PCGS history of + (plus) grades on slabs

Goldminers

This was a question I asked PCGS (our forum sponsors) and received a very complete and detailed response:

I did not know some of this detail, and so I felt it could be helpful to others.

"Thank you for contacting PCGS.

PCGS announced the “Secure Plus” Service on March 25th, 2010. As a part of the Secure Plus Service, PCGS started rendering “plus” grades automatically on Rarities and Ultra Rarities as those services now included the new Secure Plus service.

Secure Plus was also offered as an add-on service on Walkthru, Express and Gold Express service levels for raw coins and regrades. There was an additional fee for the Secure Plus service for these service levels.

In August of 2011, PCGS expanded “plus” grades to include Economy level submissions and higher if a customer selected Secure Plus on their submission form.

Shortly after this, PCGS rebranded “Secure Plus” as “Secure” when we expanded “plus grades” to all service levels. The word “plus” was removed from “Secure Plus” as “plus grades” were now available as a part of PCGS’s standard grading and did not require “Secure” to be selected to receive the “plus designation”.

In January of 2018, PCGS rebranded “Secure” as “Gold Shield” and offered it as an included service for Express Service level submissions and above. Gold Shield is now required for all coins submitted to PCGS that are valued above $3,000 individually, any coin submitted through a Service Level that does not include Gold Shield will be charged an additional $5 per coin fee if the customer selects the Gold Shield service. Gold Shield now also includes PCGS TrueView imaging.

"Plus Grades" exhibit exceptional eye appeal for the grade and constitute the top 30% of the coins in the grade.
Only XF-45 through MS/PR-68 are eligible for Plus grades. Numerically, this includes 45, 50, 53, 55, 58, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, & 68.

Additional information on the Gold Shield service can be found at www.PCGS.com/GoldShield, additional information on PCGS’s Grading Standards can be found at www.PCGS.com/Grades."

Jimnight

Thanks for the info.

Timbuk3

Thanks !!!

Smudge

Thanks for the post and info.

divecchia

Thanks for posting the history behind the plus grades.

Donato

NGS428

Thanks! Good info.

CCGGG

Thanks for the info, Interesting.

However, note: If you are entering your coins in the PCGS registry and you have a 65+ coin, you will get an extra 1/2 point if your coin was graded using the "gold shield" service. However, if you have a 65+ coin that wasn't done with the "gold shield" service then apparently you don't get the extra 1/2 point. Doesn't make any sense to me. The only difference I can see is the cost of grading between a Gold Shield coin and non Gold Shield.

Makes a case for buying a coin in the right holder! Too bad you can't get extra points for a CAC sticker too. (okay, now I've gone and done it! )

Here's the rule:

PCGS Gold Shield™ Grades

Coins that have been graded PCGS Gold Shield receive a .5 increase in the grade. In other words, a coin graded 65+ will be calculated as 65.5 in the Registry.

Along

Interesting - thanks for the info

ChrisH821

Great info!

jonruns

To get a + do you have to re-submit a straight graded coin?? I would consider most of my coins in the top 30% yet I've never gotten a + grade...

lkeigwin

@jonruns said:
To get a + do you have to re-submit a straight graded coin?? I would consider most of my coins in the top 30% yet I've never gotten a + grade...

Any coin submitted is eligible for a plus (within the specified grades). Whether resubmitted or submitted raw.

In some series plus grades are extremely scarce. Far, far less than the top 30%. I collect bust halves. Somewhat more than 500 coins have achieved a plus among the 65,000 that have been graded. Less than 1%.

Okay, many of those 65,000 pre-date March 2010 plus grading. But even if you cut the total in half (not unreasonable, considering crackouts and regrades) it's still under 2%.

I am at a loss to explain this. Why so stingy with plus grading? Surely there are business reasons. My attitude has become "who cares?"
Lance.

JBN

Remember the offer from PCGS on these boards? $1000 (IIRC) to any one who correctly predicted/described the introduction of the plus grade.

oldabeintx

PCGS's response left me somewhat....nonplussed.

Am I to understand that in the early days of the plus designation, certain coins automatically received a plus grade? And, what were Rarities and Ultrararities, which I gather were the coins that got the automatic plus. ?

SetRegistryManager

@oldabeintx said:
PCGS's response left me somewhat....nonplussed.

Am I to understand that in the early days of the plus designation, certain coins automatically received a plus grade? And, what were Rarities and Ultrararities, which I gather were the coins that got the automatic plus. ?

Hello,

As I was the one who provided the response to the OP, I felt I should chime in.

Originally, when "Secure Plus" was launched, the review for potential "Plus Grades" was only on specific service levels (Rarities and Ultra Rarities) as Secure Plus was now included with these two service levels and a part of the Secure Plus service was reviewing each coin for a potential plus grade.

Customers also had the option of adding Secure Plus for Walkthru, Express or Gold Express service levels for an additional per coin fee.

This did not mean that a coin submitted through Secure Plus would automatically receive a plus grade, this meant that PCGS would review each coin for a potential plus grade and if the coin qualified based on our grading standards then it would receive the plus grade.

I hope this helps!

jonruns

It sounds like to receive a + the submission needs to specifically request a plus grade...for example if I cross an NGC AU58 to PCGS...I would at most only receive an AU58...and I would have to re-submit to try for a 58+...which explains why my coins have never received a +...

Kenneth1830

With high grade gold, plus coins do bring a premium. Why? because in 2012, two billionaires competed in auction for a common date coin which should have sold in the $15,000-$18,000 range, but sold for the ridiculous price of $54,625. Recently a dealer was asking $50,000 for another one.

I place no emphasis on plus coins. If I really like a coin and it has a plus, its probably going to be too expensive. John Albanese has stated "If a coin is not a "A" or "B" coin, it does not receive a sticker, plus or no plus". Thankfully there are very few "plus" coins in the series and grade that I am collecting.

WoodenJefferson

Nice history lesson.

ricko

Good information.... I like posts such as this since it eliminates all the guessing and opinions regarding a service or other controversial subject. Clear and concise...Thank you.. Cheers, RickO

fiftysevener

I can appreciate the evolution as an effort to maintain market value but I think most of us are big boys and girls now. Let us just go forward knowing that our TPG's are doing justice to the hobby, not necessarily just the market.

lkeigwin

@jonruns said:
It sounds like to receive a + the submission needs to specifically request a plus grade...for example if I cross an NGC AU58 to PCGS...I would at most only receive an AU58...and I would have to re-submit to try for a 58+...which explains why my coins have never received a +...

No, that's not correct. Whether it is fresh grading, regrading, or crossing all eligible coins are considered for the plus (within the specific grades that are allowed...no MS60+, e.g.).

The reconsideration service has some quirks that allow for reviews to achieve pluses-only. But that's another story.
Lance.

SetRegistryManager

@jonruns said:
It sounds like to receive a + the submission needs to specifically request a plus grade...for example if I cross an NGC AU58 to PCGS...I would at most only receive an AU58...and I would have to re-submit to try for a 58+...which explains why my coins have never received a +...

Hello,

You originally needed to select specific services for coins to be reviewed for plus grades, now coins are automatically reviewed for potential plus grades.> @Goldminers said:

This was a question I asked PCGS (our forum sponsors) and received a very complete and detailed response:

I did not know some of this detail, and so I felt it could be helpful to others.

"Thank you for contacting PCGS.

PCGS announced the “Secure Plus” Service on March 25th, 2010. As a part of the Secure Plus Service, PCGS started rendering “plus” grades automatically on Rarities and Ultra Rarities as those services now included the new Secure Plus service.

Secure Plus was also offered as an add-on service on Walkthru, Express and Gold Express service levels for raw coins and regrades. There was an additional fee for the Secure Plus service for these service levels.

In August of 2011, PCGS expanded “plus” grades to include Economy level submissions and higher if a customer selected Secure Plus on their submission form.

Shortly after this, PCGS rebranded “Secure Plus” as “Secure” when we expanded “plus grades” to all service levels. The word “plus” was removed from “Secure Plus” as “plus grades” were now available as a part of PCGS’s standard grading and did not require “Secure” to be selected to receive the “plus designation”.

In January of 2018, PCGS rebranded “Secure” as “Gold Shield” and offered it as an included service for Express Service level submissions and above. Gold Shield is now required for all coins submitted to PCGS that are valued above $3,000 individually, any coin submitted through a Service Level that does not include Gold Shield will be charged an additional $5 per coin fee if the customer selects the Gold Shield service. Gold Shield now also includes PCGS TrueView imaging.

"Plus Grades" exhibit exceptional eye appeal for the grade and constitute the top 30% of the coins in the grade.
Only XF-45 through MS/PR-68 are eligible for Plus grades. Numerically, this includes 45, 50, 53, 55, 58, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, & 68.

Additional information on the Gold Shield service can be found at www.PCGS.com/GoldShield, additional information on PCGS’s Grading Standards can be found at www.PCGS.com/Grades."

Hello Again!

My date for the plus grades expansion was a tad off on my initial email. It should have been August of 2010, rather than August of 2011 when we expanded review for Plus Grades to all services.

SetRegistryManager

@CCGGG said:

Thanks for the info, Interesting.

However, note: If you are entering your coins in the PCGS registry and you have a 65+ coin, you will get an extra 1/2 point if your coin was graded using the "gold shield" service. However, if you have a 65+ coin that wasn't done with the "gold shield" service then apparently you don't get the extra 1/2 point. Doesn't make any sense to me. The only difference I can see is the cost of grading between a Gold Shield coin and non Gold Shield.

Makes a case for buying a coin in the right holder! Too bad you can't get extra points for a CAC sticker too. (okay, now I've gone and done it! )

Here's the rule:

PCGS Gold Shield™ Grades

Coins that have been graded PCGS Gold Shield receive a .5 increase in the grade. In other words, a coin graded 65+ will be calculated as 65.5 in the Registry.

Hello,

I just confirmed with our Set Registry team, the .5 bump is for ANY coin graded with a + grade, not just coins graded + with the Gold Shield service.

This information has been updated on the Registry Rules page as well.

CCGGG

@PCGSCSManager said:

@CCGGG said:

Thanks for the info, Interesting.

However, note: If you are entering your coins in the PCGS registry and you have a 65+ coin, you will get an extra 1/2 point if your coin was graded using the "gold shield" service. However, if you have a 65+ coin that wasn't done with the "gold shield" service then apparently you don't get the extra 1/2 point. Doesn't make any sense to me. The only difference I can see is the cost of grading between a Gold Shield coin and non Gold Shield.

Makes a case for buying a coin in the right holder! Too bad you can't get extra points for a CAC sticker too. (okay, now I've gone and done it! )

Here's the rule:

PCGS Gold Shield™ Grades

Coins that have been graded PCGS Gold Shield receive a .5 increase in the grade. In other words, a coin graded 65+ will be calculated as 65.5 in the Registry.

Hello,

I just confirmed with our Set Registry team, the .5 bump is for ANY coin graded with a + grade, not just coins graded + with the Gold Shield service.

This information has been updated on the Registry Rules page as well.

I do see the registry rules have been updated for the + coins. I checked one of my registry sets that has a bunch of + coins. The set I checked has eleven "+" coins (3 of which are gold shield and 8 that are not gold shield). I see the actual rating of that set has not changed, so it's does appear that all + coins were already getting the .5 as you stated above (and not just the Gold Shield + coins) and it was just the wording in the rules was incorrect.

Thanks for getting this clarified and updating the rules. Make sense to me now.