Options
PCGS Registry has become unworkable
gschwernk
Posts: 371 ✭✭✭✭✭
After I finish the 50c set I am working on(I only need 2 coins), I will no longer build any sets in the PCGS registry.
4
Comments
One person cannot fix all of our issues.
Thank you Emilio for doing / trying your best.
The damage is beyond repair and I, as are many others, are moving on.
I have coins that have NFC CHIPS that when scanned show invalid cert #s or do not match the listed cert# , coins that will not enter into sets that are required because I cannot report these certs that should be included in this set as in 2023 and 2024 coins along with unreadable bar codes.
I will not go off on trying to remove coins from other people’s sets with me having that coin in hand.
I cannot get thru on the phone and emails go unanswered.
So I am done with Pcgs Registry!
Wayne
Kennedys are my quest...
I'm not sure if I've asked this before, but, is there any chance at all that those might be counterfeit? The NFC's have been rock solid for me (which absolutely does not imply they "must" be that way for everyone) -- but.... that definitely does sound like there's other potential problems at play there. I really hope that's not the case, but there's a ton of fakes out there :-(
Why wait?
If you want a registry that works try MyCollect
https://www.mycollect.com/
See you there...........
Mike
My Indians
Dansco Set
I've been trying for some time to get a few coins added to my set that are not shown as being available to add. There are definitely issues with the set registry. I'm a patient man, but how long before this has a lasting effect on people going to other registries.
I might have to go to mycollect.......
Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value. Zero. Voltaire. Ebay coinbowlllc
The invalid certs are an issue as Pcgs registry has not activated the Nfc chip.
If you type in the cert# manually, it will register into the correct set.
I also believe that the bar code not reading could be me and my I-phone not getting our crap together or a smudge in the printing.
The Nfc chip showing a different ending number than that on the label, is a Pcgs mistake on their part. In this case the ending number on the label is an 8 and the Nfc shows it as a 9.
I have had this happen before and had to have Paulina fix it (at their expense.)
It took almost a month for them to do so but I did get a free True View when they fixed it.
The coins have a value of only $5-$10.
In my opinion, these are mistakes due to human error from being understaffed.
People are rushing to get a quota met.
The coins are real and not counterfeit.
Wayne
Kennedys are my quest...
OK - absolutely had to ask - and, I guess in the grand scheme of things, this is the better of the two options. Certainly does very little to strengthen our faith in the brand though [sigh]
I've got five slabs I've been waiting for feedback from PCGS on - all the same PCGS number, two silver, three clad, with the clad variants being able to sneak into pure-silver sets. My clads are MS70s (pop 6, I hold 3 of them) and all my silvers are 69s... I've got two more silvers to submit for grading, in hopes one of those will make a 70, but really need them to clarify/correct the issue BEFORE I send 'em off, so that the new ones at least have a fighting chance of getting into the correct holders. Lost track of how many weeks or months this has been dragging on. But it sure brings into question the protocols they use during the grading stages - the silver and cupro-nickel variants are different weights, too.
I've recreated most of my sets on CAC and MyCollect. The interfaces take a little getting used to, but generally work well once you get the hang of it. It's freeing to no longer be confined to buying PCGS coins, especially since the TrueView service has totally fallen off as well. The more folks that move over to alternative Registries, the more those platforms will invest in them. Unfortunate for our hosts, but I'm done waiting on them.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
On a somewhat related note:
I own a POP 9 PR70CAM silver Ike.
I purchased a PR68 (no CAM) in the same date.
The PR70 CAMEO is worth 69 points and the PR68 is worth 66 points.
I would think there would be a greater spread on points between the two, but I guess not.
peacockcoins
Have you heard of a solution for this @WAYNEAS ?
I have a coin that also shows up invalid cert. when scanning the NFC chip, but scanning the barcode or entering the number works fine. If fixing the problem means shipping it back, I’ll just live with it I suppose.
It can be fixed if you can get thru to Emilio on the phone!
If not, go the email route with the pics and a small explanation.
How long it will take is unknown as he can only fix so many requests per day.
I just entered manually the cert # and let it go at that.
I am not going to ship the coin back as it requires me talking to a human. Lol
Wayne
Kennedys are my quest...
Appreciate the reply. I’ll start the process.
‘’After I finish the 50c set I am working on(I only need 2 coins), I will no longer build any sets in the PCGS registry.’’
I currently have (48) separate Registry sets and they are generally working just fine. So, if the OP has registry sets that are “unworkable”, let’s hear the details. I care much more about the details of “unworkable” Registry sets that hearing what Collector X or Collector Y plans to do after they obtain 2 more coins.
Just my 2 cents.
Wondercoin.
The entire front page of this web forum is filled with reports of how unworkable the Set Registry has become. The vast majority of it is the near-impossibility of adding 'locked' coins into inventory or submitting slot requests. Members are still waiting for their 2023 registry award pins, and there are various other complaints that just aren't getting resolved, but by-and-large, slot requests and release requests cover 75% of the frustration - with the other 25% landing on the abysmal communications failures within the PCGS ecosystem. IF you get a response to an email or "contact us" form submission, it'll almost certainly be weeks, if not MONTHS later.
I've got 28 sets - most of them do not cause headaches. As long as I don't need to add new coins that are locked to someone else's inventory, they probably won't cause headaches. Those that require me to add new coins every year, however, do - and those that are incompletely programmed, where new coins are found periodically, also cause headaches. The slot request function is broken, a failure they've been aware of and fighting with since... November? I think? So you have to email the request instead, which the best I can tell goes straight into their spam folders. I've got one set that has a nightmare coin, a silver-only set, with a PCGS # that's supposed to be a silver-only coin, with several instances of cupro-nickel coins in those holders. I've been bounced back and forth between I think 4 different entities within the PCGS ecosystem, with no resolution or clarification in sight. I've got a large submission sitting here waiting on that clarification, because I have two more of those coins, in correct silver, to grade. And I DON'T want to send 'em off, to get 'em back in the same PCGS#, just to have to send 'em all back again as a mechanical error. (I've got 5 slabs in that PCGS number, 2 silver MS69s, 3 clad MS70s. Total pop shows 6 MS70s. How many are silver? Any? Does 69 deserve top-pop status? Who knows?)
Understand that much of the contempt shown on these forums (and with me for sure) is an attempt to get PCGS to understand that their incompetence and apathy is actively chasing their paying customers away. I've been an Elite Platinum member for, I don't know how long, and I've made it known that these failures are the sole reason I've asked them to drop me to silver. They said they weren't able to do that, all they could do is 'program' the system to not automatically renew my Platinum membership when it comes due. Well, yeah, that'll work too. I've got two months to make up my mind on whether to renew at all. I have a very hard time rewarding professional incompetence, and, well, the ONLY power I have is my wallet. If they don't want my business, there's no reason to give it to them! I know I'm not alone in that belief, and I feel pretty strongly that that same sentiment is what's fueling so many complaints from so many different members. A company is not judged on how well they do the easy things -- a company is judged on how they handle the problems. And right now, this company is absolutely failing miserably. You have my envy, for not having any reasons to see this firsthand yet.
Well said.
Wayne
Kennedys are my quest...
I believe @oldsmagnet response covered it but he left out the problem with CACs not being added to the database, that's MY biggest complaint
Mitch, you're a big player, can't you do anything?
Mike
My Indians
Dansco Set
In fairness, that's not one I've had to fight with personally, so I don't have much to bring to the table on it - but definitely falls into that "other 25%" range of PCGS's helpless communication system.
alaura22- As I said Honestly, I really haven’t had any significant issues with my (48) registry sets over the past couple years. Yes, I no longer get plaques or pins, but I buy a ton of coins and they virtually all get entered without any assistance. I acknowledge that I have no CAC only sets, so if that is a problem, that would explain why I never experienced it.
Now, I believe PCGS does have sone work to do updating point values on some coins in various sets, and even creating some sets, or adding some coins to sets. And, hopefully, they can get to these matters sooner rather than later.
Just my 2 cents.
Wondercoin
Well I recently purchased a coin from David Lawrence Rare Coins and was unable to add to my inventory. After a couple of weeks I decided to reach out DLRC and ask if they could do anything, if not I wanted to return the coin under the 30 day return policy. If I was unable to add the coin to my registry set, then the coin had no value to me and I wanted to return it. They had my coin released in less than an hour and this was on a Saturday night around 8 PM CST. Now the coin was a Dale Hanson coin, so maybe they have access to his inventory and released it, but the threat of returning the coin got someone to act quickly.
Perhaps an email to Great Collections or Heritage may get the same results. I would think that those auction houses would request release of the inventory prior to listing the coins. Or maybe not. Just wanted to pass on my experience in case someone had the same issue.
Here is my Washington Quarter Variety Registry Set
This is my Washington Quarter Proof Variety Registry Set
That's exactly why it got released, they owned it. Dell Loy Hansen has many coins with his partner David Lawrence.
This has nothing to do with the problems at PCGS
Mike
My Indians
Dansco Set
Something is up with PCGS. I have sent many emails over the past year and a half and haven’t received a single response. This includes, but is not limited to: Requests to add sets (at least five,) fixing messed up TV images (the obverse is the wrong coin) coins that should fit a set but don’t. Coins that don’t exist, that shouldn’t be in a set but are.
Before a year and a half ago, things were working well, something changed.
I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.
Apparently the attitude of PCGS, perhaps due to what appears to be staffing cutbacks, and also their business decisions not to spend money on addressing those issues, is what has changed. As you can see, this Set Registry Forum has many lengthy posts on the front page dealing with the issues that you describe. Maybe I’m wrong, and each of these issues will get fixed, and their Customer Nonservice Department will be instructed to actually provide good quality service by having humans reply to each email no later than the next business day, but I’m not holding my breath.
Steve
My collecting “Pride & Joy” is my PCGS Registry Dansco 7070 Set:
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/design-type-sets/complete-dansco-7070-modified-type-set-1796-date/publishedset/213996
Steve, you crack me up sometimes
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
I have been having the same issues with the activity page and report a cert that should match a composite. Both of those go to the oops error page. I have tried it on mulitiple browsers and different devices with the same result. I sent my first email on 02/06/25 reporting the issue and also with the certs that did not match. I received a reply from Emilio (who apparently is the only person working there now) on 03/12/25. It looks like you just have to be patient and expect a 4-6 week turnaround. PCGS makes enough money that they can afford to hire a few more IT workers to fix the website instead of having to manually update this information.
Over a month and still unable to add a couple modern Kennedys to my set.
Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value. Zero. Voltaire. Ebay coinbowlllc
Cannot add a coin to a set. Clicking the link to report a cert that should work goes to an error page. Has been broke for over a month.
Any complaints that I harbor have been eloquently expressed in the previous posts
🇺🇸 Harlequin
harlequinnumismatic@gmail.com
@P0CKETCHANGE I've done the same thing, moved my coins to MyCollect and CAC. Not only the whole Trueview debacle, where I had two complete toned Lincoln Wheat Cent Registry Sets (1909-1958) where the Trueviews would not display, but another final straw was working on a complete Indian Head Quarter Eagles set with all coins CAC, but neither the CAC affirmations nor the coins would show up in the CAC-only sets! Kind regards, George
Have to say that this thread is so depressing to read.
I really love the format of the set registry. I still do. It’s just broken on the admin side of things. It worked so well and the ability to compete was exciting. However, when emails are being continuously ignored, when requests submitted via the forms they developed and asked us to use disappear into a black hole, when coins are not added…….it just becomes too much. I am a platinum member and have been for a while. I renew each year despite the past two years causing me to really consider my position.
What has topped it for me is that I submitted some coins in the express category two weeks ago and they are still in the ‘received’ category. What am I paying extra for here?? I submitted some last year and they were in quality control within a week. It says currently that it’s a 15 working day turn around. All good, so does that mean everything will be done in a few days? Maybe I am complaining for no good reason here……
I have emailed a few people who handled previous enquires directly, forwarding on concerns and emails. No response. I have copied Hy on these forums and no response.
Long gone are the days of effective customer service. As a UK based Great Britain coin collector, I think I need to look elsewhere. Recommendations for alternatives are welcome. Any new registry will need to recognise British coins….thanks guys.
Sorry for adding to the depression, but this is just depressing!!! Nothing else to say. I almost feel like writing to them and offering to volunteer as a remote customer service agent, roll my sleeves up and help answer queries and manage the set registry enquiries. Can it really be so hard?!
Andrew.
Currently looking for Great Britain only George V coins.
There's an insult-to-injury level here -- take a look at https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1112801/where-to-return-pcgs-labels-from-cracked-out-holders
-- Either it just happened to land on "THE" right day to land in someone's inbox on the one day of the year they bother looking, or they actually ARE monitoring these forums and just don't care to respond to 95% of them.
They wouldn't "downgrade" me from Platinum to Silver, instead all they could do was deactivate the auto-renew function -- well, that works for me -- I have, in theory, until June to get my last submission in, before I decide whether to pay for Silver or just scrap the whole works. Either way, I'm inclined to believe that PCGS really just doesn't care if they've get my business or not. Ironically, I can't access my membership account at all right now, either the PCGS server is down or they killed off my password. I'll give it a couple days before fighting that battle.
I've got one more big submission I want to make, but have been waiting MONTHS for clarification on one coin's PCGS number before submitting this batch. I've messaged or spoken to 3 or 4 different people within the organization, and so far they've all either bounced it up the food chain or dropped the ball. Either way, it seems clear, they're not going to lift a finger to try fixing it (copper/nickel coins in silver holders!)
I learned years ago that Express is a necessary evil, it's just like "First Class" at the post office. The "regular" submission levels are punitive for not spending the money to upgrade. (Although my last 'Express' submission still took like two or three MONTHS...)
I’ve just (re)joined mycollect (joined when it opened then forgot about it and just opened a new account) and it looks really good at the moment. Needs more world coin sets, but it’s a step in the right direction! Only problem it doesn’t solve is the grading!! Wonder if they have plans to start that service?? My love of PCGS is generally based on how the holders look and feel and the set registry. So happy to move over if PCGS are going to continue down the ‘we don’t care’ path.
Currently looking for Great Britain only George V coins.
Just as an update, PCGS have updated the relevant set. It took a while but we got there. I did offer, with some sincerity, to volunteer with support, but they responded with a list of jobs they currently have! When I pointed out that I live in london and already have a job, they replied further by stating that all they could offer in the career page! Fair enough. At least I tried to contribute!!
I also recently joined the mycollect family and am really impressed with the format and response times. They have been brilliant already. I like that you can add NGC coins too and I have three that are going for crossover that I will add pending that decision! It's a good move to be inclusive like that.
Currently looking for Great Britain only George V coins.
Yes Mycollect is very inclusive which is nice and something that PCGS is still missing out on. But Mycollect employs a scoring system that is not fair, it penalizes non PCGS graded coins. I wasn't going to try the Mycollect registry but recently did add a couple of individual sets. What I found is that my NGC graded MS67 coins receive less points than a same date/mm PCGS graded MS66. That is just wrong and shows a strong bias toward PCGS graded coins over all the other services. So the only real plus to Mycollect vs the NGC or CAC registries is the ability to include coins graded by ANACS, with of course the penalty for not being PCGS graded.
If you want a truly unbiased inclusive registry either the NGC or the CAC registry is the place to be. That is not to say those don't have some restrictions, they do. The NGC registry suffers the same issue that PCGS registry does as they are also not able (or want) to show coins with CAC stickers at this time. And while only NGC and PCGS graded coins are allowed into the competitive registry (for US coins, the world coin registry only allows NGC graded) you can add any TPG or raw coin into your inventory and setup custom (non competitive) sets with anything in your inventory.
If you want CAC registry sets the CAC registry is the place to be, it doesn't discriminate against non PCGS graded coins and does allow for CAC only sets for those who want that feature. Those CAC only sets are open to both coins with CAC stickers and CACG graded coins. Plus those CAC approved/graded coins can also be used in the open (non CAC only) sets again with no point penalty for using coins not graded by PCGS.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
In my opinion MyCollect is NOT "discriminating" against NGC coins in scoring, but just recognizing the reality of the market! Like it or not, the "market" places a higher value on coins graded by PCGS compared to NGC, and continuing on that generalization, even if both coins have CAC stickers, the PCGS coins with CAC are valued by the market higher than NGC coins with CAC. I agree, especially in that last case with CAC coins, it should not be like that. But it is.
Separately, your point about MyCollect valuing the 67 NGC like a 66 PCGS, maybe that's a bit too strict, maybe not, but that's a separate point. But scoring PCGS coins higher than NGC due to a higher market value is not discriminatory - it's just recognizing the reality of the market!
Steve
My collecting “Pride & Joy” is my PCGS Registry Dansco 7070 Set:
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/design-type-sets/complete-dansco-7070-modified-type-set-1796-date/publishedset/213996
The silent treatment from the set registry is deafening. Yes this thread is depressing to read. I wonder if PCGS ever expected the set registry to grow so large that they would no longer be willing to properly maintain it. One person doing all the work? How absurd is that? Seriously! There should be a whole department of customer service people and computer experts working the set registry.
I have asked more than 3 times, over the past 3 months, for 2024 coins to be required and new 2025 coins added to the "Modern Commemoratives, Circulation Strikes (1982-present)" set.
I have used the official set registry customer service site forms and also the "report a certificate that should be in a set" for the 2025 coins. I even included screenshots of the set showing the 2024 are still optional and also took the time to upload photos of both sides of the 2025 coins requested to be added.
The result. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
Edited to say that by the end of the day. the new coins were added. Someone must read at least some of these posts.
My US Mint Commemorative Medal Set
The problem here is that PCGS doesn't generate any income from the registry sets,
SO THEY THINK
Many people send a lot of coins in for reconsideration and grading just to improve there registry sets.
PCGS doesn't seem to think that that revenue matters enough to fix and maintain the registry sets
Also they don't make anything on updating the CAC database, so they don't!
Sad to think the once upon a time this was the best registry going, and for just a few dollars they decided to let it go to the dogs
Mike
My Indians
Dansco Set
I would agree that the registry concept might be falling in priority, At one time just before Covid there was a big joint announcement by NGC and the ANA that NGC was going to establish a registry with the ANA as the host. In concept that sounded like great elevation of the concept but I am sure the funding and staffing to maintain one by the ANA was a problem and likewise would have lost steam. Even NGC is no longer supporting their custom registry site, even with simple fixes. NGC plan to migrate the custom concept over to their core registry web, however, I fear many of the unique feature that made the NGC custom site very flexible and far superior to other registry sites (Including PCGS) will eventually be lost.
Even if you are not a serious point chaser, the registry concept does create a little competition and incentive to improve a collection and that can benefits the TPG companies as one noted above.
OMG ... My Mother was Right about Everything!
I wake up with a Good Attitude Every Day. Then … Idiots Happen!
I've lost track of how many thousands of dollars I've dumped into grading fees, strictly to build my registry sets. They've now lost my platinum membership. I've no doubt they don't care about that, either.
Exactly. And there is a reason why the market behaves this way - it is a reflection of the quality of coins. Time after time I have encountered overgraded coins (per PCGS standards) in NGC holders and NGC crossovers fail quite often. On the PCGS stats page, the crossover success rate is 39% and I would guess the bulk of these are NGC coins.
If you have a great eye you can cherry pick NGC "A" coins and cross them to PCGS holders and do quite well.
http://ProofCollection.Net
Same here. 100 coins submitted the past three years, all with Trueviews. Their grading has been fine. Everything else that is important to collectors and what attracted so many to PCGS grading - photography, proper attributions, and the registry - PROFOUNDLY SUCKS.
It would be nice to have a one TPG set, but that's not going to happen. I've been buying some CACG coins lately. CACG will now get my business from now on, and I have many more coins to submit for grading. I'm tired of PCGS incompetence repeatedly ruining my hobby experience, then blaming me for their own mistakes.
Ms. Sabin needs to wake up and do something rather than stripping the company of their services and expertise. Otherwise, thousands more like me will dump PCGS out of anger and look elsewhere.
fairly annoyed with the lack of apparent support for this forum and the registry itself. now i understand it cant always be up to date but i dont even think they are trying and havent been for years
FWIW, I have submitted probably 100 new slots and certs requests and they've all been answered. Lately they've been responding in about 1-2 days including starting the 2024 Proof Set I requested.
http://ProofCollection.Net
I contacted them about missing coins they responded right away that the coins could be added...except they cant...and i no longer can contact them about those particular coins...so (working as intended?)
FYI, on the topic of selfish collectors choosing to not release their sold coins from their active Registry, PCGS is not alone! Over the last two weeks I was unsuccessful in listing two newly purchased coins in my CAC Registry over on the East coast.
However, like PCGS, the CAC Registry has a process to have those coins released. And like PCGS, who now releases these coins quickly once “ransom photos” are provided if the selfish collector does not reply to the notification in three days, the same is true of the CAC Registry.
We’ll see if the CAC Registry imposes consequences on the selfish collectors. In my first instance, the selfish collector actually replied that HE still had the coin, lol. Little did he know that I sent the “ransom photos” showing the coin with a currently dated newspaper.
Steve
My collecting “Pride & Joy” is my PCGS Registry Dansco 7070 Set:
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/design-type-sets/complete-dansco-7070-modified-type-set-1796-date/publishedset/213996
Just got this from our hosts
@PCGS_Hy
Don't Miss Out: The Set Registry Awards Deadline is Approaching
**
HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO COMPETE IF YOU DON'T ALLOW ME TO ADD 16 CAC COINS TO MY SETS
**
HOW DUMB IS THAT
Mike
My Indians
Dansco Set
Yeah, it seems like at best they should cancel the awards for the CAC sets unless they can get the CAC updater fixed. If they do proceed, any awards will have to come with an asterisk that collectors weren't able to add eligible coins to their registries for unexplained technical reasons.
http://ProofCollection.Net