A simple guide to coins certification: third-party grading companies
By thecanadiannumismatist | Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Coin grading and certification companies have taken the industry since a couple of decades. New ones are created each year, but only large-scale companies certifying Canadian coins are reported in the following list. This guide is designed to assist collectors to choose a certification service that fits their needs.
ANACS - American Numismatic Association Certification Service
ANACS considers themselves the America's Oldest Grading Service, located in Englewood, Colorado. The ANACS history starts back in 1972, when it was founded by the American Numismatic Association to become a third party coins grading service in response to the rise in counterfeit and altered pieces appearing in the numismatic marketplace. The company is affiliated with Great Collections, an auction house.
They initially started grading the obverse and reverse as different grades and you still see certificates issued by ANACS with 63/64 as a grade, noting that the obverse was graded MS-63 and reverse was graded MS-64. In today's grading standards at all leading coin grading companies, a single grade is assigned. In 1989, ANACS commenced issuing photo certificates and encapsulating coins in tamper evident holders.
Even if well recognized, especially by several United States dealers and collectors, very few Canadian coins are sent to them for certification and grading.
Today, ANACS is considered the little brother to NGC and PCGS, despite being the oldest of the three.
CCCS - Canadian Coin Certification Service
CCCS launched in 2004 and specialized in Canadian coins and banknotes. The company is located in Saint-Hubert, Quebec. Determined by customer preference, CCCS encases coins in soft or hard holders, with some exceptions:
Coins warranting negative comments such as Cleaned, Scratch, Edge or Rim Nick, Polished and Damaged, etc. will not be put in Hard Holders but will instead be graded and encapsulated in our Soft Holder for the same price. The majority of companies using Hard Holders return these coins uncertified in a Body Bag and keep the price paid. As an alternative, CCCS still certify these coins but use the Soft Holder format.
Soft are Mylar 2" x 2" envelopes which are sealed inside a 2½" x 2½" flip holder. Notes are sealed in Mylar 5" x 8" envelopes. CCCS certifies most error coins as long as the information is provided on their submission form.
A Population Report (coins only) and Verification Center are available on their website, but the update schedule of these tools is unknown.
ICCS - International Coin Certification Service
ICCS is a certification company specialized in Canadian coins located in Toronto, Ontario. ICCS encases coins only in an inert (polyethylene terephthalate) envelope which is then sealed in a plastic flip. The ICCS grading certificates are sealed in the other side of the flip. No hard slab available.
ICCS certification consists of grading, authentication, grade qualification, variety attribution, and other determinations.
ICCS does not certify error coins according to their submission form, but the company still certifies some of them. Here are some examples:
- Hanging (die clash)
- Half moon (die clash)
- Double 979 (Machine doubling)
- Clipped (Clipped planchet)
- And more...
ICCS doesn't publish Population Report since 2016, last time the company sold that information in a print format. For the longest time, ICCS is the go-to for many dealers and collectors for low-end to mid-end coins.
ICG - Independent Coin Graders
ICG certifies world coins since December 1998, is based in Tampa, Florida and only use hard holders:
Tamper-evident holder is ultrasonically sealed and features ICG's hologram system. The holder measures approximately 3 1/4 x 2 1/2 x 3/8 inches with slight indentations near the bottom portion of the label. It holds coins, medals and tokens as large as 40 mm across and 4.5 mm thick.
ICG is one of the least used certification and grading company for Canadian collectors and dealers even if one of the cheaper option in the United States market. A Verification Center is available on their website.
NGC - Numismatic Guaranty Corporation
Since 1987, NGC has graded more than 52 million coins and is specialized in World coins. The company is based in United States, China, Germany, United Kingdom and India. NGC only offers hard slab holders.
Designed for long-term preservation and protection, the NGC holders are comprised of high-quality inert materials and include numerous security features. Collectors, dealers and even the Smithsonian Institution trust NGC holders to protect their most treasured rarities.
NGC is another certification and grading company less popular for Canadian collectors and dealers. A Population Report (Census) and Verification Center are available on their website.
PCGS - Professional Coin Grading Service
PCGS was founded by David Hall and 6 other dealers in 1985 because they were worried about the over graded rip-offs telemarketers were selling. It is now owned by Collectors Universe. PCGS put the certified coins in hard slab holders only and the company also certifies banknotes.
PCGS certifies coins from over 100 countries including United States, Japan, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland, Great Britain, France, Italy, China, Spain, Greece, Mexico, Russia, Canada, India, Hong Kong, Philippines, Australia, Singapore and African countries.
A Population Report and Verification Center are available on their website. PCGS is more used in the past years by Canadian collectors and dealers, especially for high-end coins. It is the most recognized and used certification company for US numismatic. The company mostly identifies errors and varieties on their holders if mentioned in a Charlton book.
Price chart comparison for coins
Data from April 2022, standard/regular services for Canadian coins.
| TPG | Fees per coin | S&H | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANACS | $48.75 | $93.75 | |
| CCCS (soft holders) | $12 (<100 coins) $8.50 (>100 coins) |
$18 to $21 | |
| CCCS (hard holders) | $25 (<10 coins) $20 (<50 coins) $17.50 (<100 coins) $15 (>100 coins) |
$18 to $21 | |
| ICCS | $14 (<100 coins) $9 (>100 coins) |
$20 | |
| ICG | $20 | $25 (<11 coins) + $5 per additional 10 coins |
|
| NGC | $50 | n.a. | |
| PCGS | $47.50 | $68 (<10 coins) $1.75 per coin (>60 coins) |
|
| Prices in Canadian dollars. S&H - Insurance excluded. | |||
Coinsandcanada.com isn't affiliated with any of the previous companies.
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