are. That makes NGC look worse than that it often is.
good point, also
BHNC #203
Just for clarity my comments on dime grading are absolute fact. Full bands/torch do not mean the same thing between our host and NGC
[Ebay Store - Come Visit]
Roosevelt Registry
transactions with cucamongacoin, FHC, mtinis, bigjpst, Rob41281, toyz4geo, erwindoc, add your name here!!!
I had one dime that was clearly cleaned, and NGC said so, that I cracked out and sent to PCGS, where it straight graded (did not pass CAC). But this is just one example and may be an outlier. Generally both services pick up on things like this pretty well.
Best, SH
Some Saint Gaudens in NGC Old Fatty Holders were graded very conservatively / under graded IMHO
If you are a member across the street, I think that for balance, the question ought to be asked over there but phrased a little differently. The question should be something like "Are there any series that PCGS is harder on than NGC?"
The responses could be quite illuminating......
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
CAC seems to be the new standard of grading, of course after NGC or PCGS has made their assessments.
...not even the plastic is harder
Yes
But asking here is like going to get you biased reply's just like asking there.
They are both good company's and grade well.
You had me going with that little bug. lol
The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!
My Jefferson Nickel Collection
Indeed. More often than not, our host is the one who's more lax. I have plenty of NGC mercs and roosies and wonder how much they were drinking that day when they gave them those designations.
I see some FBL halves on bay from pcgs and think well, good thing people buy the holder not the coin.
The answer to your question is that NGC is tougher on Ancient’s than PCGS. Why? Because PCGS doesn’t grade Ancients!
What we have here is opinions on opinions.... In my opinion, it cannot get any more nebulous than that...I am sure that individual experiences are recounted properly, however, they do not constitute a factual study. Once again I will say that until standards are developed, such questions will continue to be raised and the debate will rage. The first service to introduce defined standards and demonstrate that grades can be consistently and accurately repeated, will be the ruling entity. It will happen, we just do not know who and when. Cheers, RickO
Of course that excludes the comments related to dimes as they have different definitions of full bands. This IS fact, this is not my opinion.
[Ebay Store - Come Visit]
Roosevelt Registry
transactions with cucamongacoin, FHC, mtinis, bigjpst, Rob41281, toyz4geo, erwindoc, add your name here!!!
@davids5104...Of course there are some facts involved.... just not enough... Cheers, RickO
@TheDukeK Your avatar gets me EVERY time.
GSA’s
Rainbow Stars
NGC is definitely harder on steps, or should I say, PCGS is very lax on the FS designation?
Before April 2003, NGC required 6 steps for FS designation whereas PCGS has always required five steps. In 2013, NGC replaced its FS designation with a 5FS and 6FS designation. Historically PCGS has been more forgiving of bridges on the steps. I had a small sample size, but my recent experience suggests that PCGS has tightened considerably within the last few months. YMMV.