Imagine if, just imagine!!

keets

Within another thread there was a rant by Jerry(notwilight) which hit me in a funny way and made me think. Actually, the whole thread and the notion of the 100 point grading scale makes me think. It makes me wonder what the Hobby of Kings thought almost a generation ago when the idea of Independent Third Party Grading and Encapsulation for a fee first began. I wasn't actively collecting then, I was actively getting divorced and trying to figure out how to raise children and keep my head above water, a much less fun task, but I digress. Who among us was actively involved in things when PCGS first started??? What was the buzz at shows and in shops about what I'm sure many thought to be the folly of charginbg peiople to grade their coins???

The bigger question and the one that got me to start the thread is this-----What would have been posted in a PCGS style chatroom if they had existed in 1986???

Al H.

LindeDad

The latest on the law suits between the players.

JRocco

Hey Al,
I remember the day. My memories at the beginning of PCGS grading was a buzz of investment interest in coins. There was always us real collectors around and then there were those who wanted to park some money in coins but had no clue about grading a coin, assessing a coins condition etc (not unlike many collectors today....but I digress ). I remember cracking out PCGS coins by the album full because I did not find any need for the service and remember it being a real PIA to crack open all those cases.
Before you knew it the stock market changed and that big money investment switched back to art and sculpture and whatever the rich "collect", but the plastic slabs remained.
I bet a chatroom like this would have been filled with investment people not coin people and the buzz would have been over stocks and bonds and not a nice old classic half.

TwoSides2aCoin

If this place were here in the 80's, it's possible one may have found me here griping about how I got ripped by a dealer at a local B&M store and wishing there were a place online to sell my stuff without using a dealer.

gummibear

I remember and back then ANACS graded with the photo certificate. I remember thinking that it was a good idea in that the coin was protected and graded and you couldn't swap certificates and coins. I also thought how horrible it was that the coins would be untouchable and couldn't go in an album. Then there was the cheesy computer typing on the label that I hated. I thought for sure it wasn't going to survive long. Got that one wrong.

Richard