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Is a second tier necessary

A couple of years ago I started my Registry sets. Back then I could imagine being in the top 20 (and actually one of my sets was in the top 20). As more and more collectors (and dealers) join the Registry sets, I doubt that even with plenty of upgrades that I will ever get a set in the top 20 again.

Do you think it would be prudent for PCGS to have a "professional" and "amateur" tier that could be used to divide the PCGS registry sets with more than 200 sets into two classes? I am not sure how it would all play out, but if collectors believe there is no possible way to ever get into the top 20, then there will those that just give up and that would be a bad thing.

Just brainstorming here... Feel free to join in.

Comments

  • LindeDadLindeDad Posts: 18,766 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I would like to see it that you didn't have to hit the link to see all of the sets in a group. But it would make it a very time consuming to brouse the listings on dial up if they did not have the page two function. Glad I'm on cable.
    Don't know how they could manage or if they would want to do the Pro/Dealer, Amature/Collector thing though.

    image
  • Hi,
    I don't agree with the 2 tier approach you are proposing.

    This has nothing to do with the current position of my sets in the registry.

    It has taken me about 20 years to put my Morgan collection together and I started with an unslabbed 1878-S Morgan (in 1985 slabs were not very common yet) that when it was finally PCGS slabbed a few years ago turned out to be an MS63. I keep that coin in a prominent position not because of its intrinsic value but because it is my "Coin #1".

    If I were to want to carry some slabs around as good luck tokens I'd probably want that coin together with an 1895 Proof and a couple of others that were true milestones in my collecting career.

    What I am saying is that if you collect because you enjoy collecting then the position your sets are in the Registry should make no difference.

    If your collecting efforts are more driven by the will to compete with other collectors then your suggestion makes sense.

    The fact is that I don't see myself competing with deep pocket endowed tycoons that regularly get to be in the #1 position because they spend a lot of money and fad driven investment and financial advisors that are looking for stock market alternatives.

    The push on the Registry sets is just as much self serving as far as the hosting parties are concerned as it is by certain collectors and dealers. Many tycoons are fickle and will tire and the investment folks will abandon ship as soon as they see prices going down even by a fraction of one percent.

    What I don't think is fair is that a dealer can "pull" a series of coins from his inventory and "claim" that he has put together and set up a collection. I respect dealers that separate their collecting activity from their collection activity. The "others" are just advertsing their company's ability to buy coins for resale.

    I had a dealer write to me a number of times recently "warning" me that one collector would "overtake" me because that collector was determined to get "to the top". I did my best to be well mannered and simply said that what I was being offered was of no interest to me. I was tempted to say "who gives a care!!!".

    I am spending my Sunday afternoon looking at my coins, comparing some with the pictures I have taken in the past and replacing some pictures where I think I can do better. I do have a list of about 20 coins that I plan to upgrade over the next years but that upgrading will be done to improve the quality level of my collection as an ongoing hobby. I will also go through eBay and other sources to see if any of the coins I want to upgrade are available and what sort of prices are being asked for. I'll buy what I think will fit and what I think I can afford.

    Whether my sets' standing in the Registry goes up or down won't influence me one bit. :-)

    As far as getting onto the top 20 is concerned it's just a matter of time and patience.
    cho10

    Collecting since the 1980's
    Morgan Dollars Circ. Strikes
    - Basic Set - Varieties - Prooflike Basic Set - Date Set
    - Carson City - Early S Mint Short Set - Mintmark Type Set
    Morgan Dollars Proof
    - Basic Set - Varieties
    Peace Circ.
  • coolkarmacoolkarma Posts: 512 ✭✭
    As an alternative, when they re-design the Registry, PCGS could make it more user configurable. Perhaps one option would be to have the display of registry sets begin with the set number you choose (e.g., number 17) and extend for the number of sets you choose (say 50). That way you could look at the changes near your set, which is what I usually want to do. Plus dial up users could keep the display to a number they consider reasonable.

    CoolKarma
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