Here's another trick these slabbing companies use that no one has mentioned yet. They issue what are called "population reports". Let's say for the purpose of discussion, 1500 1887s silver dollars have been submitted to XYZ Grading Service over a period of years. Of those 1500 total 1887s silver dollar coins, let's say 1295 of them have been graded and slabbed by XYZ Grading Service at say MS63, 200 of the 1887s silver dollar coins have been graded and slabbed at MS64, but only five 1887s silver dollar coins have been submitted and have been graded MS67. Those five MS67 coins become "condition census" and demand much higher prices above the "regular gray sheet price" of MS67. However, maybe ABC Grading Service has graded 100 MS67 1887s silver dollars? Are you getting it yet?

Now let's say a common-dated Washington 2000 quarter is submitted and receives a MS70 designation. It becomes a "condition census" coin because possibly no other 2000 dated Washington quarter has been submitted for grading/slabbing. But this quarter becomes the "finest known" of it's date.

Now carry this scenario a bit further and substitute your favorite chip(s) and use your own imagination. Grading services depend on collectors/investors who don't know how to grade coins. So for a fee, they will do it for you. It's really only an opinion. An opinion that varies from grading company to grading company and the expertise of who is doing the grading.

Somebody posted thanks for posting the other side of the story. We have not heard all of "the other sides of the stories" yet. I too would like to know, as Andy Hughes asked, if Mark is a member of CC & GTCC.