I'm debating whether or not I should send my notes off to be graded by CGA. Besides CGA's attractive pricing and ease of submission (5 notes for $64.99 shipped and a 14 day turnaround), my primary concern revolves around resale value - although I intend to keep them in my collection, the notes may eventually be sold if I ever want to upgrade the note or if I really need to for whatever reason. So I may as well submit them with future resale in mind. I've read many threads on this, but I still have some unanswered questions that revolve around resale value: - From anecdotal evidence of previous years' data I've read, PCGS demands the highest resale value, probably due to name recognition with its previous association with PCGS coins and their values. Is PCGS Currency the market leader whereby buyers / dealers tend to buy the PCGS holders over PMG and CGA graded notes? - Is CGA's scandal from some years back still hampering value, despite the thicker holder, star designation, and stellar track record since (reestablishing trust with consumers can be a difficult task, even with a new ownership)? Or, is their value rising to competitive levels with PMG & PCGS? Looking at sold listings on eBay, I don't see as wide a gap in resale value as purported (at least not from the small sample size of US notes I saw today). However, I do see an example of a PMG XF note selling for slightly more than a non-star CGA AU of the same note. For the latter, the seller even noted that it's "possibly about uncirculated", with no mention of the TPG, and cropped out the front CGA name and grade sections - as if to say the buyer is buying a "raw" note in a sealed sleeve protector. - Is one TPG seen as superior over another for foreign currencies in general? How about contemporary vs. early-mid 20th century foreign notes? I read that PMG is better than PCGS for foreign currencies (is this generally true?), but where does CGA fit in between the two? How about for foreign error notes? - Anything else worth noting? Thanks in advance!
eBay only allows PMG and PCGS graded notes for now. That's why sellers are cropping out the label. And what do you mean when you said you read PMG is better than PCGS for foreign currencies? Resale value? I'd say either company is a very good choice if you don't mind spending more money and joining their "club". If you did your research and can't figure out where CGA fits in amongst the other two, don't go with CGA. Unless you don't want to spend the extra money for a popular, trusted TPG. And remember if you're over 50 years old, you might die before PCGS gets your notes back.
If I get an ANA membership, do you know if I have to join PMG or can I forgo PMG membership and simply pay the service costs and send notes directly to PMG? And, do you know if I can do this as a Silver member? From what I've read in the link below, it seems to suggest that a PMG membership is not necessary for ANA members, like a backdoor... https://www.pmgnotes.com/about/ana.aspx "One of the most popular benefits of ANA membership is the opportunity to submit paper money to PMG for grading. To set up a ANA Submitter account with PMG, simply print and return the application. There is no charge for an ANA Submitter account. ANA Submitters are also entitled to submit to Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) and Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS), both independent members of the Certified Collectibles Group."
Thomas Jefferson wrote: " Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will be dear to you." And you seem unsure about CGA and potential resale. Seems like you've already made a decision but aren't sure you've actually made it. Membership costs bothering you? PMG Collector's Society PREMIUM membership is $149 and you receive a $150 credit. PCGS Gold membership is $119 and you receive six free grading submissions. What's to lose? Let's see how this work out: PMG: cost = $149 less the $150 credit : $1 to your favor but postage costs have to be considered. PCGS: cost = $119 less SIX free grading submissions (Economy $24 x 6 = $144); then postage costs. You do the math and go from there.
Assuming a 5 note submission... : - Direct membership to PMG is $149 If the $150 credit can be applied to return shipping and/or the $5 handling fee per submission form, this option may have the edge. - ANA Gold membership is $28 + (5 x $25 economy) = $153 + $5 handling + Return shipping Though you can submit as few coins to NGC without paying for NGC membership. Now I just need to figure out if I want to send any coins to NGC, as both options appear roughly equal.
For the notes only and for now, they're random hyperinflation notes I recently purchased that I want either protected or verified to be authentic (e.g. 1923 2-trillion Mark; 1946 unissued one-side-print-error 1-Sextillion Pengo). I'm not sure if I want to send any of my raw coins in yet but that would get interesting to figure out.
I have seen enough misattributions and other problems with the main US TPG grading companies when it comes to non-US notes that I would not trust then to authenticate world notes. If I were going to send world notes for grading it would be to World Banknote Grading WBG or Intetnational Currency Grading ICG. They are both new companies but have the experience to authenticate and attribute world notes.
Ok, I'm definitely going to want to send at least one world coin to NGC. So, the best route seems to be to go through ANA gold membership. But besides the cost considerations, that would in part depend on whether or not NGC > or = PCGS for foreign coin grading (wrong sub-forum to ask this probably), and whether PMG > or = PCGS for foreign note grading. I know that I'll have to apply for the submitter numbers at both PMG and NGC. But, maybe there are some other exceptions and/or nuances that I'm overlooking? And, I'm trying to find more anecdotal testimonials on WBG and ICG for notes. I can't seem to find as much info on that. I was considering ANACS, but I'm not too sure they do notes.
iPen, for comments about WBG try this link https://forums.collectors.com/messageview.aspx?catid=23&threadid=955640&enterthread=y
Thanks for that info - it looks like WBG is consistent and accurate, which is a huge plus. I'm relatively new to paper notes, and got into because of the sheer ridiculousness of the hyperinflation denominations (1 sextillion!), and I was an economics major back when I was in college so I geek out with that sort of thing. Anyway, I'll have to test the waters a bit before I figure things out with paper notes, but dive in with ANA membership to see how I feel about that before perusing other routes.
Does anyone have a discount code for ANA membership, for the gold or platinum tiers? I don't want to come off as cheap, but this is an extraordinarily expensive hobby (more than any other hobby I have) so every bit helps. Thanks in advance.
