Who was the first grading service?

[Conder101]

Believe it or not, the earliest I have found was South African Gold Coin Exchange in 1975, but they only graded and slabbed Proof Krugerrands and they had a 105 point grading scale. They did accept outside submissions. In the US it was Accugrade in 1984

[cpm9ball]

Conder,

 

Thanks for that great recap from the CDN book. Very interesting, but I think I'll leave my copy in the shrink wrap.

 

Chris

[mommam17]

I think it's been a very good thing that NGC and PCGS have risen to the top...

[nwcs]

> In the US it was Accugrade in 1984

 

As they reminded us for so long. Haven't heard anything about ACG in a long time. Kinda like that.

[RWB]

Earliest Grading Service - May 25, 1927

 

 

 

Bureau of Animal Industry,

U.S. Department of Agriculture

 

Oooppppps…they graded meat.

 

[CaptHenway]

Earliest Grading Service - May 25, 1927

 

 

 

Bureau of Animal Industry,

U.S. Department of Agriculture

 

Oooppppps…they graded meat.

 

Caterpillar Little Giant Road Grader, 1912!

 

 

[rrantique]

Earliest Grading Service - May 25, 1927

 

 

 

Bureau of Animal Industry,

U.S. Department of Agriculture

 

Oooppppps…they graded meat.

 

Caterpillar Little Giant Road Grader, 1912!

 

 

 

 

[cpm9ball]

Earliest Grading Service - May 25, 1927

 

 

 

Bureau of Animal Industry,

U.S. Department of Agriculture

 

Oooppppps…they graded meat.

 

Caterpillar Little Giant Road Grader, 1912!

 

 

 

 

(thumbs u (thumbs u (thumbs u

[Conder101]

Haven't heard anything about ACG in a long time.

From what I understand they are still around and today they mostly do Canadian.

[DWLange]

ANACS began slabbing its certified coins early in 1989. I believe the launch may have coincided with that year's Midwinter ANA show in Colorado Springs (the event now known as "The Money Show"). I was given a highly confidential preview of the ANACS slab during the 1988 ANA Summer Seminar. It proved to be too late for ANACS to regain its share of the certified market, and the whole operation was sold to Amos Press (publisher of Coin World) in 1990. It has remained a commercial grading service since then, being sold to Anderson News early in this decade and then to its current owners just a few years ago.

 

The ANA replaced it in part with the ANA Authentication Bureau (ANAAB), which provided authentication services only for a number of years. It was headed by J. P. Martin until he left to co-create ICG in 1998. He was replaced with Brian Silliman, who has been with us since about 2000. ANAAB was dissolved not long afterward.

[$ilverHawk]

Thanks Conder, great information in a very interesting thread. Amazing how the top TPG s spin history. Your research has given me a new perspective on the evolution of authentication and grading.

 

$ilverHawk

[Conder101]

The ANA replaced it in part with the ANA Authentication Bureau (ANAAB), which provided authentication services only for a number of years. It was headed by J. P. Martin until he left to co-create ICG in 1998. He was replaced with Brian Silliman, who has been with us since about 2000. ANAAB was dissolved not long afterward.

ANAAB limped along for a little while. If finally closed down in Nov 2002. (Four different certificate types, none of which are easy to come by.)

[e1cnr]

Walter Breen of the 'Institute of Numismatic Authenticators', in the mid 60's?

 

the following is from a current eBay auction

 

 

[Bugmann1974]

That is pretty cool but he does not give a grade, just an authentication.

[PerryHall]

That is pretty cool but he does not give a grade, just an authentication.

 

Also, how can one be sure that this letter goes with a particular coin?

[DWLange]

The INA was staffed by Breen and Don Taxay. I have the latter's signature on a certificate for a North Carolina colonial note.

[relicsncoins]

The next mention is in the December 1984 CDN where they list prices for the 1983 DDR cent in AU, 60, 63, and 65 for both ANACS and non-ANACS coins to show that you do better with ANACS papers.

 

Interesting,here is one of those exact coins.

 

 

 

[Conder101]

Yes, but that certificate is much later than the CDN article. It is from late 88 - 89. It is the last of the ANACS certificate varieties.

 

 

[James_OldeTowne]

Does anybody know when INSAB started grading coins?

For the first time today, I actually read the verbiage on the back of the INS holders (I am cataloging a group of ten pieces). It says in part:

 

"INSAB graders reach their opinion of the grade of a coin under controlled lighting conditions and magnification; thus INS grades have maintained consistency unmatched by other grading services for more than a decade. © 1988 INS" (my italics).

 

Thus, INS would appear to have been at least grading coins since 1977, but there's no indication of how long they had been encapsulating them.

[James_OldeTowne]

Who actually was the first to grade a coin and put it in a plastic slab?

Somewhere in my pile of weird numismatic materials, I have a pair of coins, each "certified" (as stated on the holder itself) in 1969! However, there is no grade, and the holder is something akin to a 2x2 flip. It's like a small cardboard 2x3 envelope with mylar windows that display both sides of the coin (in this case, red Lincoln cents).

 

There is no mention of a company name on the holders themselves, and I remember spending considerable time trying to find out where they heck they came from.