Question for the collectors of early coin certification memorabilia
CaptHenway
Posts: 32,725 ✭✭✭✭✭
Serious question:
When did INSAB first start enslabbing coins with grades on them?
No offense to our hosts; there is a statement concerning INSAB slabs in the new Coin World Online that I believe is incorrect, and I just wish to verify my facts before contacting them.
Thanks,
TD
When did INSAB first start enslabbing coins with grades on them?
No offense to our hosts; there is a statement concerning INSAB slabs in the new Coin World Online that I believe is incorrect, and I just wish to verify my facts before contacting them.
Thanks,
TD
Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
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Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Lance.
<< <i>I believe it was late in 1976.
Lance. >>
I know they started INS as an authentication service in late 1976 after they and ANACS parted ways, but I don't think they started grading for several years.
Does anybody have a contact for Skip Fazzari?
Thanks.
I think if you dig around for F. Michael Fazzari you might come up with something.
Lance.
"INSAB was the very first third-party grading service, predating ANACS. This company began authenticating coins in 1976 and initiated grading services in December of that year."
...here, FWIW. There's a cool shot of an S-VDB in one of their slabs.
Lance.
<< <i>I found this assertion...
"INSAB was the very first third-party grading service, predating ANACS. This company began authenticating coins in 1976 and initiated grading services in December of that year."
...here, FWIW. There's a cool shot of an S-VDB in one of their slabs.
Lance. >>
That is indeed an assertion, but I question its accuracy.
TD
The ANA grading guide came out in 1977, and in 1978 the ANA board voted to add grading as a service offered by ANACS. I was hired in November to start the grading service, and we launched on March 1, 1979.
At that time we considered ourselves the first grading service, not having heard of any other. Now there is an item in the current Coin World Online (should hit the mailboxes later this week) that says that INSAB, created by two people who were let go from ANACS when it moved from Washington to Colorado Springs in late 1976, claims to be the first grading service. One of the principals says that if anybody asked them to, they would grade a coin being authenticated and write the grade down on a slip of paper. The slip would then be sent out with the photo certificate.
Can anybody verify this? Did anybody ever see such a slip of paper with an INSAB imprint? Does anybody who collects certification/grading memorabilia have one?
Appreciate any help.
Tom DeLorey
Edited to add: BTW, I have established that the first encapsulated INSAB coins did not appear until the late 1980's, after PCGS started the trend. I am now concerned only with the paper/photo certificates, and when they first indicated a grade of any sort.
Of course, I cannot confirm that they began in 1975 as opposed to 1976.
The conder101 book has a picture of an undated INS certificate signed by Charles R Hoskins which meant it had to be after October 1976.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
<< <i>I believe it was Chales Hoskins that started INSAB when ANACS moved since he wanted to stay in the Washingto, D.C. area. I remember that he would set up at the major east coast shows and give a grading/authentication opinion for $5. >>
But did he issue a photo certificate that would mean something after the owner of the coin left the table?
<< <i>
<< <i>I believe it was Charles Hoskins that started INSAB when ANACS moved since he wanted to stay in the Washingto, D.C. area. I remember that he would set up at the major east coast shows and give a grading/authentication opinion for $5. >>
But did he issue a photo certificate that would mean something after the owner of the coin left the table? >>
No. At the shows, all you got for your $5 was a verbal opinion. I thought that was reasonable.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Thanks,
TD