hr1704

They don't add the pictures for every coin. I have a batch where only 1 of 3 had the extra pictures but I selected imaging for the whole set.

This was very helpful information. I had the same confusion as the OP. Maybe you could add this to the NGC web page for the imaging service. Related question: Why do some certification pages get these extra pictures of the un-encapsulated coin with it and some don't? Like this: https://www.ngccoin.com/certlookup/2906215-002/65/ or this: https://www.ngccoin.com/certlookup/2915162-001/58/

After getting brushed off by Heritage, I contacted Great Collections. According to their web site, the first step for new cosigners is to request a quote on my coins. So I did that. It took 5 weeks and a couple of prods but they finally got back to me. They apologized for the delay and gave me a pretty good shot at valuating my coins. I understand that they must be very busy. I think I will go with Great Collections in the future.

@powermad5000 I have sold some non-coins things on ebay but I'm talking 6 or 7 things over 10 years. I probably wouldn't buy a coin either if the seller didn't have a return policy. I'm just hesitant of scams there because I've read about so many and everything I've read stated that ebay almost-always favors the buyer in a dispute. I tried sending a message to Heritage with pictures of my slabbed coins and a list of about 40 other coins I have. The response took about a week and was something short like: "We charge 15% seller fee which might be negotiable if they are high-value coins. Send the coins to us and we will let you know their value". I responded with some more questions like "can I send pictures instead?", "are there fees associated with the valuation?", "what if the seller fee is not acceptable, are there more fees to send them back?" That was 6 weeks ago, I haven't heard back yet. That tells me a lot about dealing with Heritage.

Thanks @cobymordet. I'm surprised you even got this response. It doesn't seem totally hopeless to me. It sounds like they are genuinely interested in getting the information documented and available, it will just take time.

I'm not understanding your passionate opposition to this. Is it because you conserve yourself? I had coins with PVC haze and 1 with copper spots. I don't know for sure if they would have recommended conservation for just haze. They look much better now and I can't imagine anyone would prefer the haze.

Thanks @powermad5000! You not only take the time to write out thorough responses, you also "read between the lines" to understand was was really being asked. This is what I was really asking. I'm sure this will be useful to others in the future. Same goes for MOST of the other seasoned veterans who responded.

I had 2 proofs and 1 not. The not-proof definitely had haze but it wasn't as visible. I have more now with haze and copper spots. The one "melter" I have is a proof coin and I used ammonia instead of acetone. It had the most haze and now it's mirror-like in the fields. I was amazed how much it changed. It's one of these: https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/france-10-francs-km-p459-1972-cuid-1129159-duid-1266746 I don't think it's a melter anymore.

Yep, copper spots are gone now. It looks like YOU learned something from ME today. You're welcome!

Well it's ALL elective. Conservation is elective, grading is elective, coin collection is elective. I think it's our duty as consumers of this service to call them out when something stinks. 4% FMV stinks. And if I feel it stinks, it makes me want to game their system. That's were I went in this discussion.

I noticed some coins were hazy and had orange spots on them. I then read about PVC residue and copper spots and conservation. That's it.

What? Why?

hmmm... I don't know about that. I've discovered that if I walk in and show them my slabbed PR64 5 sovereign coin FIRST, I'll get a entirely different response on the rest of my unslabbed coins.

OK, here is my official review for NGC conservation: You did a good job, but something seriously stinks about this 4% FMV charge.

You're right. I'm just a beginner and I've already been pushed into the dark side. I blame NGC... and all the dealers who were quick to tell me all my coins were junk and only worth melt value.

NGC is practically incentivizing us to do it. I'm guessing most already do. It seems like you're a sucker if you don't. I say go ahead and do it guilt-free.

C'mon, no capital letters or exclamation points? Are you sure you're a seasoned veteran? I'll bet you only have 30 years of experience - max.

Thanks @powermad5000. I've seen the term "stabilized surface" before. Does that mean they just remove the corrosion or do they do something special beyond that? If so, maybe NGC should add a special mark to the slabs to let people know that this coin could be be resistant to further problems after twenty years? So we all agree that the price I pay for grading should not be related to the grade given. Should I also expect that the quality of work done on conservation is the same whether I pay the fixed $35 for < $3k or the 4% FMV, which could be hundreds of dollars? I'm still not sure how they justify 4% of FMV. Maybe for liability in case they make it worse? BTW, I'm waiting for a seasoned veteran to chime in with a single-line post like this: Don't let me down!

I found this comment doing a search... a very unambiguous statement.. Hypothetical: Let's say I sent in 100 random coins and didn't select conservation and they recommended conservation for 34 coins. Then I went back in time and submitted those same coins and asked for conservation on all of them. Would they tell me conservation wouldn't help for 66 of those coins? (and charge me $5 for each assessment?) I've read other people saying that conservation may not change the grade in many cases. If the conservation doesn't change the grade (can we ever know for sure) but the coin looks better, won't it likely increase the value when selling?

I never meant to suggest that the price I pay for the grading should have anything to do with resulting grade. I think we all agree on that. My coins clearly did have a residue. One had a couple copper spots on the back. NCS must have believed that conservation would benefit the coin. Either that or they just conserve everything to make an extra buck. I think they did a good job. They look much better now and I would believe it increased the grade, but I'll never know for sure. But I have another one now which had even worse residue. My dealer says it's just a melter and told me to dip it in ammonia. I did that and it turned out perfectly shiny, like new. So my question remains: Is there a justification for charging 4% FMV just to dip a coin in acetone/ammonia? Yes, I know some will be more complicated than others.

I never really cared anyway about paying the extra $40 for Express tier. Especially now that I know we have noobs possibly botching the grading of coins less than $3k. What really bothered me was the cost of conservation. That's a whole 'nuther can of worms for many reasons. I feel I really got burned on that. Is there a justification for charging 4% FMV just to dip a coin in acetone? Yea, I know it probably more involved than that.

I think you need to re-read the post then. I consider myself correct the entire time. Although @VKurtB definitely helped me have an appreciation with some of the inner workings and problems at coin grading companies, the takeaways from this are: 1) NGC won't think twice about keeping the money if you over-estimate the value 2) It's better to under-estimate the value and just let them NGC bump it to another tier if necessary This seems like good advice for beginners and seasoned veterans.

I didn't know that. Maybe coins in a lower tier should be labeled "graded by a less experienced grader". Yea, somewhere we're losing confidence in the system.

So only people with X number of years experience and knowledge should be allowed to have coins graded? Or I could simply estimate low and let NGC bump it up.

Fair enough. However, if I value a coin too high, NGC will happily cheat me. If I value a coin too low, NGC will bump it up. I've cheated nobody.