Although there are many coin grading services which have sprung up as of late, one of the best and most respected is still that of Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and also that of Numismatist Guaranty Corporation (NGC). These are two of the best grading services available in America to date.

There are a few other coin grading services who come in second but if the graded coins you’re looking to buy have either a PCGS or NGC seal on it you can be assured of good quality. This is because, unlike many coin grading services, PCGS and NGC both have a very conservative grading policy which means that they won’t be quick to put a high grade on a coin without good reason.

The coin really must be of a high quality for PCGS and NGC to put their stamp on it with a high grade mark. Unfortunately there are many other coin grading services which don’t have this same standard of evaluation and who will put a high grade on anything that looks good.

Grading low coins as high can and will deceive the buyer which is why you need to be wary of accepting sight unseen, a coin which has been graded. Unless of course it’s stated specifically that it’s a PCGS or NGC grading.

Another thing for you to look out for when going with the grading of other coin grading services is whether they’re cleverly implying that their grades are the same as PCGS. In the case of NGC, because they have almost the same high standard of coin grading services as PCGS, their grading values are the same.

For example, if the other company puts a high grading for a coin and then points out the high PCGS value for that same coin grade, you might be tempted to buy their coin without another thought if they’re offering it to you on a platter.

Which is really why, the Latin caveat emptor applies here. As far as accepting graded coins goes caveat emptor: buyer beware of what you’re getting yourself into. This is also the point in a coin sale where you should walk away from such an unbelievable bargain. As I keep saying, they’re unbelievable for a reason, so don’t get pulled in.