More than 130 collectors and dealers from around the country attended the Professional Coin Grading Service luncheon at the Florida United Numismatists convention in Orlando, January 11, 2008. Collectors Universe, Inc. President and PCGS co-founder, David Hall, and PCGS President, Ron Guth, discussed the history of coin grading, the possible future of grading, and answered questions from the audience.

Hall emphasized to the audience composed of members of the PCGS Set Registry, PCGS Collectors Club and PCGS authorized dealers, “We seek your input. We seek your help. It’s your grading service.”
Among the topics addressed by Guth and his comments:

• Computerized Grading: “Maybe someday, down the road.”
• Coin Recognition Software: “We are building a digital image database of rare coins.”
• Fractional grades: “MS-61.5? I’m not sure how possible that is.”
• 100-Point Grading Scale: “The 70-point grading system is so entrenched and big, it would be difficult and confusing to convert (to 100 points). It could wreck the market.”
• Counterfeit holders: “There are serious problems with counterfeit holders being made…reverse engineering from China…. There are differences between counterfeit and genuine holders….(for example, in some cases, the counterfeit ones have misspellings.)
• RFID (radio frequency identification Chips: “(The tracking devices) require so much energy to operate the transmitter (they are not feasible now use with encapsulation holders). One day, like LoJack for your car, you may be able to locate a stolen coin anywhere in the United States.”

Hall offered one recommendation on numismatic investing. “Silver commemoratives are undervalued in today’s market,” he stated.

If you were unable to attend the luncheon and would like to hear the discussion, a video is viewable online. (You will need Adobe Flash Player installed on your web browser in order to view the video.)

PCGS History of Grading Video

If you wish to purchase a DVD of the event, please send a check to PCGS in the amount of $11.95 which includes postage (California residents add sales tax to $9.95 plus add $2.00 P&H) to the following address:

PCGS
P.O. Box 9458
Newport Beach, CA 92658
Attn: Gayle Kean

If you would prefer to pay by credit card, please call 800.447.8848 and ask for Set Registry Customer Service.

Other videos available:

2006 Grading Summit - January, 2006
Q. David Bowers, David Hall, Jim Halperin, Dr. Donald H. Kagin, Julian Leidman and Scott A. Travers participated in a panel discussion about the history of grading, the grading scale, and the future of grading which also included a discussion on whether or not the rare coin market should adopt a 100-point grading scale.

2005 “The Good Old Days” - January, 2005
Discussing “What Was the Coin Market like in the 1950s and 1960s?” was Q. David Bowers, David Hall, Art Kagin and Julian Leidman. This very entertaining video gives you a rare opportunity to hear the delightful stories of Art Kagin, who passed away in July, 2005.