What to do with ICG graded coins.

[Nutmeg Coin]

ICG has graded conservatively, especially pre-33 gold. I cracked out a 51 or a 52-O mint $20 that I bought from NGE once as an ICG AU50 that graded 55. Randy Campbell (head ICG grader) has done great service to the hobby/business by giving grade opinions with a smile at innumerable coin shows. The guy should be given a presidential award or something!

[Kurtdog]

Let me be more specific. I recently picked up several $5 Indians in ICG MS-62. I know this is a tough series to grade and I won't even try to grade the series. So, any thoughts on how accurate ICG may be on this particular series

While this thread is a little "past it," in a manner of speaking, I'll just point out, that would be unintelligible to collectors, years ago, before the TPGs, i.e., to endeavor to collect coins we didn't know how to grade. Hey, FWIW...

[coinman1794]

ICG coins are great and I consider them raw until I grade them, same as I do with pcgs and ngc coins.

 

Excellent reply and I feel the same way. Even NGC and PCGS get it wrong sometimes.

 

Yet, it's safe to say that ICG gets it wrong more often.

 

I buy ICG coins as raw coins, at the grade they really are, and then have them certified at PCGS or NGC.

[e1cnr]

What was your plan when you acquired them?

[coinman1794]

I buy the coin, not the holder, and there are nice coins trapped in bad slabs...

[Prethen]

ICG has had some fantastic graders in their grading room. I'm not sure how well they grade in the past couple of years, but I have some very nice coins in ICG holders and have no problem with them and should sell for decent value without issue.

[Coincrazed74]

I recently acquired an ICG "AG3" 1916-D Dime. The coin appears extremely accurately, if not under, graded. There is nothing wrong with ICG.They just don't have the "name" PCGS and NGC do. PCGS And NGC overgrades just as much as ICG, not to mention that they slab obvious problem coins or silently "net" grade coins, or "bump" (fancy excuse for being dishonest and inflating a coin's value) a coin a higher grade due to eye appeal. (More the former to the latter IMO) PCGS is crappier than ICG IMO, at least I have not seen scratched coins in ICG Slabs.

[coinman1794]

I recently acquired an ICG "AG3" 1916-D Dime. The coin appears extremely accurately, if not under, graded. There is nothing wrong with ICG.They just don't have the "name" PCGS and NGC do. PCGS And NGC overgrades just as much as ICG, not to mention that they slab obvious problem coins or silently "net" grade coins, or "bump" (fancy excuse for being dishonest and inflating a coin's value) a coin a higher grade due to eye appeal. (More the former to the latter IMO) PCGS is crappier than ICG IMO, at least I have not seen scratched coins in ICG Slabs.

 

I would hope they got the grade correct on an AG dime. I'm talking about MS66, MS67, MS68, MS69 coins that will grade MS64-65 at PCGS NGC. There is a reason they do not have the same market share, they do not grade by the same standards on high-grade coins. They have given 67s and 68s to many Franklins, roosevelt dimes, and other silver coins that wont make 66.

 

Additionally, I have found plenty of improperly cleaned and damaged coins in ICG slabs labeled as problem free, as well. The most memorable of those was an 1810 half dollar that I got stuck with. I was an ICG-40 that had hidden rim damage and blatant obverse graffiti.

 

They have been more willing to holder questionable toners, in my experience.

[derryb]

If they're modern gold (especially AGEs) get them out of the holder. My experience is a lot of them turn a brass color, I suspect they are getting gassed from the paper label that may not be completely isolated from the coin. I have noticed this with another major TPG slab, but never with an NGC slab. I converted all of my AGE's to NGC slabs for this very reason.