Mike Ellis brings over 20 Years Experience in Research, Grading & Teaching

Management at Dominion Grading Service (DGS) formally announced this week the hiring of Michael Ellis as a senior grader and variety specialist. Mr. Ellis has over 20 years experience in professional numismatics with a rich resume spanning everything from President of CONECA, to 12 years of teaching at ANA Summer Seminars.

According to DGS President, John Feigenbaum, “Mike comes to us at the ideal time for Dominion [Grading Service]. We’ve been officially grading coins since April and the number of submissions has gradually increased with each month, to the point that we could no longer keep up with the pace. Collectors are really starting to embrace our services and we see DGS as a trend setter in the future of coin grading. DGS can make a real difference with specialty offerings like variety designations and the grading of error coins. Mike is one of the strongest attributors in the country and we’re extremely fortunate to have him aboard.

About Mike Ellis

A coin collector since 1968, Mike comes to DGS with over 20 years experience as a professional numismatist and numismatic educator. He served 12 years as a board member and officer of CONECA; including 4 terms as President of the organization. He has been an instructor for ANA Summer Seminars since 1996, has given several Numismatic Theater presentations at ANA Anniversary Conventions and made many educational appearances at other shows and club meetings across the country.

Ellis first became a consultant to ICG in 1998 serving in that capacity until April of 2006 when he became a full time grader with ANACS, moving to ICG in January of this year when ANACS was sold. Ellis is also an accomplished numismatic writer having penned a column for “Numismatic News,” served as editor of “Errorscope” and “Cherrypickers’ News,” edited “Cherrypickers’ Guide to Rare Die Varieties, 4th Edition, Volume I” for which he received an NLG Award, penned numerous articles for several numismatic publications, contributed to dozens of numismatic publications and either wrote or contributed to many numismatic auction catalogs. (more…)

Duvall 4-E Variety is Just the Second Reported Specimen

Virginia Beach, VA. The graders at Dominion Grading Service are excited to announce that they have certified the second known example of this very rare variety. The Duvall 4-E variety was thought to be unique until the discovery of this coin, which has been graded AU58 Cleaned by DGS.

According to John Feigenbaum, President of DGS, the coin has “the initial appearance of a mint state coin but the luster is almost too nice and lacks the frosty surfaces of a true mint state. The coin has virtually no wear and has been very lightly cleaned to show evidence of wipe lines upon close examination in proper lighting. The only significant mark on either side of the coin is a 3 mm scratch on Washington’s cheek. Without the mishandling, this coin might have otherwise graded MS63.”

Feigenbaum continued to say that “this coin is the perfect example of the kind of collector rarity that we pride ourselves at DGS. Because the coin is lightly cleaned, some of the other grading services wouldn’t even examine the coin for variety. At DGS, we appreciate that many great coins may not be pristine, but still benefit from certification. Our affiliation with David Lawrence Rare Coins and DLRC Auctions also gives clients the opportunity to submit the coins and then bring them directly to market. In the case of the 4-E, the client intends to do just that. No other leading firm can offer that full-service experience in house.”

The Duvall 4-E Variety

The Duvall 4-E variety is distinctive because of the unique positioning of the olive branch on the reverse. The right side of the branch terminates over the numeral 9 of 1900. All other known varieties see this branch end over the right side of the first 0 in 1900. Prior to the appearance of this coin, the existence of Duvall 4-E was thought to be unique.

The only other known Lafayette dollar of this die variety was sold in August 2007 by Heritage Numismatic Auctions as part of their Signature ANA Auction. (Lot 2090). It was graded MS60 by ANACS and realized $18,400 to a phone bidder. According to the Heritage lot description, that coin was “well struck with dusky chestnut, aqua, and plum-mauve patina. Both sides unusually free from marks, particularly on the portraits.” Based on the description of marks, these are clearly not the same coin. (more…)

Virginia Beach, VA. Dominion Grading continues to reach important milestones as they establish themselves as respected third party graders in the numismatic community. According to President, John Feigenbaum, “We’ve now received over 1500 coins for grading, with a minority of those coming from our sister company, David Lawrence Rare Coins. We are very careful when grading all coins that are submitted and take great care to ensure that each DGS certified coin will stand on its own in the marketplace. The numismatic community is quickly becoming aware that our grading is conservative and consistent. Submitters have been very happy with the quality of our work.”

Expectations have been exceeded at DGS with the receipt of over 1500 coins in the first 45 days of grading. Feigenbaum continues, “It’s important to understand that we are not grading multiples of anything so far. Every submission has included a variety of different coins and our graders are really enjoying the process. It would be easy to grade a bag of silver dollars, or rolls of Lincoln cents, but on average we’re getting 10 different coins in an 11 coin submission.”

DLRC Auctions offering over 100 DGS Slabs this week

For the first time ever, there is a concentration of DGS slabs in a single auction at www.davidlawrence.com. The Internet Only auction, which closes Thursday, June 26, is highlighted by a choice XF45 Gobrecht dollar. In addition, there are many coins valued from $25-$5000 including a collection of early Walkers and better date Morgan dollars in XF-Uncirculated grades. (more…)