Need to be educated on PCGS labels!
PSARich
Posts: 534 ✭✭✭
I recently sold my coin collections from when I was a kid...silver dimes, quarter, halves and dollars. I would like to purchase some PCGS 63 $20 St. Gaudens. I am pretty much an expert in PSA graded baseball cards as I have a rather large vintage high grade collection but I know very little about the coin grading arena. My questions are:
- What is the difference in the color of the PCGS label and is there one preferred over the others?
- Is there a preference for "motto" or "no motto"?
- Why do some labes have a series # and a coin #?
- Thanks in advance to anyone who would share their expertise with me.
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Best Answers
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messydesk
Posts: 20,488 ✭✭✭✭✭
- PCGS has changed the color and style of their labels and holders several times over the past 30 years. The most current are a blue-white gradient and a slightly thicker slab than most. In some cases, there is a preference for older holders, and there are various reasons for this. They indicate a coin has been stable since holdering. Some people buy the myth that they must be more conservatively graded. At the end of the day, you need to compare coins to see which is the best buy for your money.
- The 1908 No Motto $20 is plentiful in all grades. You should be able to get a 64 for pretty much the same price as a 63. There are other common date Saints that are also plentiful enough in 64 that you should be able to pick a really nice one.
- There was a brief time that PCGS numbered each US coin series (Jefferson nickels had one number, Morgan dollars another, Saints another), and then numbered each coin within the series. This was sufficiently unpopular that it was discontinued
- You're welcome. I hope this helped. Good luck finding a nice Saint.
John
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution6 -
TopographicOceans
Posts: 6,535 ✭✭✭✭
There have been a number of different PCGS slabs and labels over the years.
The search function doesn't work well on this new forum but there are some good threads out there.This is an old thread and the photos are gone, but maybe the descriptions will help?
The "motto" and "no motto" refer if the In God We Trust phrase is on the coin or not.
I think having one of each is good just to show the difference.5
Answers
Buy the coin not the holder.
For some coins, the label may make a difference. For example, many red copper collectors seek out the older green labels as they know the copper has not been touched for at least 20 years now. This viewpoint by many collectors does often add some value to nice red copper coins in green label holders vs. the newer label holders.
But for an MS63 $20 St. Gaudens, the label won't matter much to most collectors (it might for higher grades though).
Just find a great looking example as there are lots of these out there and you can afford to be picky and only buy the nice ones for the grade.
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
Currently, there's almost no price spread difference from 63 to 64. So buy the 64 so that in the event that former spread ever reappears, you'll benefit. And buy the nicest 64 you can find.
Be careful. These things are addictive. Before you know it you'll be trying to figure out how to buy a gem 1927-D.
Let's not forget the Doily and Regency slabs. Those are quite sought after.
Collector, occasional seller
It's all so confusing. Can someone coddle me too.