Why can’t PCGS holder coins the right way?

Boosibri

I sent this coin in for reholder to reorient Liberty as the obverse and the date as the reverse. No luck despite the red tick. Maybe the use of the word Liberty screwed them up vs saying date side as reverse. Regardless, one would think that asking for a reholder to flip the orientation would result in a flipped orientation. Oh well, 5/6 were right

Sergey74

I understand that you are sad and it's interesting that about this problems collectors of past times couldn't even think - before time of slab's cult. But you have really good coin, it's main.

Sapyx

I suspect the confusion has arisen because that coin doesn't actually depict "Liberty", it depicts "Virtue" and "Justice". On the other hand, the obverse of the coin, depicting the coat of arms, says "Peru Libre".

So lacking any actual depiction of Liberty or the word "Libertas" on the coin, it seems entirely reasonable to me, to interpret your request as wanting the side with "Libre" as the obverse.

Of course, this begs the question why they re-holdered it. I'd have thought PCGS would have a logic-checker to say "this slab already has 'Liberty' as obverse, we don't need to re-holder it."

Did they actually re-holder it, or just send it back in the same slab it was sent in?

neildrobertson

This is a common problem on all types of coins. Several series I collect are holdered inconsistently. Roughly half will be one way and half will be another.

5/6 is pretty good.

desslok

You're lucky. I got mine slabbed upside down.

Zohar

Had this as well!

pruebas

Well, this coin just arrived today and guess what? Backwards in the holder! (The cherub is on the back.)

What gives, PCGS? (I think @Boosibri has gotten them all confused. )

JohnnyCache

@pruebas said:
Well, this coin just arrived today and guess what? Backwards in the holder! (The cherub is on the back.)

What gives, PCGS?

Wouldn't that directly conflict with the true view image as shown?
I mean, if they know how to photograph it for the trueview image, why are they having trouble putting it in the holder properly.
I love the coin overall but "The cherub" is the money shot.

pruebas

@JohnnyCache said:

@pruebas said:
Well, this coin just arrived today and guess what? Backwards in the holder! (The cherub is on the back.)

What gives, PCGS?

Wouldn't that directly conflict with the true view image as shown?
I mean, if they know how to photograph it for the trueview image, why are they having trouble putting it in the holder properly.
I love the coin overall but "The cherub" is the money shot.

Agreed. And that side has fewer hairlines besides!

The others I have are holdered correctly. I guess they are using a formulaic method (country/state name on obverse) rather than the common sense method.

Boosibri

@pruebas said:
Well, this coin just arrived today and guess what? Backwards in the holder! (The cherub is on the back.)

What gives, PCGS? (I think @Boosibri has gotten them all confused. )

Ex Calberto?

pruebas

@Boosibri said:

@pruebas said:
Well, this coin just arrived today and guess what? Backwards in the holder! (The cherub is on the back.)

What gives, PCGS? (I think @Boosibri has gotten them all confused. )

Ex Calberto?

How did you know?

OGDan

I just received a submission back after the 4th try to get it right. Things are not well at PCGS these days, but at least this time it was sent to a specific person's attention and they did finally get it right.

My assumption is some cost cutting led to lower wage hires and has resulted in this kind of low quality service, but in the end shipping coins back and forth must not be kind to the bottom line.

davewesen

There are many stages and people involved in the receiving/grading/slabbing/shipping process to always get things correct.

Besides the special request on the submission form, was it also on a sticker on the flip holding the coin?

Boosibri

@davewesen said:
There are many stages and people involved in the receiving/grading/slabbing/shipping process to always get things correct.

Besides the special request on the submission form, was it also on a sticker on the flip holding the coin?

Yes

lordmarcovan

I can understand your aggravation.

Even with US coins, there's some confusion, apparently.

This Sesqui quarter-eagle, just back, is holdered correctly, with the UNITED STATES side as the obverse.

But the sides are presented a bit differently in the TrueView image.

https://www.pcgs.com/cert/32869546

This particular fliparound doesn't really bother me that badly. I'll live with it. It's only in the photo, after all. But I once had NGC reholder an ancient Roman Judaea Capta denarius because they'd holdered it with the JVDAEA side forwards instead of the emperor Vespasian's portrait. Which is sort of understandable, but mildly annoying for me, since I was collecting a set by emperors, and I wanted all the emperor's portraits (in other words, the obverses) all facing forward.

JohnnyCache

@lordmarcovan said:
This particular fliparound doesn't really bother me that badly. I'll live with it. It's only in the photo, after all.

Yeah, this kind of error is a much easier fix.