Does it really make a difference ?

[GDJMSP]

As most or many of you know I have never personally submitted a coin for grading to any of the slab companies. But I do own a great many slabbed coins in various holders. And I have examined quite literally thousands of slabbed coins over the years so I am not unfamiliar.

 

However - over the years, more so recently, there has been a prevailing attitude or idea if you will that certain people or submitters get preferential treatment ( higher grades ) from the grading companies. Some collectors are absolutely convinced this happens on a daily basis.

 

Now it has always been my understanding that the coins submitted ( regardless of the company ) were given to the graders in the blind. In other words the graders have no idea who submitted the coin. And if this is true - then preferential treatment is not possible.

 

So obviously my question is - does it happen ? Do certain submitters get preferential treatment or not ? And if it does - does it happen industry wide ?

[keithdagen]

I don't believe that collectors get treated any different than dealers when it comes to submissions.

[andy007]

I don't believe it happens all the time, although I can see it happening on a rare occasion such as the 1804 dollar that went back and forth from NGC to PCGS, jumping grades each time. I haven't submitted a ton of coins to either service, but all with the exception of one, I was in complete agreement with, and that includes a few that PCGS graded higher than I had.

 

I truly feel that many of the people yelling this do not look at enough coins to submit, or are not quite as accurate grading coins as they might have you believe.

[Dermott]

Though it's been claimed by people who are either rabidly pro-Company X or rabidly anti-Company X, the only evidence I've seen of this actually occuring has been with one "professional" grading company. That evidence was presented at the complaint hearing for Mr. Barry Stuppler by a former employee of the company.

 

Aside from that, all I've seen has been hearsay and rumour.

 

So to my knowledge, only one company (Accugrade) has had someone who worked there make this claim.

[Leothelion]

I believe it happens all the time. They don't know who their biggest submitters are? The coins have the submitters mailing address with them all the time and likely remain in the same box they were sent in until they reach the packageing dept.

 

Leo

[truthteller]

Ah, the dirty laundry of the coin slabbers! Over the years, I have talked to many former graders and the consensus is clear. A certain grading service that is not in FL monitors the submissions and submittors on a regular basis. They determine who is sending the the quanties of coins, whether it be high volume of express or economy or low volume of speed. The high volume submittors DEFINITELY have the ear of the higher management. Now, with that said, once the coins go into the grading room, the graders DO NOT KNOW who are the submittor is. The major problem arises when the graders have seen the submitted coins, remember seeing them in a dealer's case, thereby associating a particular coin with a particular dealer or collector. Remind you, this is merely memory work on behalf of the grader, so the grader never really knows you owns the coin, but may have a suspicion. So, does the grader care? I don't know. This why I truly believe the graders should NEVER have contact with dealers or collectors or see their coins outside the grading room since the graders have many 'friends' in the profession who might use influence by showing them a coin OUTSIDE the grading room. Definitely, a conflict of interest.

 

TRUTH