Fingerprints on Graded Coins – Advice?
coinguy96
Posts: 59 ✭✭✭
I recently submitted a batch of 10 coins through the economy tier for grading. Upon return, six of them showed clear fingerprints on the surfaces. I carefully inspected each coin multiple times prior to shipping and confirmed they were in good condition with no visible imperfections. Despite this, the fingerprints appeared during the grading process.
I'm curious how others in the collecting community would handle this situation. In my view, these fingerprints have significantly diminished the coins’ appeal and marketability — not only did they receive lower grades than expected, but the visible marks make them much more difficult to sell.Has anyone experienced something similar? What steps would you recommend to resolve or mitigate this issue?
Comments
They'll NEVER admit they caused them. I've had a similar experience but can't recall what TPG(s) it was.
Not an expert, but I feel those look more like scrapes than fingerprints. JMO
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
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I can see why they look like scrape marks in the photos - that's on me for not capturing them clearly. They are definitely fingerprints though (oily smudges across the surfaces).
Do you have “before “ photos to make an argument.
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase/2819
Looks like someone took lessons from the mint directors and the Omega cents. I would not be happy if that were my coins and it happened in their possession.
I don't see this ending well. Without really, really solid evidence of what they looked like going in, you're probably out of luck. If you're very lucky, you could crack them out and hit them with acetone, but more likely there's already impairment to the surfaces.
Leaving them as they are will get you nothing good.
Shameful. Unacceptable. I'd guess that it took awhile for them to ship?
Obviously entry level graders/slab assemblers working in a hurried, pressured environment.
Bad deal. Sorry this happened. It feels like they don't care about your coins when this happens.
I had it happen on a simple reholder job on a $300+ 70 coin. I bit my tongue and the bullet and had them restore it on my dime a couple of weeks later when submitting some other coins.
See them. Shocked.
One reason I don’t readily send slabbed coins in that are stable, once I learned that graders don’t wear gloves. Especially high-end proofs and RD or RB copper. I have some really nice proof IHCs and Lincoln’s that I would like to move, but they’ll stay put.
Unfortunately I don't. That's the tough part, it ultimately comes down to my word against theirs.
Yeah I think you're probably right unfortunately!
It's hard not to get frustrated I'll say that haha! Yeah these coins were sitting in encapsulation for a week and a half, so who knows how long they had fingerprints on them.
I almost wonder if there's a grader at PCGS who's not flipping the coins around with two hands. Instead using one hand and rolling the coin over with his index finger, that way smudges are left on the side near the rim and in extreme cases near the devices. That's just my thought process, who really knows,
What was your luck on the restoration? Were they able to fix it?
I seem to recall about two decades ago by now, perhaps, this issue was discussed previously on these boards. This is all by memory, but if I recall correctly a similar scenario was discussed and it turned out that PCGS thought it might have happened in the encapsulation department. Not involving the graders.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Not 100%, but pretty good overall. It's not a proof, it's the 1998-S Matte finish/SP Kennedy. Hard to see it below, but it was there.
They removed the main smudge behind his head @ 3-o'clock (and existing rim tone), so I was satisfied. These are great looking coins imo...
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That's really unacceptable from a "professional" grading service. My question is about the grade -- is it graded Before or After the Fingerprints are on the coin? One poster mentioned (from years ago) that the TPG thought it was the encapsulation department. If that's the case, they need to train that department to do better... (imho)
Wow. That's awful.
I suggest reporting it to them anyway on the chance that someone, assuming enough complaints by others having similar results, will eventually look into the problem so that the issue gets fixed. I realize that you're paying it forward and you don't get any satisfaction regarding this current debacle.
"She comes out of the sun in a silk dress,
running like a water color in the rain...."
This makes sense as that's probably the riskiest part of the process. I don't see how someone could place a small coin like a dime or cent into one of the holder gaskets without pushing or at least touching the face of it.
If there were true views of the coins it would help narrow down when the mishandling occurred.
The Kennedy and the 56 cent are the two that would be most irritating to me; as those are very nice coins. I don't think the others look to be worth the effort and expense to get restored. Hopefully, the same crew isn't handling my currently pending submissions!
Longshot, but is it possible to match any fingerprints across two coins? If so, then you can demonstrate they happened at the same time. Also, how did they grade? The graders should have killed the grade or even called them "altered surfaces" had they seen juicy prints on the coins.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
I don’t recall having seen any coins assigned detail grades, due to prints - not even especially bad ones.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Sorry, no advice at this point but that is awful and unacceptable.
Are these employees not required to wear any type of protection? Carelessness.
Definitely let the company know your dissatisfaction.
Unacceptable.
Those prints look permanent.
I would certainly contact them and complain, hoping for some type of resolution or reimbursement.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
If it were me I'd be extremely hesitant to do business with them again.
Fingerprints are an extreme failure by our host to have strict rules about hand washing with something that removes fingerprint oils like Dawn detergent FREQUENTLY. Wearing gloves is no substitute for being aware of the issue and keeping your hands clean and/or nitrile glove that are changed frequently.
This coin just received a green bean, and it is covered with fingerprints.
The only advice is to live with fingerprints and try to avoid buying coins which have them. One way to avoid coins in very new holders.
Is this really the guy who bought the last omega cent?
????
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Not the same as fresh, juicy fingerprints on a modern proof. While the former is simply the history of the coin's character, the latter could be seen as a foreign substance, possibly actdive, that attempts to hide something. Granted, the appearance of the print in this case is probably much worse than anything it would successfully hide, but it's somewhat adjacent to puttying a coin to hide rub or a mark.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Good luck. I had a similar issue, with undeniable proof, and they refused to deal with it.
In my case, the TrueView originally had no wipe/fingerprint mark. When I sent the coin back, they replaced the TrueView without telling me. They then refused to compensate for the coin, proceeded to try to clean it removing most of the mark but not all of it, and then continued to ignore the damage. The TrueView last I checked shows the swipe in full, which is lesser now on the coin, but still there.
It is impossible for the coin to have been damaged by me as it was imaged and encapsulated by them without the damage. Note the cert number in the below doesn't change. Yet they did nothing. I am still very salty about it, and to be honest, it is terrible service. They ignored my emails and calls for months before denying my claim, took upwards of 6 months of back and forth.
Original TrueView, with no damage:
On submission to resolve the issue, the updated TrueView:
@TomB said: I seem to recall about two decades ago by now, perhaps, this issue was discussed previously on these boards.
You are correct, I remember it being around 2002-2003. There were actually 2 problems that PCGS was trying to rectify and HRH involved himself in finding the solution. He was involved in at least one thread for discussion, what might be causing it and what might be done to fix it. The problems were fingerprints being caused at/by PCGS and scrapes caused most likely by the flips being used by customers. The resolution of the scrapes/flips was a simple fix but the fingerprint issue lingered for awhile.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin