Recently we had a client stop by with a group of coins purchased by his father over the course of his half century of collecting. The older gentleman was apparently a forward-thinking fellow, an early adopter if you will, and he decided to take advantage of this new-fangled “certification service” on offer from a companies called NGC and PCGS. He meticulously selected the best Mercury dimes, Washington quarters and a few commemoratives from his collection and carried them off to his local dealer for submission. It’s a good thing he did.
Today NGC and PCGS are the industry standard for grading and certification of U.S. and world coins, and their older holders have become a collecting field unto themselves. Certain coins are truly scarce in older PCGS or NGC holders, and the values they achieve at auction reflect the strength of this vibrant new market. PCGS “rattlers” and NGC “fatties” have a group of dedicated collectors filling old PCGS and NGC boxes with the coins that fit them.
The older gentleman apparently knew his grading. Many of the coins in this group are MS-65 and higher, with a good number grading MS-67. The highlight is a beautifully toned 1939-D dime in PCGS MS-69 in an Old Green Holder. We are delighted to have received such an untouched, classic group, and our old holder specialist Larry was in his element for the better part of the morning. The coins are sitting next to my desk right now, waiting to be processed. Soon they will be dispersed like leaves on a windy November afternoon, settling quietly into their new homes, maybe to join their brethren in a green PCGS box, or to stand alone as the first example of an old holder for a young new collector. In either case, they will sadly, be gone for me.
The Stack’s Bowers Galleries location in Philadelphia (as well as our galleries in New York City and Boston) is open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Walk-ins are welcome but you can also make an appointment by calling 267-609-1804 (toll-free at 866-840-1913) or emailing [email protected].
