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ICG And Me.........

19 posts in this topic

I took a trip across the street to see what was on the mind of those who stake their coin life on the reps of just one TPG service when I came upon a thread dealing with ICG and their place in the collecting world.

NGC is my preference where TPG's are concerned.But I have coins graded by most TPG'S.

 

This is actually a shout out to ICG.

Last year I posted some pics of some silver state quarters I had in ICG graded intercept shield slabs that had hazed over in the slab.

I contacted ICG and they said to send them in.I did and today I got them back.

They look great and I am VERY pleased.I spoke with James Taylor and was treated with every bit as much attention as I have come to expect from NGC.

 

I am still awaiting 2 coins but I have no doubt that I will be pleased with them as well.

 

 

I don't know how many of you remember me posting the pics but I felt since I did post them here I should in all fairness post the outcome.

 

 

 

popcorn.gif

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That's good to hear. I haven't dealt with ICG in a while, but when I put together my Franklin set, and wanted them slabbed, I sent them to ICG since they were cheap, and I liked the look of the black intercept insert. Now granted, I am not Lucy, so most of mine are MS-63 to MS-65 so we aren't talking top pop coins, but the ones graded by ICG easily stack up against the other two services. But remember, mine is just one small case of buying the coin, not the holder, and realistically, if you are going for the modern plastic market, ICG will not get the premium prices.

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They are very accurate in their grading of Seated Halves. Some sellers foolishly offer a substantial discount relative to coins in PCGS/NGC holders. Fine by me! It has become increasingly more difficult to find their coins, as collectors immediately have them crossed to PCGS or NGC. Just a needless additional cost if you ask me.

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Nice examples can be found in any slab - if you know what you're looking at. But I have found many in ICG slabs and have no problem at all with them.

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...some silver state quarters I had in ICG graded intercept shield slabs that had hazed over in the slab.

I contacted ICG and they said to send them in.I did and today I got them back.

They look great and I am VERY pleased...

 

 

So what did they do to them...Did they dip them? Replace them?

 

 

Do they do other "conservation" as well?

 

 

 

893scratchchin-thumb.gif

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ICG handled a very important submission of ancient gold for us a few months ago. They did a fantastic job with the personalized customer service. I had dinner with James Taylor at the last Baltimore show and he was a pleasure to dine and talk with. Nice guy......very intelligent.

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...some silver state quarters I had in ICG graded intercept shield slabs that had hazed over in the slab.

I contacted ICG and they said to send them in.I did and today I got them back.

They look great and I am VERY pleased...

 

 

So what did they do to them...Did they dip them? Replace them?

 

 

Do they do other "conservation" as well?

 

 

 

893scratchchin-thumb.gif

They replaced them. cloud9.gif
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I like ICG and their designer signature series. Nice holders at a good price although I think that they are probably too liberal at grading ms 70 coins.

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I recently made about $1000 for a client on two ICG coins, and the initial investment was only $100. The client had been buying and putting away ICG certified Washington proof quarters. Recently, he asked me which ones I thought were worth crossing to PCGS (along with some other coins). There were two I selected, cracked out, and the results were:

 

1952 ICG PR-68 DCAM -> PCGS PR-68 CAM

1963 ICG PR-69 DCAM -> PCGS PR-68 DCAM

 

He bought the coins for less than $50 total, and the encapsulation fees were about $100. They are now worth about $1100!

 

Interestingly, another coin included in the submission was a 1930 SLQ graded ICG-66 FH. It came back PCGS-65 FH, which may sound like a big hit, but the client originally paid only '64 money for it! Here again, he made money (at least on paper).

 

Yes, if you take your time, you can make money on ICG slabs, and I agree with Lucy - Franklins and Washingtons in particular can be money makers. Look at their Roosevelt dimes, too.

 

Here's the flip-side.

 

Dennis and I, way back not long after we began Jade Rare Coins, purchased an ICG EF-45 1818/7 bust half off Teletrade. It looked decent, but within weeks of acquisition, it began to mold and turn black. I mean, this coin looked like it was fumigating mildew within the slab! It was being overtaken by mushroom poisoning! I personally took it to James Taylor and asked for evaluation. The coin came back in the mail two weeks later with nothing done about it (starting to sound familiar? no, it was not a "Norweb coin"...)! So I called him back. Guess what? He said he'd had his "expert" look at it, and the expert said that "sometimes, bust halves will do that in the slab".

 

Yeah, right!

 

Oh, and by the way, I'm still stuck with that coin. No one wants to buy it for fear of radiation poisoning. I figure if I wait long enough, it'll turn completely black and I can crack the coin out and sell it as a 19th century hockey puck.

 

So there you have it, proof that every coin has two sides.

 

James

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Nice holders at a good price although I think that they are probably too liberal at grading ms 70 coins.

 

I agree. I have five MS70 and PF70DCAM coins certified by ICG, and in my opinion not one of them would cross at NGC in the same grade. In addition, I purchased and returned another PF70DCAM modern commemorative half dollar recently because it had a big honking scratch right across the mirror field on the obverse. This tells me everything I need to know. For sight unseen trades, I'll stick with NGC and PCGS.

 

Beijim

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In addition, I purchased and returned another PF70DCAM modern commemorative half dollar recently because it had a big honking scratch right across the mirror field on the obverse.

Beijim

 

893whatthe.gif

 

That's not a good thing. My respect for ICG was just lowered a notch or two.

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I recently made about $1000 for a client on two ICG coins, and the initial investment was only $100. The client had been buying and putting away ICG certified Washington proof quarters. Recently, he asked me which ones I thought were worth crossing to PCGS (along with some other coins). There were two I selected, cracked out, and the results were:

 

1952 ICG PR-68 DCAM -> PCGS PR-68 CAM

1963 ICG PR-69 DCAM -> PCGS PR-68 DCAM

 

He bought the coins for less than $50 total, and the encapsulation fees were about $100. They are now worth about $1100!

 

Interestingly, another coin included in the submission was a 1930 SLQ graded ICG-66 FH. It came back PCGS-65 FH, which may sound like a big hit, but the client originally paid only '64 money for it! Here again, he made money (at least on paper).

 

Yes, if you take your time, you can make money on ICG slabs, and I agree with Lucy - Franklins and Washingtons in particular can be money makers. Look at their Roosevelt dimes, too.

 

 

James

 

Sucker money, that is!

 

Leo

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That's not a good thing. My respect for ICG was just lowered a notch or two.

 

Same here. Frankly, I was astounded. The scratch didn't show in the photograph (it was on eBay from a reputable dealer). But in hand it was obvious. It made me wonder what lighting the grader had used. I saw it in regular daylight. The dealer was great about it and was as surprised as I upon receiving the coin back and inspecting it. This particular dealer uses ICG a lot (why I can't figure), so I hope he fed this mistake back to them.

 

Beijim

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