A Tale of Two Coins
Cladiator
Posts: 18,354 ✭✭✭✭✭
Today I received back two coins I had my LCS send to PCGS.
This half dollar was in PCGS when I first acquired it. After some time in my collection it was cracked out and moved into the raw type set collection of a very good friend of mine. There it sat for several years until my friend unexpectedly passed away. His sons were (and still are) quite young so this coin came back to my collection for safe keeping. It will eventually be returned to his family when his oldest sons are of an age to appreciate it as an heirloom from the Dad they never got to know. I figured being in plastic would be best for it as the boys will most likely not be collectors and handing them a raw coin could prove detrimental to the condition of the coin.
Started raw, went to PCGS AU50 (TrueView), went back to raw, now in PCGS XF45. I don't disagree with the downgrade from 50 to 45.
Coin two was raw when it was in Mr. Reivers collection. It went into NGC plastic when he passed and his collection was sold off. It was still in NGC when it got to my collection but didn't stay that way for long. It lived the next several years raw in my LOC album. I'm not building that circulated LOC half dime set any longer so I wanted it back in plastic but thought I'd send it to our hosts instead. My LCS called PCGS and made sure they had all the documentation needed to attribute the coin and sure enough it came back attributed just fine. Protected again with it's provenance intact. Also, I couldn't stand the fact that NGC left the "n" off the word "collection", that always bugged me.
Started raw, went to NGC XF40, went back to raw, now in PCGS VF35. Again, I don't disagree with the downgrade from 40 to 35.
Comments
@Cladiator If NGC leaving off the "n" in collection bothered you, how do you feel about PCGS flipping the e and i in Reiver?
JUST KIDDING!! And, to be serious, those are both really nice coins. Historic and cool. Plus your goal of giving the initial coin back to your friend's kids when they are older is incredibly kind and thoughtful!
PCGS is tough with grading witch is a good thing because the grade is more accurate, sum times though PCGS can slip up a bit like my Au 58 s 1899 half eagle, (traded for my Ms 62 Indian quarter eagle with sum others coins). witch had a strange surface. Still PCGS is Awsome 😂
Nice to see you are taking care of a few baby busties still!
What a journey that beautiful coin have made @Cladiator .... and will continue on to different era.
Bless your heart to take it under your wing .... someone the family can really trust
GBU
Interesting tale of the journey of two coins...so many of our coins just move from collection to collection. Usually, the most interesting part of a coins history happened long before possession was recorded - except for some special coins. Thinking about the drinks, goods or services purchased with these coins can be an interesting reverie. Cheers, RickO
I agree about the label. Very unprofessional. Do as PCGS did, abbreviate collection, or as I should have done:
J. Reiver Collection.
As for the downgrades...I rarely recommend a non-professional grader/dealer cracking a coin out of a slab without a very good reason (like conservation) but I do understand why it is done to be in an album.
I predict that one day our coins will be in a sealed capsule as from the mint with info and a hologram around the edge. These certified coins will fit into a new series of coin albums (if desired).
That way, collectors can hold their coins closer, keep albums, take up less room, and best of all...the TPGS that does this will have an entirely NEW and desirable product to produce more money!
Very well-put @ricko.
LOL, good one Mark. You got me to go back and look at the pic real quick haha.