(Santa Ana, California) – Information provided to Northern California law enforcement authorities by Professional Coin Grading Service led to the arrest of a suspect who is now under investigation in connection with the sales of fraudulently altered Morgan dollars in tampered PCGS holders for nearly $300,000.
CLICK TO ENLARGE: These four photographs show a tampered PCGS encapsulation holder with a fraudulent insert. When the holder was cracked open it revealed that it housed the pictured coins, a genuine 1879 and a genuine Carson City Mint dollar that were split in two along the rim to create an "1879-CC." PCGS experts believe the diagnostic evidence indicates the 1879 Morgan dollar used in this case most likely was an 1879-S. (Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service.)
"Genuine, common date Morgan dollars were split into two pieces (front and back along the rim), then adhered to each other in combinations to create the illusion of rare date and mintmarks. The coins then were placed in tampered PCGS holders to give the coin credibility in the marketplace and to hide the alterations," said Stephen Mayer, Chief Operating Officer of Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT), parent company of Professional Coin Grading Service.
Among the fraudulent alterations were "1883-S," "1884-S" and "1903-S" that were deceitfully labeled as PCGS MS65, MS63 and MS64, respectively. Read the rest of this entry »
Continuing its international expansion, Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) participated in COINEXPO in Warsaw, Poland on October 15-17 and in the Brogniard show October 17 in Paris, France.
Both shows raised the continuing growing interest in world coin grading among European and Eastern European collectors. In Poland, third-party independent coin grading is already widely recognized as adding value to collectors’ coins. Collectors can submit their coins to PCGS through two PCGS authorized Polish dealers, Mennica Polska and Inwestycje Alternatywne Profit (www.e-numizmatyka.pl).
Following PCGS President Don Willis’ visit to Paris, it was the first time a coin grading company was ever invited to participate in the Paris Brogniard show organized by the French Numismatic Dealers Association, SYNDICAT NATIONAL DES EXPERTS NUMISMATES ET NUMISMATES PROFESSIONNELS. "It was a great opportunity for PCGS to have such a high-visibility presence at this premier European show," said Muriel Eymery from PCGS, who expressed her thanks for the support of the show organizers and PCGS French dealers.
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(Santa Ana, California) — The acclaimed, new traveling exhibition of the Smithsonian’s National Numismatic Collection, "Good as Gold - America’s Double Eagles," now can be seen on a free, new video available online courtesy of Professional Coin Grading Service.
There are just a few of the historic coins in the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit, "Good as Gold - America’s Double Eagles." (Photo credit: PCGS)
The 7 1/2 minute program is on PCGS’ home page at www.PCGS.com. By clicking the full screen option, viewers get can get an up close ‘n’ personal with some of America’s greatest numismatic gold rarities that were exhibited for the first time together outside of Washington, D.C. at the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money® convention in Los Angeles, August 5 - 9, 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
(Fallbrook, California) – Chinese-made counterfeit coins pose a significant financial threat to unsuspecting consumers, according to leaders of five of the country’s most influential rare coin organizations. They warn the public is spending millions of dollars on fake U.S. coins offered in online auctions and elsewhere, such as flea markets and swap meets.
This counterfeit 1916-D Winged Liberty Head dime was sold online. Photo credit: Numismatic Guaranty Corporation.
In a jointly-issued consumer advisory (below) the groups caution the public not to purchase any so-called "replica" coins because they may be in violation of federal law. They also urge consumers to only purchase genuine rare coins from reputable, professional dealers or face the risk of losing money on copies that are illegal to re-sell. Read the rest of this entry »
(Newport Beach, California) – The Professional Coin Grading Service has established a new category in its popular PCGS Set RegistrySM program, the "Everyman" Collections. No coins graded higher than AU58 can be registered in this category.
"The PCGS Set Registry is home to many of the finest collections ever assembled, but some collectors have stayed away from ‘the classics’ because the costs to acquire Mint State or Proof specimens are prohibitive.
So, we’ve created a way for all levels of collectors, entry-level through experienced, to enjoy the fun and competitive nature of the Registry without spending a fortune on Gem Mint State coins," said BJ Searls, Set Registry Manager.
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Quantify Corporation Analyzes the eBAY Price Performance of PCGS Certified Genuine Coins
Monroe, NJ — On December 1, 2008 PCGS introduced a new service where any coin submitted for grading would be returned in a PCGS Holder, rather than in a “body bag,” unless the coin has active PVC corrosion, a plugged hole, or fails the authenticity check.
How have these coins performed and priced in the coin market. More than a year has passed since this service was introduced and yet we have not seen any price guides that have reported the results.
RegistryCollector.com has been tracking all certified coins posted and selling on eBay. What follows is an analysis of what is happening in the coin hobby. Read the rest of this entry »
(Long Beach, California) – Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) will have special discounts for certification services during the Long Beach, California Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo, September 10 – 12, 2009.
You’ll also have the opportunity to have your coins informally, personally examined by PCGS Co-Founder, David Hall, during Meet the Expert sessions, and hear about the exciting expansion of the PCGS CoinFacts (www.PCGSCoinFacts.com) web site, the Internet’s most comprehensive, one-stop source for historical U.S. numismatic information.
The following Show Grading Specials for on-site authentication and grading at Long Beach will be available to all PCGS Authorized Dealers and members of the PCGS Collectors Club. Read the rest of this entry »
June 4: Four numismatic news or coin blog articles are referenced on CoinNews every Tuesday and Thursday. These articles are not authored by us, but we recommend coin collectors read them for their unusual or interesting content. Here are today’s coin articles:
Numismatic News
The American Flag gets the nod from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts for the reverse of the 2010 Lincoln Cent. The image’s strength and simplicity spoke to commission members, said Thomas Luebke, commission secretary…
Go to story »
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(Long Beach, California) – Leaders of five of the hobby and profession’s most influential organizations are launching a multi-pronged consumer awareness and protection campaign against counterfeit numismatic items sold and imported from China and elsewhere.
The organizations in alphabetical order are the American Numismatic Association (ANA), the Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA), Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG).
Representatives of the five groups participated in a preliminary teleconference call on May 7, 2009, and then met in Long Beach, California on May 27 to discuss a coordinated plan of action. The groups recognize that counterfeiting can’t be completely stopped, but that efforts can be made to reduce the easy availability of fakes and to educate coin buyers about common sense ways to avoid unwittingly purchasing them. Read the rest of this entry »
(Newport Beach, California) – Examples from the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) Counterfeits Reference Collection will be displayed during the Central States Numismatic Society convention, April 30 – May 2, 2009, in Cincinnati Ohio.
PCGS will also offer on-site authentication and grading services for collectors and dealers submitting coins for certification at the show.
PCGS President Don Willis will be available at the PCGS table (booth #12) to informally examine your coins and chat during two Meet the Expert sessions, Thursday, April 30, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and Friday, May 1, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Read the rest of this entry »
