Is the JH Exceptional notation on coins in Heritage's inventory worth anything?

toothpuller

I noticed a number of coins in Heritage's inventory are labeled JH Exceptional by Heritage founder Jim Halperin. I guess he claims these are PQ for the grade. Does this have any value or is it just a marketing ploy?

FC57Coins

I've never gotten one of those from them, but I'd say if you shop around enough you should be able to find one of equal quality for a reasonable price and not have to pay the premium.

Regards,

Frank

MastaHanky

I've bought two coins from Heritage, one with the JH designation, one with out. The one without it I felt was below average for the grade. The one with it was about average for the grade.

michael

that is a very interesting question and i have always wondered about that, i have never seen any of these exceptional labeled coins in person

that is a great thread and hope some have answers on here about

that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sincerely michael

keithdagen

I've bought some of each, don't know that it made a difference. I can't remember which were which.

I do remember that they posted a run of gold once with the Exceptional rating, and darn near every piece had nasty carbon or copper spots that detracted.

Placid

Welcome! And thank you for taking time to view these Exceptional Coins. At Heritage, we all strive every day to ensure that you are offered the highest quality coins available. I personally spend many hours in the coin room carefully analyzing our inventory for strike, eye appeal, surfaces, and luster. On occasion, I happen upon a coin that is, without question, truly exceptional for the grade. Often, these coins are better than others I've seen graded even higher by the same grading services! Whenever I discover such a coin in inventory, I authorize it be given the JH EXCEPTIONAL designation. Heritage proudly presents these coins to you here. I hope you have as much fun viewing them as I did finding them for you. Take your time and enjoy the beautiful high-resolution images of all your favorites. I think you will agree that these rare finds represent some of the best numismatic values available.


He seems to find alot of them
Some of them are even marked make a offer.

I also have never purchased one of these so I am just having a little fun.

FC57Coins

My expectation on something like this would be a 65 leaning on 66, not a solid 65, so I'd be dissapointed if that were the case.

Frank

Johnscoin

Having seen quite a few of the coins in Heritage's inventory, the JH exceptionals have always had stronger eye appeal for me than the typical pieces for that grade. They are actually nicer PQ coins, but I wish I had the cash to fork over for a lot of these

roadrunner

No self respecting dealer would let "exceptional" (PQ) coins stay in Heritage's inventory very long. They'd be easy sellers at a profit in their own inventories.

roadrunner

Higashiyama

I don't think Heritage tries to suggest that these coins should upgrade, but only that they are very attractive for the grade. I've purchased one JH exceptional -- an MS64 Sequicentennial. It was solid for the grade, with better than average strike and nice golden toning. This particular coin probably would have been a 65 except for a major hit on the bridge of GW's nose. If you can ignore this mark, it is an exceptional coin!

dpoole

I have bought some JH Exceptional coins for the 3CN proof series and a few others here and there, and have come to respect Halperin's eye for quality. I've been happy with all the ones I've acquired, and have considered them PQ for the grade. He's also extremely helpful if you want to call him and discuss the details of a particular coin.

RELLA

As far as Lincolns go; I like Jim's eye when it comes to "exceptional" coins. The thing I wonder about is where in the heck they get PQ coins from. I recently offered to sell them the following two Lincolns that I considered PQ, but their offers were %&*&%#:

1914-S PCGS MS64RD they offered less than $1300...the same coin is now in a PCGS MS65RD holder ($7,000+)
1955 DDO NGC MS63RB they offered less than $1150...the same coin is now in a PCGS MS64RB holder ($2,500+)

I'm just a little sick of offering PQ coins to dealers...there are only a handful of dealers left that I will call if I have a PQ coin on hand (message me if you want more detail on any of this).

They are currently looking to hire numismatists...here's hoping they get a copper guy on board. Has anyone else noticed that they no longer have pre-1934 red Lincolns in stock ever??!!

RELLA

P.S. Both of the above coins were offered on the b/s/t board prior to being upgraded...only one person on the boards even asked about them.

gmarguli

A lot of the JH Exceptional coins don't look exceptional in the photos. I recently purchased a coin that was a PCGS MS65. They described it as PCGS MS65 PQ. I figured PQ meant better than average for the grade. Having now seen the coin I wonder what the PQ really stood for.

shylock

Rella -- I've noticed, and there's also been a big quality dip in their RD Indian Heads. Oddly enough this downturn seemed to begin about 2 years ago, the same time they issued this press release stating "Any coins that are unusually attractive or collectible will be listed on our website and reserved for two weeks before being offered on any other venues." I've found the reverse to be true for IHs since that time period.

Toothpuller -- I work at home in the afternoons at my PC, and there was a time when I checked Heritage's inventory a dozen times a day to get first look at their new daily listings. About once every month or two a terrific "JH" coin would show up. Their prices were always very reasonable so I wanted first shot. I bought about eight or nine over a 1 year period that looked solid in the scan and never sent one back. I know your question may have IHs specifically in mind so here are some examples of "JH" coins I bought back then:

1861 PCGS MS66, rev
1862 PCGS MS66, rev
1898 NGC MS67RD, rev
1899 PCGS MS66RD, rev
1907 PCGS MS65RD, rev

I believe the 1898 was the last 67RD to be listed in their inventory (July, 2000). You rarely ever see 66RD IHs listed anymore, certainly not "JH" coins. I'm sure this has something to do with the market in general. The 1899 66RD was listed for $760 (Oct, 2000) and if I still owned it now I could get 3X that, it was that nice. Now I check Heritage's inventory about once a week, purely out of curiousity and with no intention of buying anything.

MastaHanky

<<P.S. Both of the above coins were offered on the b/s/t board prior to being upgraded...only one person on the boards even asked about them.>>

Hey, I distinctly remember asking if you could hold them on consignment for me until about 2007. You never responded.

(Editted to add the word "asking")

Spooly

I saw a Lincoln Cent "JH Exceptional" with a fingerprint on it.

toothpuller

Paul , I've seen nothing lately of that quality IHCs on Heritage's website. The one 65RD that I did buy from them in March I returned. In fact I rarely see any IHCs close to the quality anywhere, no spots, specks, hits etc. Why did you have to go and sell them? The CNs are just gorgeous.

dpoole

I'm kind of surprised at the negative reactions Halperin's JH designations have aroused here. I was really unaware that there was any question about Halperin's opinons about coins. My impression is that for him, JH Exceptional is intended to mean PQ for the grade. I'm astounded that he put a JH Exceptional on a coin with a fingerprint, Spooly!

I did go back and look at the coins I have I got as JH exceptionals this morning, just to make sure. The three 3CN proofs I got all came back with CAM designations when I submitted them again to PCGS at this year's FUN. I have a 1920-S Lincoln 64Rd with great luster, and a very nice pearl-tinted 1934 Lt Motto Washington.

Maybe I've been lucky, but I've been very pleased with the ones I've gotten. I, too, have never sent one back. And my experience with calling him is that he is willing to review the coin wtih you in detail, and offer his rationale.

Based on the contacts I've had, I'd anticipate that if you did order a JH exceptional and were displeased, he'd listen to your concern with interest, and take it back without any problem.