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Does PCGS certify pressed wood medals?

ZoinsZoins Posts: 34,113 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited February 15, 2020 7:42AM in U.S. Coin Forum

There are some great pressed wood medals out there.

Does PCGS certify these?

Here's one certified by ATS:

https://www.ngccoin.com/certlookup/4676397-001/63/

Private Mint News | 2010 Lincoln Reverse Finalists
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Comments

  • JimnightJimnight Posts: 10,846 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I honestly can't answer that question.

  • fivecentsfivecents Posts: 11,207 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'm sure PCGS wood grade it, if you give them a call.

    Cool piece BTW.

  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 46,084 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Are these pressed wood medals fairly fragile? I would think a slab would help protect and preserve them from damage especially from dry rot and termite attack.

    Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
    "Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
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  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,942 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I would be concerned about the pressure it would take to hold the piece in place. The OP example has obviously rotated in the holder. It drives me nuts when a piece does that.

    To me certifying medals is mostly unnecessary. One of the problems with them is that the resulting slab is too big to store in a safe deposit box, or takes up too much room if it does.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • ParadisefoundParadisefound Posts: 8,588 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Very interesting coin .... never seen one like that before and for sure it's protected from termites.
    How do they determine the grade? ;)

  • fivecentsfivecents Posts: 11,207 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Paradisefound said:
    Very interesting coin .... never seen one like that before and for sure it's protected from termites.
    How do they determine the grade? ;)

    MS full wood
    AU half wood
    PO01 No wood

  • ParadisefoundParadisefound Posts: 8,588 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 15, 2020 5:10AM

    HAHAHA in a good way @fivecents

    PO01 No wood ..... how could it be? You really lost me :s

  • ParadisefoundParadisefound Posts: 8,588 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I WANT ALL wood on my wood coin!!!! :D

  • fivecentsfivecents Posts: 11,207 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Needs a nice burl wood PCGS holder instead of a plastic holder.

  • SonorandesertratSonorandesertrat Posts: 5,695 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 15, 2020 5:23AM

    Slabs are not air- or watertight. What happens to a wood medal when it is taken from a humid environment to a dry one? Wood expands and contracts, and can develop cracks in response to changing moisture levels and/or temperature.

    Member: EAC, NBS, C4, CWTS, ANA

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  • fivecentsfivecents Posts: 11,207 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 15, 2020 5:24AM

    @Sonorandesertrat said:
    Slabs are not air- or watertight. What happens to a wood medal when it is taken from a humid environment to a dry one? Wood expands and contracts, and can develop cracks in response to changing moisture levels.

    Have the coin floating in a capsule of linseed oil or some inert liquid within the PCGS slab.

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have not seen a pressed wood medal....I would imagine they could damage quite easily.... I will have to do some research on that... Cheers, RickO

  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 32,093 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I don’t think so. That would go against their grain.

    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,942 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 15, 2020 6:25AM

    I have about 10 wooden medals and 1 "token" in my collection. Here are two pieces from the 1884 presidential election. This piece was issued for Grover Cleveland

    And this one was issued for James G. Blain. It is a little fancier. It has red velvet around the edge.

    Surprisingly these pieces are not that popular. I got both of these for the minimum bid in a political items auction. I have seen a few others in auctions that realized similar results of less than $200 apiece. I can tell you that they are not common by any means.

    These wooden items seemed have been made from just after the Civil War until perhaps 1900.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • cardinalcardinal Posts: 2,005 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There were many wood medals made for the 1876 Centennial celebration. Ron Abler created a website for all things related to the celebration, including trade tokens in various metals and a whole section of the "Centennial Woods."

    You can visit the website here:
    https://centennialmedals.com/

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