ICG - I’m A Believer

Sung to the tune of the Monkees…..

April 25 I put two coins in the mailbox to ICG. Today, merely a short two weeks later, they are back in my loving embrace.

I read stories often on CT about waiting months for word on their submission from one of the big two TPG’s. Not at all the case with ICG. The service was exceedingly cheap and turn around time was nonexistent.

I know, I know…. I can hear it now… Your coin will realize more resale value in one of the top two TPG slabs. Well, I say hooey. Professional grading is just that and a slab exists to protect the coin inside. Period. End of story. If you buy slabs, then by all means. Spend your money however you choose. Being the mizer that I am, I’ll be sending my stuff to ICG.

 

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Now send the coin to PCGS and watch it come back EX45 .

 

Yes I was going to say ICG may overgrade a tad.
But I don't like the concept of grading companies at all anyway.
They ruined the sports card hobby. And as for coins it was better for your own knowledge and education when you had to be able to grade your own coins that you were buying and selling. And the cost was much better.

 

The last ICG slab I had in my hand I cracked open and submitted to NGC where it upgraded. The other one straight crossed. Just throwing in my small sampling for the (not asked for) survey.

 

Can't speak to ICG but I just received my very first submission ever. I sent it to NGC on April 26, 2024 by USPS Registered. I received it back today, May 9. Four gold coins and one silver. Normal submission, no rush.

I was more than pleasantly surprised by the turnaround especially given the horror stories of months-long waits.

BTW, I was pleased with the grades. When I get them photo-ed, I will post on another thread where I mentioned these coins - four gold and one silver.

 

I have a few graded coins, most of which are PCGS and NGC. I was in my mid 60's when I started collecting coins. I was watching the TV when a show came on about coins. I bought 2 gold coins from the dealer. One coin was a 20 dollar gold coin. It came back not graded due to a couple of scratches on the face. The dealer offered to refund my money, including the cost of grading the coin. The other coin was a $10 gold coin. It came back MS62. Again, the dealer offered to refund my cost.
After that, I started buying from the Mint and I have never been disappointed with the quality.
Anyway, I think that coin collecting is a great hobby, if you have the funds to collect. I have enjoyed cointalk.com, although, there are times I think I'm in a foreign country.
Keep up the great work folds.

 

IMO, it's good to have ICG and ANACS chewing at the feet of PCGS and NGC.

 

I should have known it was a Seated Liberty coin. Very nice Randy.

 

I've never understood the fascination with PCGS and NGC. Kind of uppity IMHO, as they will not grade everything. I get that people will pay more for coins with those slabs, but why? ANACS was first on the block, but gets no credit. I prefer ANACS personally as far as overall price, turn around, grading, etc. Of the reasons you send in a submission, they have the highest scores in total.


ICG is great budget slab. I see people who don't know how to grade always put those slabs back down. They will at least pontificate on an ANACS slab.

Nice Half in any slab!

 

I think ICG does a good job with grading and conservation. If I'm wanting to sell something of high value, I use PCGS.

 

Nice Liberty half dollar, appears to have an original color. Who cares if it‘s slightly overgraded? I miss the cert pictures though.

 

I like NGC, PCGS, ICG and ANACS. My favorite of all times was the early days of PCI. They were as tough as anyone at the time. One of our members here was a grader there at the time.

Turnaround time is always changing at all the services. You just never know. I sent 5 coins to PCGS back in November for grading and to have the variety shown on the label. Just got the results but I don't have a problem with it. Each service has it's place in the hobby.

 

Six months?!!? That's not a grading company, that's off-site storage.

 

I'm thinking they may be sending coins out for variety attribution. Maybe each coin type is going to a different expert. I don't know but that would account for it taking so long.

 

Hi Randy. Do you have a better image of that 1873 half? Is that coin as rare as I think it is?

 

You made me look.
Awesome coin Randy!

 

No kidding I had to see what it was...
Didn't see a CC or the arrows.
I've always liked that year on coins.
Close up shots of both sides would be nice.

 

Way to go.

I like my ICG coins.