Coin grading?

[PennyLover]

Why does PCGS grade lower than NGC?  

Are NGC graded coins less valuable even with a higher grade?

[Mohawk]

Hello and Welcome!
Well, I've never done business with PCGS nor do I buy coins certified by them, so I cannot speak to their grading standards compared to NGC.  However, I'd say that the perceived premium that PCGS coins bring in the marketplace is limited to classic US coins.  With modern US, I'd say that NGC and PCGS essentially trade for similar prices, though the data with Top Population Coins (coins that are of the highest grade for their date, mint and series) can skew the data if there are serious NGC or PCGS Registry collectors actively seeking certain coins for their Registry Sets and they need them to be certified by a particular service.  For non-US coins, I'd say in most cases NGC is more trusted than PCGS and NGC graded non-US coins bring better prices than PCGS graded coins.  For example I collect a lot of Canadian coins and I've been active in that area for many years.  To most collectors and dealers of Canadian coins, particularly those actually in Canada, PCGS is a joke as far as Canadian coins are concerned.  Canadian dealers will pay you no premium for PCGS graded Canadian coins.  They often treat them as raw coins because if they want to sell them for anything over raw price, they'll have to send them to NGC or ICCS first.  In the Canadian market, NGC is the ONLY U.S. based Third Party Grading Service which is trusted and acceptable in that market.  For years, ICCS, a Toronto based Canadian Third Party Grading Service was the only acceptable service for Canadian coins, but in recent years that has changed as NGC's understanding of Canadian coins (and other non-US coins) has increased and their grading standards in those areas have become widely known.   NGC was able to do what no one in the Canadian coin market thought would ever happen.......NGC has given ICCS valid and acceptable competition for the first time ever.  However, that said, PCGS is acceptable for US coins in Canada, and I'm sure they sell fine to the few collectors of American coins in Canada.

So.....the answer to your question was a bit more complex than you were likely expecting, but I hope it was helpful to you!

Cheers!

~Tom

[PennyLover]

 I agree, and the customer service from PCGS is not very helpful. I recently spent over $500 trying to have a coin graded and the metallurgic composition tested.  Long story short, I ended up breaking it out of the slab and sent it to NGC!  They are so nice and helpful, it is currently being finalized by the President/Mint Error Specialist!  I’m so excited!  

PCGS gave me grading vouchers after I called them complaining about the issue.  

I have a 1948 D Lincoln Penny that weighs 2.7g

(graders weight 2.8g)

94% copper  6% zinc

PCGS grade - XF40BN 

NCG grade - XF45BN

huge difference!!!!

I went round and round with the customer service reps at PCGS trying to find out how to have the composition tested to no avail... 

I am definitely a “new” numismatist!  

I appreciate your response Tom, and I totally agree with you.

[Numismatic, A.A.S.]

On 2/25/2019 at 8:27 PM, PennyLover said:

Long story short, I ended up breaking it out of the slab and sent it to NGC!  They are so nice and

Exactly, this is what I do to avoid the treatment they give most. Also I am not going to argue with people who think they are the greatest service because a few million dollar dealers got coins upgraded by PCGS and I can see thru it...although I have submission privilege...I usually always use NGC...consistent.....peace

[Conder101]

Pennylover, please don't take this wrong, but I'm not sure why you had it slabbed.  The composition is normal (it is very difficult to make up a melt of bronze and hit an exact composition, zinc's boiling point is lower than coppers melting point.  You have to start with an excess of zinc, get the metals melted and mixed and then poured before too much of the zinc vaporizes off.  The actual composition is a moving target.)  The coin is struck on a thin planchet making its weight out of tolerance, but it is such a small amount out of tolerance that it isn't worth more than a few dollars at best.