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Congrats to Jon Sullivan - New PCGS Error Consultant and Authenticator!
Zoins
Posts: 33,910 ✭✭✭✭✭
By now, we all know that @FredWeinberg has retired as error consultant/specialist/authenticator for PCGS, and coins in general. We all wish Fred well for his new life, such is our loss, but who's next for PCGS and us?
Apparently our own Jon Sullivan @SullivanNumismatics has been authenticating PCGS errors for the past month already!
Congrats Jon! What an amazing opportunity and responsibility. How has it been? Will you be announcing this on your blog?
The following is some chatter on CoinTalk with @FredWeinberg confirming Jon's new role!
More on CoinTalk here 
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/say-it-isnt-so-fred-weinberg.389896/
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Comments
It was kind of obvious he'd be the replacement. Big shoes, though. Good luck JS!
Professional Numismatist. "It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
Congratulations Jon.
Good luck in your new position
@FredWeinberg
Thank you for your many years of service and expertise.
A shout out and a welcome aboard to Jon Sullivan @SullivanNumismatics.
Wayne
Kennedys are my quest...
@DelawareDoons
“Big shoes, though”
Congrats to Jon as the new error consultant!
It’s a huge task.
Fred had big shoes. Size 17 or 18 I think. Fred was an error coin dealer for 50 years. He’s a legend.
It’s good to know that Fred is still available for special situations and coins, as per his quote in CoinTalk.
Congratulations Jon Sullivan.... Look forward to your forum contributions. Cheers, RickO
Good Luck in your new endeavor.
Hope the professor, Fred, taught you well from all his knowledge. Maybe see you at Chicago's 2022 ANA Show?
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.Congratulations Jon!
Congratulations and carry on. Keep us posted.
🎶 shout shout, let it all out 🎶
Congrats! I wish I had some cool errors to send in. Only have some small single and multi clips right now and one big off center dated dime.
TurtleCat Gold Dollars
Thank you, I appreciate the kind words. Fred is certainly a legend in the hobby, and they are indeed big shoes to fill--he did a fantastic job as attributor, and provided the most accurate designations for errors of any of the services in my opinion, and my goal is to continue that record for PCGS.
I'm honored PCGS offered me the position in light of other experts in the hobby, and I look forward to working with the good folks at PCGS.
When I was discussing my retirement earlier this year with PCGS, Jon was the only replacement I suggested-He is fully and deeply qualified!
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
Congratulations to both of you.
Jon is correct stating that there are many other mint error experts. Obviously PCGS wanted a long term arrangement and Jon is young.
I have no dog in this fight and rate both NGC and PCGS equal for mint errors. And based on the amount of five and six figure mint errors that I have handled (check my archive) my customers have no preference.
What an exciting responsibility, we look forward to your expertise. Peace Roy
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Congratulations! I have 3 error coins currently submitted to PCGS and I hope you and your team confirm that they are indeed Mint errors🤞.
This is my first "error" coin submission so I am anxiously awaiting the results. Happy Holidays!🎅🎅🤶🤶
Congrats.
Successful BST with ad4400, Kccoin, lablover, pointfivezero, koynekwest, jwitten, coin22lover, HalfDimeDude, erwindoc, jyzskowsi, COINS MAKE CENTS, AlanSki, BryceM
Congrats to Jon! One of the real gentlemen in numismatics.
Coin Rarities Online
Congrats. Best wishes in connection with your numismatic career at PCGS
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Cool. Congrats Jon! Always enjoy seeing your offerings, and picking up one or two as able.
Thanks all, I appreciate the kind words.
Jon, will you be moving to California?
Great question Chris!
I hear there’s great fishing!
Nope, staying in Florida.
Congratulations Jon!
Jon, does this mean we will be seeing more great TrueViews?
More great true views? I'm not sure what your question is...
Will more (or all) of your great errors be certified by PCGS with TrueViews?
I noticed that all of @FredWeinberg’s inventory was certified by our hosts with TrueViews, even the blank planchets. I was wondering if you will follow suit now?
Fred's inventory, as I understand it, was mostly already certified by PCGS.
If you're referring to the ones with the "Fred Weinberg" collection tag, those are, as I understand it, primarily pieces that were in his personal collection, and which are now being sold at auction.
I couldn't imagine a better person for the job. Congratulations, Jon!
So, will you be visiting the coins or will the coins be visiting you?
Congratulations.
Congratulations Jon!
I was talking about Fred's regular inventory which he sold on his website with the regular blue PCGS Gold Shield tag. I went to Fred's site often and noted that all his coins were PCGS with TrueViews, except for some raw ones in Capital Plastic type holders where the holder had value.
I thought it was nice that he would represent PCGS that way since I seek out coins with TrueViews, such as this following.
Perhaps @FredWeinberg could comment on whether all his certified inventory was PCGS or not, and if so by design or coincidence? I don't know, but his coins always seemed to be PCGS to me.
Most of my inventory was PCGS, as it made sense to
submit them to PCGS - I'd like to think I saved a week
or two.....
I bought and sold NGC coins all the time, and submitted
items to them also.
But, by and large, my coins were PCGS certified.
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
Good to know. I do love Phil's TrueViews and hope it's worthwhile for Jon to do the same
The turnaround time issue is interesting given Chris's question above on travel. Do you know if the coins or the authenticator will travel, or is it better for Jon to answer?
As a follow up, how will walk through and express mint error coins be handled?
How quickly can someone get a mint error certified if one needs it in a hurry?
Arrangements have been made for me to view them in Florida.
In terms of turnaround, that's a subject beyond my role at PCGS, so you would need to ask PCGS customer service about that.
@SullivanNumismatics are you still allowed to buy and sell coins or does that become a conflict of interest?
Yes, I can. PCGS has the final "veto power" over any attributions I make.
Sounds like PCGS wants to double check any new attributions to be 100% sure.
When they confirm your attributions, will you be the "discoverer" of the attributions?
Submitters are the ones who have the "claim" to discovery coins, not attributors or grading services typically.
Jon, will you be open to label suggestions as Fred "sometimes" was?
I was able to convince Fred on a few, and a few he labeled a little less than I would have liked.
One big one was when Fred agreed that my Sacagawea was indeed "Struck Thru Twine" and labeled the mint error as such.
So here would be a very similar situation, the coin below was obviously "Struck Thru Twine" and hypothetically if I sent this coin in as a crossover, would I get the "Struck Thru Twine" mint error label the coin deserves? Side note: My guess it will not get the lofty MS67 at PCGS
I'm always happy to review information on a coin, and write it up as "what it is" provable as being. The problem of course is that sometimes a coin is "likely" but not "certain" beyond a reasonable doubt as a particular error sub-type, in which case the "provable" part of the description is the appropriate one to be used.
So if you were faced with the same situation that Fred was where he agreed it was "Struck Thru Twine", if you also agreed, you would write it up "Struck Thru Twine". That's great. I know this is a big deal for Chris and could get more coins for PCGS (with TrueViews)!
@ErrorsOnCoins Will you be sending that coin to Jon now?
If it was provable to be through string, yes.
Do you think it would be provable for that 1965 half dollar?
Chris mentioned that Fred wrote "Struck Thru Twine" for a Sacagawea for him.
I'd have to see it in person to say for sure, and wouldn't want to give a description based on a photo.
Sounds good
Good luck @ErrorsOnCoins!
Can't wait to see the TrueView
It is provable that it is a struck thru.
NGC uses the word struck thru for most all their coins that are struck thru with the exception of struck thru cloth.
The reason I believe this coin is struck thru twine and not string or rope is the frayed fibers coming off the strike thru. Rope and string have a tight weave without a lot of excess fibers. Twine on the other hand is string or ropelike but throws off quite a bit of excess fibers.
IMO there is a HUGE difference in the label "struck thru" (could be anything even a small amount of grease) as oppose the very descriptive term "struck thru twine"
For the time being, I will probably leave the coin in this holder it is in and may show the coin to you in person at some future show for you opinion. Will you be at the next Long Beach Show?
Cool time to crack out all the ones @FredWeinberg attributed and try again
Couldn't resist... Just kidding!
