Grading cleaned coins 1 1

[Engineer15]

I have submitted coins over the last 6 months that have been returned with the term "Altered" or "not eligible for Certification", NGC does not explain anything other than an opinion and I am wondering why a business allows this type of Anti-Business mentality. All my coins that are sent for Certification come from metal detecting activities and the earth material is removed prior to my sending them to NGC for certification. I have no means of altering a coin and do not feel it should be done anyway. As I have run several businesses in my past it is disturbing realizing that NGC is allowing this type of activity. And to make things even worse, NGC charges me for the grading fee for coins that are marked "Altered" or "Not eligible for Certification" which it states on their site will be refunded with a small handling fee.

[NickiO CS]

Hello @Biker15,

Thank you for reaching out to us. I understand that it can be a frustrating experience for a collector or business owner to discover that his or her coin is not eligible for grading. Detrimental surface conditions can make coins impossible to authenticate or grade accurately. These conditions include: 

Unnatural Coloration

Mechanical Damage

Environmental Damage

PVC Contamination

Improper Cleaning

Mechanical Repairs

Counterfeits

Altered Surfaces

In some cases, coins with surface conditions may be eligible for details (non-numerical) grading. Determining if a coin is eligible for a details grade is at the graders' discretion. When the graders find evidence of surface conditions and return the coin raw, they will note the surface condition based on this evidence. I am sorry, but additional notes are not available in these cases. 

If you have submissions that qualify for a refund, I am happy to review them and take care of any outstanding refunds due. I have sent you a direct email in this regard. 

If you have any other questions, please let us know. 

[Sandon]

   

On 5/29/2023 at 8:15 AM, Biker15 said:

All my coins that are sent for Certification come from metal detecting activities and the earth material is removed prior to my sending them to NGC for certification

   "Ground finds" will usually exhibit corrosion or other forms of environmental or physical damage that will prevent reputable grading services from assigning them numerical of "straight" grades under market standards. Your method of removal of the "earth material" may also cause what collectors regard as "cleaning" or damage. The best you should hope for regarding such pieces are "details" grades, and some, like those to which you refer, will not be eligible for encapsulation at all. Unless you are digging up coins that are likely worth at least several hundred dollars apiece even if impaired, you are likely wasting your money submitting them to grading services.  If you don't have sufficient numismatic knowledge to determine this, you should acquire it before making further submissions.

  Grading services are supposed to provide objective, expert opinions as to the authenticity and grade of coins. If their compensation were dependent upon the decisions they make, this would place their objectivity in serious question. It has been their practice generally to charge a fee without regard to their decision since their inception in the mid-1980s. I agree that it would be preferable for grading services to provide written explanations of their opinions, but this would likely lengthen the turn-around time and increase the cost, which is already substantial.

   I am often critical of grading service practices and what I see as excessive reliance upon third-party grading by collectors. However, it is important to understand the standards of a particular market before questioning the practices of a business that operates within it.

[VKurtB]

On 5/29/2023 at 7:15 AM, Biker15 said:

I have submitted coins over the last 6 months that have been returned with the term "Altered" or "not eligible for Certification", NGC does not explain anything other than an opinion and I am wondering why a business allows this type of Anti-Business mentality. All my coins that are sent for Certification come from metal detecting activities and the earth material is removed prior to my sending them to NGC for certification. I have no means of altering a coin and do not feel it should be done anyway. As I have run several businesses in my past it is disturbing realizing that NGC is allowing this type of activity. And to make things even worse, NGC charges me for the grading fee for coins that are marked "Altered" or "Not eligible for Certification" which it states on their site will be refunded with a small handling fee.

This complaint is utterly without merit. Study @Sandon’s response carefully word by word. It is correct. Metal detecting finds are very seldom gradable.