Do My Eyes and Magnifier Still Work?

Since it is a dreary day here in Southern California, I have used it as an excuse [as if I need one] to pull out the boxes of my Modern Commemorative Registry Set and take a tour. It is amazing what I can find on the 732nd inspection that I didn't find on the 731st! Anyway, most of my coins are in NGC holders--about 80%; the rest PCGS, obviously. I am seeking to have mostly MS/PR 70 specimens, though I will never reach that goal, but right now I am running about 60%/40% in favor of the 70's. Over time, I upgrade when budgetary issues allow me to.

With just a few exceptions, all my 69 coins are in PCGS holders, the 70's in the NGC. As I look at the PCGS coins, especially the PROOFS, I am at a loss to find any flaws on many of them. WIth my naked eye, and my magnifier, I can find the slight imperfections that kept about 50% of the coins out of the 70 category. On the rest, it really seems to me that they should have been Proof 70. Believe it or not, I have never sent in a coin for a cross-over grading! I have tended to pretty much believe what the grading service and my eyes told me. As I learn more and get a bit a more comfortable with MY judgement, I am wondering if I should send these PCGS slabbed coins that look PERFECT in to NGC for grading. I mightt get a few upgrades to help me towards my goal of as many 70's as possible! But I also wonder if there is a rivalry between the two grading companies that enters into the judgements of the graders. Are the coins better off being removed and sent in "raw" or will they, if left in their PCGS slabs, still have a good shot at upgrade. Ah, the things one needs to think about these days. I am 51: back when I was a kid collecting Lincoln Cents and Mercury Dimes, things just seemed so much easier!