PCI Brand Name is Discontinued, but Holder will be used for DGS Slabs

Virginia Beach, VA. The owner of the PCI grading service announced today that they have launched a new numismatic grading and authentication company named Dominion Grading Service, or DGS.

John Feigenbaum, President, stated today that “we had initially planned to keep the PCI brand name, but we quickly realized that it would be impossible to overcome the confusion that would ensue as we endeavor to recalibrate the [PCI] grading standards. Therefore, we have decided to discontinue the PCI brand in favor of an all-new grading company named Dominion Grading Service.“

Dominion will be using the same holder as PCI, but that’s where the similarities end. DGS grading will be based on strict standards (i.e. Photograde, for circulated coins). On mint state coinage, DGS will grade conservatively with a focus on eye appeal, freshness of surfaces (including originality) and marketability.

Feigenbaum continued, “The Company is a fresh start for us in creating what we hope will be an ideal certification service designed specifically for collector submissions. We are not looking for bulk submitters in the trade. At David Lawrence Rare Coins, we’ve had the good fortune to deal personally with thousands of collectors for nearly 30 years…and DGS is a great opportunity to bring that experience to the forefront as we deliver top-level customer service and conservative grading standards. We also want to personalize the relationship by adding innovative services, the same way we’ve done at David Lawrence and DLRC Auctions.”

DGS is currently in the final stages of preparing software for processing orders. Submissions are currently being accepted but grading will not start officially until May 1. Orders will be processed in the order received. (more…)

By Skip Fazzari, Authentication Consultant to NGC

Fingerprints are like a cancer to a coin, and can become irreparable if they are ignored for too long. Skip Fazzari describes the different types of fingerprints and what you can do to correct them.

For most of you, habit and experience have lessened the odds of marring the surface of your coins with fingerprints. You hold a coin properly — by its edges and close to a soft surface. Occasionally, there might be a lapse in this protocol but in most cases, we can assume that any fingerprints found on your coins resulted from carelessness or mishandling by non-collectors.
click to enlarge

It is difficult to know how long a fingerprint has been on a coin. Sometimes, especially in the case of Proof coins, they are easy to see the moment they occur; however, in most cases, fingerprints are not detected when they are fresh. Fingerprints are like a cancer to a coin. If ignored for too long, the chemicals in our body oils will actually etch the coinage metal. Over a period of time, and depending on their chemical makeup and the environment, they will “set” on a coin’s surface, making them difficult to remove. Copper and silver coins are the most likely to be permanently damaged in this way. Once this happens, the traces of fingerprints are virtually impossible to remove without abrasive cleaning that ruins more of the coin’s original surface. For the most part, gold is not susceptible to any type of permanent damage from fingerprints; however, on a few occasions, I have encountered a print pattern on gold that cannot be removed.  Read Full Article

Dealers seeking membership in the Certified Acceptance Corp. have until May 1 to apply. John Albanese, founder and president of the New Jersey-based company, announced the initial application period closing date in a March 13 release.

CAC, which began operations late last year, has more than 150 dealer members, Albanese said. Members are authorized to serve as CAC Submission Centers, accepting coins submitted for the firm’s evaluation.

CAC experts examine coins previously certified by either Professional Coin Grading Service or Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. CAC then affixes a green sticker to the holder of each coin that, in its judgment, fully merits the grade that was assigned.

“CAC’s objectives are to give consumers an easy way to identify higher-end coins and provide a formal basis for independent trading of those coins,” Albanese said. “We want the market to reflect what they’re really worth.”

Eligibility for CAC membership is determined primarily by an applicant’s record of quality service, reputable business practices and fair treatment of collectors and other dealers. Length of service and volume of business also are considered. Read Full Numismaster Article

 Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) is offering a new service, the Roll Certification Program, for rolls of Brilliant Uncirculated coins. Certified rolls are encapsulated in a new PCGS product, the clear, durable CrystalVue™ holder, which enables easy viewing of the obverse and reverse designs as well as the coins’ edges.

“In 1986, PCGS revolutionized the coin market by establishing the standard for third-party grading of individual coins. Now, with so many people collecting coins such as Presidential dollars by the roll, PCGS is revolutionizing coin collecting again with the Roll Certification Program. It gives collectors a safe, effective method of protecting their coins for future generations while guaranteeing the authenticity and Brilliant Uncirculated grade of an entire roll,” said Ron Guth, PCGS President.

PCGS now is accepting for roll certification Presidential dollars submitted in Mint-sealed boxes of government-wrapped rolls, and American silver Eagles in Mint boxes. Acceptance of additional coin denominations and series will be announced in the coming weeks. (more…)

The following announcement/alert was posted to the PCGS Website :

In recent days, counterfeit coins in counterfeit PCGS slabs have begun to appear on eBay, the online auction site. All of the counterfeit coins/holders seen so far are coming out of China. Alert members of the PCGS Message Boards were the first to notify PCGS of the counterfeit coins/holders.

The coins themselves range from poor-quality counterfeits to well-made fakes. The counterfeit PCGS holders are well-executed, but with minor differences from a genuine holder. PCGS anticipates that authentic coins will eventually be placed into counterfeit PCGS holders in the future, perhaps with elevated grades and/or inappropriate designators (Full Bell Lines, Prooflike, etc.), although none have been seen to date.

The on-line PCGS Certificate Verification is a method for confirming that a particular certificate number matches the information in the PCGS database, but the counterfeiters are aware of this detection method and are now using valid certificate numbers (see below).

PCGS has contacted U.S. governmental agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Customs, the Secret Service, and US Postal authorities, to enlist their assistance in pursuing enforcement or legal remedies against these counterfeiters. Also, PCGS is a member of eBay’s CCW Group, which monitors eBay for fraudulent listings and asks eBay to discontinue auctions of suspicious coins and/or suspend violators.

PCGS has called for eBay to stop accepting listings of any rare coins from Chinese sellers. Ebay recently pulled several auctions of counterfeit coins/holders at the urging of PCGS. (more…)