Insider2: Were you grading at PCI when I sent these in?
braddick
Posts: 23,107 ✭✭✭✭✭
If so, do you remember either grading or seeing these?
I loved PCI back in the day! I have probably sent in a couple of hundred coins throughout the early years of PCI (mostly before they went with the gold label). I truly thought the graders were top-notch and fairly strict if not totally accurate (at least to my standards).
The above are four of my favorites. The first Kennedy half is close to being the size of a silver dollar. The other is about the size of a quarter. The cent is the size of a nickel and seeing the other token/medal in a circulated condition was kind of neat- at the time- and I wanted it slabbed.
Anyway, if Insider2 remembers these it would be fun to reminisce and even if not, I'd love to read stories of his days with PCI and some of the interesting coins that came before him.
peacockcoins
Comments
And to add, did any of the folks working at PCI have any idea that their materials were not inert, and would eventually tarnish the coins holdered?
@braddick asked: "...do you remember either grading or seeing these?"
I was there when these were graded. PCI was sold at lest twice after I left. The gold label coins were graded much differently than the "Banknote" issues. We used a pretty blue border for foreign coins. I don't have one of those.
Anyway, if Insider2 remembers these it would be fun to reminisce and even if not, I'd love to read stories of his days with PCI and some of the interesting coins that came before him.
Although PCI no longer exists, the PCGS Form is probably not the place to tell theses stories. I tend to work "stories" from every TPGS into my comments and Numismatic News columns. You can visit me at our table at coin shows. We no longer go to the ANA Shows due to what they "pulled" on us at one show. I disagree with this company policy as only the public is hurt by our absence.
@braddick he must have been since that's 4 of the whole 11 coins PCI only ever graded
Artificially stretched is a new one for me.
Created when a coin is paced between two pieces of leather and hammered numerous times.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
Nope. All the parts t our holder were produced in TN. I got to visit the place where everything except the label was produced and watched the entire process from loading the plastic beads into the machine to the finished parts. I don't know where the raw material came from.
Remember, this was TN. The "parts" manufacturer had a "pet" raccoon in a cage and the large, open back door looked out to the mountains. The place was an old barn with a dirt floor, wood stove for heat, and several stalls for the cows. I'm
joking! Only the raccoon and mountain view is true. 
Seriously enjoyed looking for PCI coins at the Long Beach coin show. I recall picking up some "Peacock" Ikes in the original PCI slabs before really anyone had heard of them. A few did cross over into PCGS and then those crosses no longer worked for whatever reason.
My favorite PCI story (related to PCGS) was when Mitch (Wondercoin) submitted a few worn PCI commemoratives for me as I was looking to possibly work a new Registry. One PCI coin, graded VF20 came back PCGS AU50. That was the largest jump in grade I'd ever witnessed. Admittedly, I wish it hadn't happened on that coin as I really was looking for the lowball grades.
peacockcoins
I have a collection of over 150 PCI graded coins... Love the PCI product. When I have crossed one or two they are usually pretty true.
LOL, if this were not so funny, you'd be showing your ignorance. At the time, PCI was the least expensive TPGS with the fastest turnaround time. We were very busy. In order to keep the turnaround time I worked from 10AM untill after 12 AM EVERY DAY! After I was hired (due to an authentication error), the PCI authentication opinion was as good or better than the other TPGS's. Virtually the only complaints we received were from coin dealers because we were too critical concerning the imperfections/alterations found on coins! "Market acceptable" was not something we believed in. We wanted to protect the consumer.
BTW, PCI Red Label slabs eventually forced the other services to abandon "body bags" and grade everything. IMO, a "service" that should have been provided from the beginning. I brought that concept to PCI from INSAB, the first TPGS (no longer in existence). We graded everything - easy, grade the coin, state the problem. SOUND FAMILIAR?
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I guarantee we we not that tough on our grading!
I think the "banknote" labels were the most attractive in the business at the time. Now with all the fancy computer generated stuff they may look very simple and bland. I also liked the "special" coins with mintage: Unknown.
I think many don't really get the behind the scenes whereas each Service contributed to making the other Services better. One of my saddest coin collecting days was when eBay in their infinite wisdom decided to not allow PCI (or SEGS) coins to be labeled as such in their auctions. I truly believe this blow was enough to shutter through the ranks of PCI so as to eventually shut them down. (Teletrade not accepting PCI coins was another nail in the coffin, so to speak.)
peacockcoins
Interesting you would include that as it also dates when a coin was graded. For example, a 1988 American Silver Eagle with a mintage of 'unknown' was obviously graded in 1988.
peacockcoins
This is from my Scandinavian coin catalog
[translation from Danish] Texas Coins - Since everything in Texas must be larger than in the rest of the United States, a way has been found to enlarge normal coins. This is done in such a way that the coin is placed between two pieces of softer material than the coin and then pressed under a hydraulic press.
Warning!
Now, oversized Danish coins have been produced, which are also manufactured according to the Texas method, but these broken and worthless coins are now being offered for sale as pattern coins.
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association
Interesting thread.....some old history and reminiscing....Cheers, RickO
I have some old green label PCI dollars somewhere. They were graded accurately and would cross to any other TPG with a crack out IMHO.
100% Positive BST transactions
I submitted one time to them.
At one time, ANACS and PCI were the only TPGS that slabbed everything (except paper). That included tokens, ancients, medals, world coins, colonials, poker chips, and even cardboard milk bottle caps (PCI) - LOL! Even by 2000, NGC was not doing tokens. I don't know what PCGS was doing during this time.
Insider2: Were you around when the Peacock Ike Hoard was submitted to PCI?
peacockcoins
Never heard of it. I worked there full time from 1990 to aprox. 1995. Then part time around 1997 to 1998 until I went to NGC in NJ. Post one if you have them.
I brought up a PKOK Ike thread from a few years ago. It references the original grader of these neat coins as PCI.
Here it is:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/146283/pkok-hoard-coins-at-or-not/p1
peacockcoins
haha Great thread ! Take that Michael guy to task!
I could forsee a similar thread regarding Tom DeLorey…." Do you remember this one Tom? It was only 37 years ago..."
QUESTIONS:
What "Michael guy?" The one (ME) who never heard/saw one of these coins? I never saw a rainbow Ike in my life until a year ago on some forum or Ebay. The only color I've seen IN HAND is that natural blue haze the proofs come with. I've worked at ICG for almost a decade. I don't recall a rainbow Ike here but I assume there MUST HAVE BEEN a few NT during that time.
After reading the discussion it looks as if the coins were condemned as AT at first and then accepted as NT later. AFAIK, one of the biggest AT "doctors" lives in UTAH.
Anyone have an image of one of these Ikes in an ICG slab?
Anyone have an image of one of these Ikes in a PCI slab?
Anyone have an image of one of these coins in a PCGS slab?