The Beloved PCGS Old Green Holder (OGH) Passed Approximately A Quarter-Century Ago This Month
TomB
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I’m not a historian of TPG holders and slab generations, but I have been around the hobby-industry continuously for more than three decades or so and I’ve noticed quite a few changes. One change has been in the acceptance and/or later rejection of various TPGs, the generations of holders used and the standards employed to grade coins (and to determine problem coins) over time. Another change has been the much later creation of a formal, though not universally accepted, process to review grades and determinations on already certified coinage. I posted a very similar topic five-years ago on the boards, so this might be boring for some folks as it is quite similar.
Over time, the previously ubiquitous OGH went from the holder du jour at PCGS, to recently phased out, to somewhat appreciated and now to pursued or, with some, near-rabidly hunted. The coins grouped under the OGH umbrella are generally separated from the rattler era, but within the OGH grouping there are at least four distinct subtypes that can be readily distinguished from one another. This is not meant as a holder generation article since some of those have already been produced privately and more recently PCGS has started their own page to record their holders. Rather, this is more of an homage to a retired holder style that brings back fond memories of a time when grading standards were a little different, when what one might expect to find on the bourse would not be the same as today and when the market definitely had a different feel to it. The rattler holder used until late 1989 followed by the four distinct OGH slabs used from late 1989 through the fall of 1998 (green label without PCGS on the front, doily label, dot matrix printing style and then the most commonly found OGH with smoother printing font)-
I purchased a raw Columbian half dollar at the Parsippany, NJ show on September 6, 1998 (I keep meticulous records) and submitted the coin shortly thereafter to PCGS for grading. At that time I had never seen one of the new blue insert holders and when I received the coin back from PCGS in mid-October, 1998 I was stunned to notice the dramatic color change and overall layout change for the holder. I brought the coin to the November, 1998 Parsippany, NJ show and walked it around to other dealers only to receive the same reaction from them in that no one had seen this new holder previously. Recall that in late 1998 the internet was not the all encompassing behemoth that it is today and that information about coins was not nearly so well shared. Additionally, ebay was only a tiny fraction of what it is today and I can recall going through all the US coin listings on ebay within a few hours during this time period. Therefore, announcements and images would not be on everyone’s radar.
I had high hopes for that Columbian half dollar because the reverse was just so dang nice. I've owned it continuously across the twenty-five years except for a few year period when I sold it to a friend who later changed direction in his collection and I obtained it again. Alas, it only graded MS64 and, even after holding it for a quarter-century, I would lose money on the coin if I were to sell it today at bid. Below is an image of the coin-
Over the years it was at first somewhat comical to read descriptions of coins in OGHs as somehow being more desirable or worth more than other coins. It was probably a full three-or four-years after the change that I realized there was something more to this “fad” than marketing, or at least the marketing had much better staying power than previously anticipated. For those of you who missed the entire OGH era, who were there and wish you still owned more OGH coins or who snicker at the entire slab generation obsession, please feel free to add information to better nail down the date of transition from the venerable OGH to the more modern blue insert holders.
In my opinion, perhaps the two great driving forces to preserve the OGH era slabs have been the hype, which I had first noted around 2001 for these slabs, as well as the creation of CAC. Prior to the advent of CAC there were a number of dealers whom I was quite familiar with, and who each made a very good living, who made it a priority to walk around the bourse floor during dealer set-up and act as a vacuum to acquire and remove the OGH era coins from available inventories. These coins were then typically cracked out and sent for regrade with the holder (and history) being lost. An enormous number of older slabs met this fate, but with the advent of CAC many of the nicer coins stayed in the older holders due to the lure and hope of a gold sticker.
Anyway, let's see some OGH coins!
Comments
terrific coins- Thanks for sharing as this reinforces what matters- a look that cannot be replicated
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Love the OGH....
This ebay pic ...
was this coin....
My current "Box of 20"
Bought this one from a member of the forum. Generation 2.1 holder, the 1st type to be used after the doily. The 2.1 holder was constructed just like the doily holder, with a plastic outer collar enclosing a "rattler" holder. Label was pale green, but usually faded over time to a nondescript very pale bluish green. Our host's description in the PCGS Museum of Coin Holders says that the holder was used Oct.- Dec. 1989 and that the label "sometimes" had "PCGS" at top center, this one doesn't. This one not only survived, but also picked up a Gold CAC bean along the way. Pretty neat to see an AU58 with a gold bean. Also, a good number of these early post-rattler type holders are found with their outer section chipped or broken, and I've seen a fair number of them that have only the inner "rattler" remaining.
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Now listen boy, I'm tryin' to teach you sumthin' . . . . that ain't no optical illusion, it only looks like an optical illusion.
My mind reader refuses to charge me....
End Systemic Elitism - It Takes All Of Us
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Rather, this is more of an homage to a retired holder style that brings back fond memories of a time when grading standards were a little different, when what one might expect to find on the bourse would not be the same as today and when the market definitely had a different feel to it.
This definitely brought back some fond memories for me, of walking the bourse floor and buying in 1997 - 1999! It was a different world then......
Good point that the advent of CAC has helped more OGHs to survive intact. Here are a few of my favorites.
An entertaining and educational post, as we’ve to expect from you, @TomB.
My first certified gold coin purchase, and it was spontaneous.
I was buying 10 oz silver bars at a show from the dealer’s wife, when I noticed him putting out $20 coins. Hmm, how much are those? The 63’s are x, the 64’s are x + $50. It was a mix of various gen NGC and PCGS coins. What about this one, holding up the coin below, which was clearly the nicest one….All the 64’s are the same price, it’s just generic gold!
Ok, I’ll take this one!
A couple OGH Barber 50c that presumably predate the CAM designation:
There are 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who do not.
Got to post my favorite thread regarding OGHs (not rattlers) for those who need to binge on these (like I do):
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1036310/please-post-a-nice-coin-in-a-pcgs-ogh-old-green-label-holder-no-rattlers/p1
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
not as cool as others but its in a registry set
I do indeed love the OHG and dolly holders!
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Yes, there is a certain cachet surrounding these holders. Rarity of the plastic, the stability of the coin inside (particularly w/copper), the idea that the coin is undergraded (not always of course), the nostalgia of when they were produced, and the appearance of the green holder tag attractively framing a gold coin.
I'm glad there are those who wish to preserve this history and are not driven by the need to seek an upgrade label. I am one of those stooges, some would say, that will pay a premium for a nice coin in an OGH for all the reasons aforementioned!
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
An early 2.1(?) gen. and some later OGH’s.
peacockcoins
An older holder represents 25 years of safe storage and (for lightly toned or untoned examples) shows stability of condition.
PCGS will photograph/Trueview OGH coins through their holders allowing preservation of the old holder:
That 1881-S MS64 CAC dollar looks kinda familiar
Your hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need it.
Here are most of my OGH's. The 1800 half dime is probably the best one.
As @JBN pointed out, PCGS can image the coin through the slab—no need to sacrifice an OGH for a TrueView.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Thank you, @Luxor! I know we are both very familiar with this coin and ever since it entered my collection in May, 2001 it has been the only slabbed Morgan dollar that I own and I owe it all to your generosity.
Additional images-
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Also, as at least @JBN and @P0CKETCHANGE have mentioned, PCGS will shoot through the OGH for a modern TrueView image. I contacted Phil directly about this process a few years ago to see how it worked and he walked me through the steps. One thing I should mention is that I wrote something like "FOR IMAGE ONLY!" and "DO NOT CRACK OUT!" everywhere on the submission form and also put a little sticky note taped to each slab to make certain the coins were not cracked out.
Below is an example of what PCGS produced for me and also what I had shot at home as a full slab shot.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
I'm not an OGH fanatic but can understand why some are. Had this one shot through the slab at the ANA...as @TomB mentioned, I had DO NOT CRACK plastered all over.
and another shot from @messydesk
Lovely.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein