There has been a long-lasting debate over which grading company to submit coins to. Well, I think that question is a lot more complicated than most people would assume. In fact, in my eyes, there is no clear answer that can fit all specific situations. The choice of which grading company to send coins to has a lot to do with the type of coin you are submitting, the motive with which you are submitting the coin, and when you are submitting the coin.
To start with the type of coin that you are submitting, grading companies are harder and easier of certain types of coins. For example, if you are submitting a Franklin half dollar with full bell lines, but it is right on the edge, you are better off submitting the coin to PCGS. PCGS is far easier on giving the FBL designation on Franklins than NGC due to their different standards. NGC makes sure that both sets of lines are full, while PCGS only considers the bottom set of lines. While the FBL designation may be inconsequential on some Franklins, such as the 1953-D Franklin that almost always has full bell lines, dates where bell lines are extremely rare such as the 1953-S are a different story. While a 1953-S Franklin in MS-65 is worth a mere $20 bill or so, a 1953-S Franklin graded MS-65 FBL can be worth as much as $30,000. That is a huge price difference, and choosing the correct grading company could just make that difference.
Moving on to your motive in submitting the coin, a few factors need to be considered. Are you submitting the coin to keep in your collection? Are you submitting the coin to make a profit? While your motive may seem unimportant, that couldn't be farther from the truth. If you want a coin for your personal collection, you may want to pick the grading company that you appreciate the aesthetics of or the cheaper option. However, if you are grading to make a profit, there are some key considerations to be made. Currently, I have been really impressed with the grades that PCGS has been giving out in In-Show submissions. If you are unfamiliar with this tier, it is when you bring coins to PCGS at a national show to have graded. I have recently made a lot of upgrades with PCGS through In-Show grading as of late. These upgrades are usually from a MS-66 to a MS-66+ or 67. While that is a small point upgrade, it can sometimes increase the value of a coin by thousands of dollars. However, I would say that, if you are looking to maximize profits on coins by making upgrades, I would submit to NGC. In my opinion, NGC grades more easily. An example that I love to give is an 1825 Capped Bust Half Dollar that I submitted a few years back. The coin was in a PCGS AU-58 holder, but I knew that NGC was easier on Capped Bust Halves, so I crack
ed it and submitted it to NGC. Low and behold, the coin came back as an MS-63. Even though the coin in a PCGS AU-58 holder was worth more than the same coin in an NGC AU-58 holder, the coin in an NGC MS-63 holder was worth far more. Therefore, I usually submit coins to NGC when I want to make money on bigger upgrades, but I submit to PCGS when I want a half or full point upgrade on a high-dollar coin.
The final consideration for choosing a grading company is the time that you are submitting the coin. During a certain period, PCGS may be being really hard on Lincoln cents with color, or NGC may be being really strict on Morgan Dollars. These trends may be harder to uncover, but they are extremely useful in determining a grading company.
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope this helps you in deciding which grading company to send your beloved coins to!