Confused about Gold Shield

Kirk222

Okay, look at this SLQ slabbed with Gold Shield designation. Since it came back cleaned, was the original intent of the owner to request Gold Shield? I don't understand Gold Shield anyway. Do you pay more for that service?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/GOLD-SHIELD-PCGS-AU-DETAILS-1930-P-LIBERTY-STANDING-SILVER-QUARTER-SEP031/402408344718?hash=item5db1680c8e:g:vTMAAOSwcVZfUTD-

TurtleCat

Best guess: they thought it would straight grade and did gold shield for the whole order which may have been a large one. And maybe wanted the TrueView pics.

Yes, gold shield is $5 extra per coin. Same price as a TrueView and you get some extra benefit although I think the benefit is slight.

CoinJunkie

Do you pay more for that service?

It's an extra $5/coin for Gold Shield, but it includes a TrueView. Opting for GS applies it to every coin on the order. One can't do it selectively.

keets

this is all at the PCGS website if you look around,middle right side of the linked page.

With PCGS Gold Shield, each coin is imaged in high resolution, registered, and checked against PCGS’ vast proprietary imaging database. Our Gold Shield system benefits from artificial intelligence and machine learning, helping our graders quickly identify and remove counterfeits from the market. PCGS Gold Shield may then identify lost or stolen pieces resubmitted to us, ensuring your coin’s maximum value. PCGS Gold Shield utilizes PCGS Secure coin grading and authentication services to provide both covert and overt enhanced security features.

https://pcgs.com/services

joeykoins

Wait a minute, if you indicate you want the Gold Shield option, you automatically get the True View with it? If so, I've been overpaying every submission because I been paying for both. $5 and another $5. Man.

TurtleCat

@joeykoins said:
Wait a minute, if you indicate you want the Gold Shield option, you automatically get the True View with it? If so, I've been overpaying every submission because I been paying for both. $5 and another $5. Man.

They shouldn’t be charging you for both. Hopefully they did the gold shield and ignored the other.

joeykoins

Thanks, I'll have to check my credit card statements. Thanks. If they didn't ignore one, PCGS would owe me over $50.
At least you (OP) aren't alone in the confusion of the "Gold Shield " option. Lol.

lkeigwin

Let's put aside the marketing.

Gold Shield, formerly "PCGS Plus", was introduced in the spring of 2010. The new service offered digital scanning of a coin's surface, to be storage in a database. It was announced at the same time as "plus-grading" (though unrelated to scanning).

Shortly afterwards PCGS announced a device to assess doctoring of the surfaces of coins submitted under the PCGS Plus service. It was called "The Sniffer". The idea was to ID coins that had been treated with putty or other chemicals intended to deceive.

The Sniffer was short lived, though its abandonment was never publicly announced. The popular PCGS Plus service endured.

PCGS shared the early digital scans of PCGS Plus coins. They were awful. No doubt they served their scanning purpose (i.e., finding matches of previously submitted SP coins) but they bombed as representations of the coins.

Customers clamored for good images.

PCGS True View images were well received, even as an extra cost. So a few years ago PCGS wisely added True View images to all Secure Plus submission, and changed the name to "Gold Shield". For only $5 more you could get the Gold Shield service and a nice True View image.

While it is true a coin submitted under the Gold Shield service is compared in the database of prior submissions, the notion that it helps identify a stolen coin is a bit thin. Both submissions had to be Secure Plus / Gold Shield. Lots of ways around that.

Still, PCGS is going the right direction.

Some day every coin submitted will be scanned and compared, and a TV generated. Yeah, there would be a downside for those collectors and dealers who resubmit for upgrades. And maybe cut into PCGS revenues. But I think it would be good for the hobby regardless. Give us great images of every coin submitted.

Building faith in the system is a long term win for everyone.
Lance.

joeykoins

@lkeigwin said:
Building faith in the system is a long term win for everyone.
Lance.

Thanks for some more valid information. We submitters and future submitters, need to know all of this, thanks.

ricko

The system is evolving, as it should, and will continue as technology improves. Eventually, grading will be done by AI and be 100% repeatable if the coin remains slabbed, opening the door for true standards. Cheers, RickO