PCGS data base for re-holdered coins

washunltd

I would like to get information from anyone who has re-holdered a coin with PCGS.
My situation is that I bought a coin from (what I thought was) a very reputable dealer.
Upon delivery of the coin I noticed that there was damage on the plastic slab.
After speaking with the dealer we decided that he would send in the green slab for re-holdering.
Three weeks later I recieved the coin back in the new blue holder, however, it had a different number. I sent a note to PCGS customer sevice inquiring about their database, since with two different numbers this could indicate that the same coin was counted twice which would obviously skew the population report.
I was assured by the customer service rep that when a coin is re-holdered the first thing that goes into the database is the original cert number.
Raise your hand if you think that this nationaly known reputable dealer did a switcharoo on me.
Would like to hear your opinion and experiences.
Thanks, Peter

keithdagen

Peter,

Welcome. When you send a coin in for reholder, it can be renumbered. There was a series of coins with certificate numbers starting with 500xxxxxx, that were duplicated in the database. If one of these coins is submitted for reholder, it will be renumberd. All other reholders keep the same certificate number and just get new plastic.

Keith

dbldie55

Not sure how the reholder process works, but I sent in a proof for designation review (it looked CAM and was graded before they gave the designation). It came back listed as DCAM, but with the same cert number. I cannot imagine they would change the cert number if all they did was re-holder.

Collector

sounds like the same problem with my coin....have a sms cam quarter slabbed 67CAM but the certification number shows it as a DCAM..PCGS wants me to send it back to get it reholdered....

washunltd

Keith,

Don't you think that a new number would count the coin twice, thus the population report would be higher?

Aaron04

I have a coin that is holdered as a 67 with a pop of about 50 / 1.The coin is what I would call a borderline 68.I have sent it in for regrade ( not reholder ) about 5 times in the past 6 months and each time it came back 67.I looked at the pops the other day and it was something like 55 / 1.
It made me start to think that PCGS may not have removed the old cert #'s from the pop report each time I sent this coin in for regrade.But maybe 5 others have just been graded 67 over the same 6 month period.Who knows.
I think I will call PCGS in the morning and make sure my 5 regrades were not counted towards the pop reports.
Anyone else have a similar experience with regrades ?

washunltd

Baseball,

The coin is a gorgeous PF/67 DCAM Washington silver proof.
I have no complaints about the beauty of the coin (and looks almost perfect with no significant marks).
My quandry is did PCGS double count the coin or did this dealre switch the coin on me.
If I would know this dealer did switch the coins then he is a sleazbag and will never get my bussines again.
I got's to know!!!!!!!!!!!
Peter

keithdagen

Peter,

No way of knowing if the dealer did a switch. However, if PCGS did a reholder and renumber, they remove the old number from the database. That I do know.

Keith

Tonelover

Brian, I was recently informed that when you send a coin in for designation review (I'm not talking about reholdering) that they will assign the same serial number but with a 0 at the beginning if the coin gets the designation asked for. CHeck your DCAM and let me know if it has a 0, I'd be interested to hear if this is true or not.

washunltd

Keith,

Both numbers are currently in the database. Both the old green and new blue holders.
That is the main reason that I feel the coins were switched.
Regards, Peter

Dabigkahuna

Peter,
a phone call to PCGS will probably clear it up. There have been a few problems with the data base and certain numbers. They are always very freindly when I call. It is more than likely a data input problem than a dealer switch but at least you will know fo sure. Here is the number, just say you have a question about a coin. If you e-mail them it may take a day or two for them to get back to you.

Tele: (800) 447-8848

Larry
Dabigkahuna

washunltd

Keith,

Both numbers are in the database.
Don't you smell 2 coins here?

Regards,
Peter

CarlWohlforth

I don't know about smelling two coins If they were visibly different I'd notice. If they looked the same, it wouldn't matter. If you never saw the first one all that matters is you are happy with the second one.

washunltd

Subject: Answer to “Was I screwed by a reputable dealer” NO --- Must See -à

Yes, the answer is a big fat NO. NO, I was not screwed by a dealer…. this time. I have been screwed by dealers in the past and I promise to not mention any names.My career as a collector began in 1960 when I started with Tokens. Yup N.Y.C. subway tokens. They were the cutest little things, about the size of a dime. Sometimes when a new shipment came in you could get them Gem BU. They still only cost .15 cents BU or AG but if held for a few years they could be sold for as much as $1.75 around 1976. They went up in value to .25, then .75 and so on. I used some of my profits to buy rolls of silver coins in 1963. Boy those were the days. Silver ran up to around 50 bucks, then came down even faster to $5. Tokens were better…they only went up. From my silver profits I started to get into numismatic coins, straight from the red book. I only kept coins that were either better grade, old, low mintage or nice toning. I saved a decent number of coins paying face.
Then things went awry. I started buying from those dealers that had these full-page ads in
Coin World and Numismatic News. Hey, they had “bargains”: Choice, Gem, BU, UNC, PQ coins. Mint state older business strike coins that were never ever in circulation. I went for these bargains hook, line and sinker. Only more than a decade later did I figure out that most of them were one of the following: slider, AU, cleaned, polished. I should have known that there is no such thing as a bargain. Maybe there is such a thing as a deal, but that is certainly NOT what I was making. This made me bitter, suspicious and not trusting of dealers.

In the past 10 years I have dealt with a bunch of Fair, Honest and Reputable dealers. However, since 1960 they are still in the minority.
I almost made a BIG mistake and came close to accusing a dealer of switching a coin on me. Thank goodness I never named the dealer so hopefully she/he will never know. If you have been following the thread about getting screwed by a dealer you might think I have over reacted, but can you blame me? I have been burned too many times so I am cautious. I seldom speak out but this time I was not a happy camper. The people at PCGS helped me figure out how this occurred. I took it for granted that the dealer would send in my coin in its original green holder, then it came back in a blue holder with a different Certification number.

What’s a paranoid, gun-shy, distrusting of dealers type of guy, who is a dealer himself, supposed to think?? You got it, “The worst scenario possible”. The dealer must have switched coins on me. Well, she/he did NOT.

What actually happened is quite simple and I probably should have figured it out for my self. The dealer cracked out the coin and sent it in RAW. This explains the 2 different numbers. From what PCGS told me, if the dealer ever turns in the old green label from the holder then the population for the coin will be adjusted.

So, I learned a lot from this experience and thanks to all of you that responded.

Regards, Peter