Question about Slab Labels

Cladiator

Hi all,

I'm a bit confused here. I have been acquiring PCGS WTC Ground Zero coins for some time now. There are two different slabs on the market. One is your standard Flag WTC front and the standard PCGS back label. The other has an identical front label but has a Collecters Univers back label. I didn't even know CU was grading coins??? Is this actually PCGS just under a different name? Is the CU slab less trustworthy than the PCGS? Please help me get my mind around this one lol. Thanks!

PCGS


COLLECTROS UNIVERSE

sinin1

CU is the corporation that owns PCGS - and all the other operations listed as links on the top of this message board page


You have noticed that these are not graded but only ?authenticated? and slabbed?

Cladiator

Thanks for clarifying for me about CU. I have noticed that the great majority of these coins aren't "graded" but "authenticated". Most in Gem BU. I have found some though that are graded but I can only find MS69 and MS68 ones, see pics. Does anyone know any info at all about this program that CU and PCGS did? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

braddick

Some of those are even numbered "1 of 1,000" on the back of the insert.
When I owned one I was able to enter it into a PCGS Registry (it was graded MS69).

It's an interesting part of our (recent) pass and either stirs the imagination or indignation, depending on the Collector you speak to.

Conder101

Text on the two varieties from the Slab Book.

PCGS 6N4 These slabs, although in PCGS shells, were actually produced for their parent company Collectors Universe. The CU logo and hologram appear on the back of the slab instead of the PCGS versions. The coins and other items were recovered from the Comex vaults in the WTC complex. All of the items are graded as “Gem Uncirculated”. So far I have seen the following in these slabs. Silver eagles, Silver Maple Leafs, 1961 Uruguay 10 pesos, all fractions of Gold US Eagles, 1 oz gold maple leaf, 1/4, 1/2 and 1 oz Australian gold bullion coins, Mexican 50 pesos gold, and one oz gold bars. All of the coins except the Uruguay and Mexican pieces have been various dates. See next.

PCGS 6N5 After the PCGS 6N4 became a market success PCGS decided they needed a piece of the action for themselves and they began slabbing WTC recovered coins under their own name. In order to keep the tie in a little more obvious though, PCGS only slabbed 2001 Silver Eagles. All of them are graded MS-69 and they have the PCGS logo and hologram on the back. It says a lot for brand names that after these came out the PCGS 6N4 with the CU logo slabs dropped in value by 2/3rds and these took off.

As of 11/24/02 this variety has expanded with a large number of new items being slabbed in this holder variety. For months, as mentioned above, the only item seen in this holder were MS-69 2001 silver eagles. Suddenly MS-68's are appearing along with 1991 silver eagles (MS-69), 1/10 oz gold eagles dates 98, 99, and 01, and the first platinum coin I have seen in any of the WTC holders a one oz 2001. In addition I have seen some “limited edition” versions of this slab variety, A 2001 MS-69 listed on the holder as being 1 of 1000, a 2001 MS-69 1/10 oz gold also listed on the holder as 1 of 1000, and another 2001 MS-69 silver eagle with 1 of 1440 on the label. I get the feeling that every piece in those “limited editions” will be labeled “1 of” instead of an actual number and eventually they will be showing up being hawked as “low numbered!” And of course once an “edition” sells out, they just submit another “limited edition”

(I seem to have been right about the "1 of" editions. All seen so far have been "#1".)