Grading Sovereigns, NGC or PCGS?

[Foster88]

Hi all,

I’m sure this has been discussed many times on the forum.

I’ve finally decided which of my Sovereigns at EF or thereabouts and some, according to Marsh, rated R and the odd S sovereign that I’d like to grade.

Now I don’t know wether to send them to NGC or PCGS. Does anyone have any experience of grading Sovereigns or any coins for that matter with either of these companies, furthermore are there any pros or cons for one over the other?

Thanks.

[Rll1288]

I have a couple in PCGS slabs and have some waiting to come back from NGC.... in my mind from now n I would go with NGC...are they better? not sure... just prefer how they look in the slabs.. I may even get the two PCGS ones over to NGC to get them changed 🙂 Not so much a Pro and Con as preference I'm afraid

[Richym99]

At least with the NGC, you can get assistance and advice, plus a reduced rate as a TSF member through Coins of the Realm.

[Touvex]

I'm pretty OCD with these things so i hate not being able to stack my slabs up if i have mostly NGC and a few PCGS, so i aviod PCGS for this reason - even if i do get some on na good deal, i'll probably get them re-slabed for consistency in collection. But thats just me!

In general you may find NGC easier to sell as they are more popular among collectors.

[GoldStatue]

I think reputation wise they are basically on a par with each other but there seem to be a lot more NGC slabs in the UK than PCGS.

I'm also a bit OCD about the labels and the slabs, I see my coins as a collection, so if I had a mixture of NGC and PCGS and different labels it would be tempting to get them re-holdered. It would certainly be something for me to consider if I were starting from afresh.

[Arbkev]

I have a mixture purely for diversity so that if in the future when it's time to sell on, the market may prefer one over the other. I agree with the point above tho, there seems to be more NGC than PGCS for sale at the UK auctions.

[GoldenGriffin]

I think it comes down to individual preference.

For me, I grade with PCGS, as I like the holder and I personally think it shows the coin off better, but that's purely my opinion.

NGC holders are nice and I wouldn't object to buying a coin that was graded by NGC, but to satisfy my OCD about labels, holders and being able to stack them on top of each other, I'd probably have to cross it over to PCGS 😅

If I were you, I'd just go with what you prefer and not let, what the majority do, cloud your decision.

The fact that you're in two minds, tells me that you need to place an NGC holder and PCGS holder on the table, get a mate to mix them up and with your eyes closed, point either left or right to choose your destiny!! 🤣😅👍

Edited May 27, 2021 by GoldenGriffin
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[GoldenGriffin]

Also, you have to pay extra for the scratch resistant holders at NGC, plus all the coins that you submit need to be in that tier for a scratch resistant holder, otherwise, you won't get one.

With PCGS, they're already scratch resistant as standard.

[Foster88]

Thanks ll for your replies and opinions.

Now I’m none the wiser which to go with. 😆

I think I’m honestly more swayed to NGC for now. I too have noticed there are more NGC graded coins in U.K. than PCGS.

I think that’s what I’ll go with for now and get them sent off.

Just lastly, how long does it roughly take from sending coins to receiving them back?

[GoldenGriffin]

3 minutes ago, Foster88 said:

Just lastly, how long does it roughly take from sending coins to receiving them back?

If everything goes to plan, with PCGS, it's about 4 weeks.

Think it's about the same with NGC, but someone who has recently graded with NGC may be able to provide you with an up-to-date answer?

[LawrenceChard]

4 minutes ago, Foster88 said:

Thanks ll for your replies and opinions.

Now I’m none the wiser which to go with. 😆

Perhaps not, but you are much better informed! 🙂

(Oscar Wilde, I think).

[pricha]

On 26/05/2021 at 13:36, GoldenGriffin said:

Also, you have to pay extra for the scratch resistant holders at NGC, plus all the coins that you submit need to be in that tier for a scratch resistant holder, otherwise, you won't get one.

With PCGS, they're already scratch resistant as standard.

That's very interesting. I prefer NGC holders but i bought one once and it was scratched to hell , much worse than the photo . It was so bad i removed the coin. 

[Richym99]

I was told by Louise at Coins of the Realm that the turn around is generally about six weeks when I submitted coins for conservation and grading last week.

You should know how they have been graded before that time.

If you go through CoR, they do all the leg work for you.

 

[GoldenGriffin]

1 minute ago, pricha said:

That's very interesting. I prefer NGC holders but i bought one once and it was scratched to hell , much worse than the photo . It was so bad i removed the coin. 

That'll be the standard holder.

Sucks!

[Foster88]

On 27/05/2021 at 17:48, LawrenceChard said:

Perhaps not, but you are much better informed! 🙂

(Oscar Wilde, I think).

I am much better informed.

The one Oscar Wilde quote that springs to mind is “I can resist everything but temptation”. Quite appropriate for most of us when it comes to precious metals. 😬

[sovereignsteve]

On 26/05/2021 at 01:44, Foster88 said:

Hi all,

I’m sure this has been discussed many times on the forum.

I’ve finally decided which of my Sovereigns at EF or thereabouts and some, according to Marsh, rated R and the odd S sovereign that I’d like to grade.

Now I don’t know wether to send them to NGC or PCGS. Does anyone have any experience of grading Sovereigns or any coins for that matter with either of these companies, furthermore are there any pros or cons for one over the other?

Thanks.

Depends what your motives are for grading?

Setting aside aspects of the appearance etc of the slabs and labels, I would sum up as follows:

If you want to obtain the highest grade for your modern proofs, choose NGC.

If you want the correct grade for your sovereigns, or rather more consistent results, choose PCGS.

If you are grading very old and rare coins, choose PCGS as they have a better reputation in this area and resale values reflect this.

If you want a more convenient and cheaper service, living in the UK, choose NGC.

[GoldDiggerDave]

The NGC are helpful and do respond to your emails.  I've asked them a few questions lately and they have always got back to me.

For me the deciding factor is the location of their submission offices.  With the state of current affairs I did not want to send my beloved gold to Paris, only for the lovely French people to kick off, go on strike, blockade the ports or decide to have a second revolution while my gold coins are in their possession. 

Also if you are submitting seriously expensive coins or a batch over 2.5k you have the option to hand deliver them, so you don't fear the them going missing in the post.  

Cheers

Dave

[LawrenceChard]

4 hours ago, Foster88 said:

I am much better informed.

The one Oscar Wilde quote that springs to mind is “I can resist everything but temptation”. Quite appropriate for most of us when it comes to precious metals. 😬

I thought he said "Bugger me, how did I end up in here?"

Edited May 29, 2021 by LawrenceChard
typo

[Foster88]

4 hours ago, sovereignsteve said:

Depends what your motives are for grading?

Setting aside aspects of the appearance etc of the slabs and labels, I would sum up as follows:

If you want to obtain the highest grade for your modern proofs, choose NGC.

If you want the correct grade for your sovereigns, or rather more consistent results, choose PCGS.

If you are grading very old and rare coins, choose PCGS as they have a better reputation in this area and resale values reflect this.

If you want a more convenient and cheaper service, living in the UK, choose NGC.

Thanks Steve, I’m sending a few pre 1932 Sovereigns, mostly rare George V sovereigns.

Perhaps PCGS would be the better option, do you think?

I’m not aware of any ‘middle man’ service with PCGS or is it possible to send directly?

[evende]

2 hours ago, Foster88 said:

Thanks Steve, I’m sending a few pre 1932 Sovereigns, mostly rare George V sovereigns.

Perhaps PCGS would be the better option, do you think?

I’m not aware of any ‘middle man’ service with PCGS or is it possible to send directly?

It will definitely be cheaper, more interesting and calmer to register an account and DIY. 

[sovereignsteve]

2 hours ago, Foster88 said:

Thanks Steve, I’m sending a few pre 1932 Sovereigns, mostly rare George V sovereigns.

Perhaps PCGS would be the better option, do you think?

I’m not aware of any ‘middle man’ service with PCGS or is it possible to send directly?

 

12 minutes ago, evende said:

It will definitely be cheaper, more interesting and calmer to register an account and DIY. 

You can register an account and grade via paris. Not as cheap nor convenient as NGC London but better in the long run IMHO.

I believe coin fairs will be starting soon and previously PCGS Europe attended these and accepted submissions. Perhaps they will continue this.

[SilverJacks]

@sovereignsteve I seem to remember hearing somewhere that PCGS have higher standards, at least in some regards. Like a PCGS 70 might count for more than a NGC 70.  Would you agree with this in any way?

[Foster88]

18 minutes ago, SilverJacks said:

@sovereignsteve I seem to remember hearing somewhere that PCGS have higher standards, at least in some regards. Like a PCGS 70 might count for more than a NGC 70.  Would you agree with this in any way?

It would seem that way with regards to sovereigns. You can see how I’ve spent my Saturday. 😬

I’m sure @sovereignsteve can shed more light on this.

The sovereign ‘god’ that he is. 😆

[Foster88]

10 hours ago, GoldDiggerDave said:

For me the deciding factor is the location of their submission offices.  With the state of current affairs I did not want to send my beloved gold to Paris, only for the lovely French people to kick off, go on strike, blockade the ports or decide to have a second revolution while my gold coins are in their possession.

What on Earth makes you think the French might kick off at any moment? 😆 

 

Edited May 30, 2021 by Foster88

[GoldDiggerDave]

6 hours ago, Foster88 said:

What on Earth makes you think the French might kick off at any moment? 😆 

 

 

LOL!   Would be better to ask when are they not kicking off about anything!   

You asked the question and I'm giving you my own and honest reply.  

First reason

The NGC office is in the UK so I can submit my coins in person as I have many expensive coins that are valued for more than I can insure them for loss in post.  (If anyone knows of a service in the UK where I can fully insure my gold for values over 2.5k please let me know, thanks in advance)

Second reason

It would only take some jumped up low level french bureaucrat or British one on this side of the water  to cause mayhem again and we have weeks of tailbacks in the delivery service.

Nothing against the French or PCGS, in fact if we had a PCGS submission office in the UK it would have been my first choice as I prefer their slabs over the NGC.  

Would I send my gold to Paris today in the current political climate  in the post that I can't insure?......................  Hell no, that's the deciding factor for me.

Hope this helps and only my own view on deciding factors between the NGC and PCGS.