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Grading at a show or not
BigRob
Posts: 2 ✭
Wondering if taking some of my coins to the OKC ANA show to get someone to look at them and/or grade them is a good idea? I am in the area.
Secondly, they are in these old brown coin national albums where you placed each coin in its slot to collect each year's coin. Do I take them out of that? I don't want to scratch them. I don't have any experience with this. Thanks!
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OK I'll post some pics here next week. Yeah I guess I just wanted an opinion on some of the more important ones and maybe to get some graded. I'd be nervous taking them out of the albums though...the pages are stapled. Sorry for any confusion.
Post some pictures @BigRob ... they don't have to be great, just give is an idea of what you're looking at. Some of us will be at the show and may be able to help you a little between know and then (and there as well).
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
What type of coins do you intend to grade. With the cost involved it’s not worth it for coins say worth $200+ ungraded.
www.numismedia.com coin values.
https://pcgs.com/photograde pictures of coins with grades .
I suggest buying a Redbook and looking up the values of your coins there. The Redbook has brief notes on grading, and you'll get a sense of their scarcity and value looking at the mintages and prices listed. It generally isn't profitable to have coins graded unless they are worth $200 or more. Numismedia is good for checking values as well, though I never use it.
If you have never submitted before, taking them to the show for some opinions from dealers might be a good idea. A scratch, light cleaning or other damage pointed out will save lots of money in grading fees.
If you do end up having coins submitted at the show for grading, there are two different types of submissions, with a different named Submission form for each:
Steve
My collecting “Pride & Joy” is my PCGS Registry Dansco 7070 Set! Winner of the 2026 PCGS Registry Award for “The Best U.S. Type Set”!
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/design-type-sets/complete-dansco-7070-modified-type-set-1796-date/publishedset/213996
If you go to the show, there are plenty of dealers there obviously. As long as they aren't busy, maybe ask one or two who are selling similar coins for their advice on grading. If it makes sense, you can work a submission, they'll have flips to put them in for submitting.
NGC and PCGS require membership, an additional fee, to submit. ANACS does not and has very modest fees. Submitting at a show saves one-way shipping too. (All shipping if you can pick up at another show in their calendar around when they will be ready.) I would advise using ANACS if you are new to it. The guy at their table is usually knowledgeable and would not steer you wrong and accept pocket change or other coins really not worth certification. If you have varieties, their attributor, John Roberts, will be at that show for the intermediate days.
Agreed. The graders are locked in a room and their meal gets slid under the door.
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Yes, and for those who might be wondering about the meals being slid under the door, thin single “stacks” of pancakes are the most popular option. 😉
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Swedish Pancakes?
On a serios note, it does not hurt to get opinions on whether submitting for grading is a good option for you.
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