TPG

"Third Party Grading"

OR

Why the blazes are my coins encased in plastic?

If you are an older collector (like me), you remember the days when every dealer sold only MS65 GEMS and all coins they bought were Slider AU's.  In fact, I was in Minneapolis in the 80's and remember the dealers who made mass mailings touting their GEMS, and the 3 to 4 times of profit you were going to make.

PROBLEM WAS.....

That the whole business was non-regulated, and more highly opinionated than the cable news networks.  As we (the more reputable dealers) watched millions of dollars being made on overgraded coins, many knew it would be the end of the coin market if something was not done.

HENCE..

Along came the companies that started to consensus grade and backed up their opinions with dealer guarantees and created a more honest playing field so that even a novice or green horn could participate in the coin investing market without having to read 4 volumes of antiquated numismatic literature or going to College classes on grading intricacies given by profiteers.

NOW......

Coin collecting and investing became more regulated and reliable, with dealers and collectors assured that the coin would be pretty close to the right grade, and not tampered with or "mucked" with.

Your Responsibility is...

Know the TPG company you are buying into.  Is it one of the reputable companies in the US or Canada?  Does it maintain collector trust and recognized by most dealers as a legitimate company with legitimate graders? Has it graded conistently for decades?  Do their coins maintain their value time and time again at auctions and on bourse floors?

I have sold MILLIONS of dollars worth of coins on Ebay, and I only trust a small handfull of TPG coins "sight unseen".  There are a couple of GREAT Canadian ones, and maybe a few on the US side that I buy knowing that it is going to be a solid coin.

I know, I know, I ramble on more than uncle Joe, who has Alzheimers, but the fact is:  New collectors and experienced collectors need knowledge to make better investing decisions.  Ebay has brought many new collectors into the market, and I rely heavily on repeat business.

I Price my encapsulated coins off of the PCGS website, go take a peek, the REGISTRY set is a hoot! I think NGC has a good one as well.  For my beloved Canadian customers, I use the price guide from the CCN, which I feel is the best gauge of the Canadian Numismatic market.  I am a member of the RCNA, and have been on Ebay for a modest 12 years.

PCGS Authenticated and graded
1875-H
Canada Quarter
Trends at $3500 CDN