Is it time for Coin World or some other publication to...

[123cents]

once again do a extensive study and rate the major grading services in these categories?

 

Grading Accuracy.......MS & Proof

Grading Accuracy.......AG-3 to AU-58

Ability to detect problem & counterfeit coins

Grading Guarantees

Accuracy of all Attributions

Customer Service

Availability of pricing information

Cost of services provided

Turn-around times

 

What are your thoughts and comments?

[PerryHall]

I'd be happy if CW would check the grading accuracy of some of their advertsers.

[DC Dawg]

Why would they do that and risk the business of those advertisers?

 

Scott

[MunkyMan95]

Good point, Scott.

 

CoinWorld probably shouldn't, but the ANA should.

[physics-fan3.14]

I would like to see a "randomness of MS70 grades" test, as discussed in another thread recently. Take a MS-70 coin from each of the grading services, and submit it repeatedly to see how many times it comes back MS-70.

[Zoins]

I would like to see a "randomness of MS70 grades" test, as discussed in another thread recently. Take a MS-70 coin from each of the grading services, and submit it repeatedly to see how many times it comes back MS-70.

We've seen some similar reports on classic coins and the grades/BB status have been all over the map.

[DC Dawg]

CoinWorld probably shouldn't, but the ANA should.

Remember when PNG ranked the third party grading services and was not "kind" to ASA Accugrade? A lot was then written in places like the Collectors' Universe Boards (ATS) and the newsgroup rec.collecting.coins that was also allegedly negative against Accugrade. Well Accugrade filed the case ASA Accugrade v. ANA, et. al. because the owners of Accugrade believed it was a conspiracy against them.

 

The case was later dismissed by the courts. First, the ANA was dropped from the case because they did not have standing--there was no reason for the ANA to be a defendant since they were not involved with the report in any way. Later, the cases against other defendants were dismissed for the same reason and that there was a question of jurisdiction. Finally, with only PNG, ICTA, and PCGS left standing, the entire case was dismissed on the grounds that Accugrade could not prove damage because even by their own accounting, their market share did not change after the report.

 

But the case hurt a lot of people. While the companies were able to absorb the legal costs, the cases against the individuals cost those people a lot of time and money. Although the ANA set up a fund to help those people, I am not sure how much it helped since there has been no reporting since the case was dismissed.

 

Considering what happened when PNG tried to do this, I do not think that anyone is going to do this ranking again. There has been reports of people doing this for one or two TGP. Maybe someone can take a sample set of coins and send them to all of the grading services at least twice and see their results. A factual assessment would be a better determination.

 

Scott

[SatTech]

Well, from the reading i've been doing ATS :

PCGS - spot on, rarely wrong

NGC - always overgrades by 1 to 2 pts

ICG - always overgrades by 2-3 pts

ANACS - always overgrades by 2-3 pts.

 

There, study done. Where's my check?

[zrlevin]

Well, from the reading i've been doing ATS :

PCGS - spot on, rarely wrong

NGC - always overgrades by 1 to 2 pts

ICG - always overgrades by 2-3 pts

ANACS - always overgrades by 2-3 pts.

 

There, study done. Where's my check?

 

That's what you get for reading ATS. I do really hope that your post was in jest.

[SatTech]

Yes, it was in jest... Forgot my winkey icon!

[dooly]

[MunkyMan95]

Forgot my winkey

 

I hate it when that happens...

[michael]

once again do a extensive study and rate the major grading services in these categories?

 

Grading Accuracy.......MS & Proof

Grading Accuracy.......AG-3 to AU-58

Ability to detect problem & counterfeit coins

Accuracy of all Attributions

Customer Service

 

 

What are your thoughts and comments?

 

 

answer below........................

 

any dealer and/or advanced collector who is involved in the coin market and has half a brain can accurately answer ALL of the above questions already

[okbustchaser]

The problem with such a survey is that there is no such thing as grading accuracy--regardless of who grades a coin his grade IS accurate--to him at that particular point in time.

 

As for detecting problem and/or counterfeit coins any and all of the TPG's are equally capable of doing so. However, your definition of what constitutes a problem coin may differ from any given TPG.

 

When it comes to attributions no company can be accurate. It simply isn't possible given the amount of time the company spends looking at the coins.

 

What all of this comes down to is a neccessity on the collector's part to look at as many coins as possible in all holders and choose for himself the company which works FOR HIM.