by Greg Reynolds for CoinLink

On Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010, Heritage’s long awaited Platinum Night event at the FUN Convention in Orlando will include a marvelous array of choice and rare U.S. coins. It is part of a larger auction extravaganza that is held in conjunction with one of the two most important coin conventions of the year, that of the Florida United Numismatists (FUN) organization.

The famous collector Jay Brahin has consigned a select group of Saint Gaudens Double Eagles ($20 gold coins) to be sold on Platinum Night. The most valuable piece from the Brahin collection is a 1927-S Saint that is graded MS-66 by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).

Brahin’s consignment is of just seven coins, yet these are particularly significant. These seven constitute his entire current collection of Double Eagles and were very carefully selected by him. Jay reveals that he had “no intention of selling is coins, but I [Jay] am selling for personal reasons that are completely unrelated to coins or coin markets. I would have liked to have held these coins for a decade or more. Coins are art to me, and I am proud to have obtained these coins. I love the thrill of the hunt. Finding the coin is more gratifying than selling it.”

Brahin started “collecting coins as a kid.” He “filled coin albums with cents, nickels, dimes and quarters. During vacations, I [Jay] would work $20 in change several times over in one day, by going back and forth to the bank. Over the period of a summer day, I would go to a bank eight or nine times. It was fun. I loved it. I fell off the collecting wagon, but I never lost my love of coins.”

As a teenager, Brahin had other interests. Later in life, in 2002, Jay returned to coin collecting. He “always wanted to own a Saint when [he] was a kid.” So, he “turned to Saints.” Jay saw “Dr. Duckor’s Saint set on the PCGS registry, which was then blocked from view, but his e-mail address was briefly posted. I wrote to him and said I was an admirer of his Barber Half set; I inquired about his Saints. Later, we talked about the philosophy of collecting.” (more…)

The Certified Acceptance Corp. (CAC) is now accepting membership applications from collectors. Those who meet certain requirements will be eligible to submit certified coins directly to the company for evaluation.

Up to now, CAC membership has been open only to dealers, and collectors wishing to submit their coins to the company have had to do so through member dealers.

The change reflects growing awareness throughout the hobby of CAC’s role in the marketplace, according to John Albanese, founder and president of the New Jersey-based company. It also is intended to simplify the submission process for collectors who might have found it difficult to make arrangements through dealers.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to submit their coins to us,” Albanese said. “At the same time, we don’t want them making costly mistakes, so we want to be sure they fully understand the submission process before they send us their coins.

“In particular, we want to be sure that they’re thoroughly familiar with how to send coins, including how to ship them through private carriers.”

CAC experts examine coins previously certified by either the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) or the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation of America (NGC). CAC then affixes a distinctive green sticker to the holder of each coin which, in its judgment, fully merits the grade that was assigned. Each sticker incorporates a tamper-resistant hologram.

The authenticity of CAC-stickered coins can be confirmed by going to the company’s Internet Web site, www.caccoin.com, and entering each coin’s serial number in the Verification Search form as directed. (more…)

After months of careful preparation, the Certified Acceptance Corp. (CAC) has unveiled a Population Register on its Internet Web site giving detailed information – at no charge – on certified coins it has examined.

The register encompasses all major types of federal U.S. coinage, but does not yet include Colonial coins or territorial gold. It lists the types and grades of coins – and the number of each – that CAC has judged to be certified in appropriate grade levels.

“This is something we planned from the very beginning,” said John Albanese, founder and president of the company. “We waited until now to implement the plan because we wanted to ensure that the number of coins would be a representative sample.”

CAC experts examine coins previously certified by either the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) or the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation of America (NGC). CAC then affixes a distinctive green sticker to the holder of each coin which, in its judgment, fully merits the grade that was assigned. Each sticker incorporates a tamper-resistant hologram.

New Jersey-based CAC began operations in late 2007, and the Population Register reflects all certified federal coins that have earned the company’s stickers since that time – a period of approximately 20 months.

The register will be updated weekly, Albanese said, and will give coin buyers and sellers – free of charge – an accurate, reliable resource for assessing the number of well-graded certified coins available in the marketplace.

The Population Register can be accessed at CAC’s Web site, www.caccoin.com.