Photo-Certified Coin Institute

seatedlib3991 · April 5, 2024 9:50AM

A coin dealer has a new offering. the coin has been graded by somebody called the Photo-Certified Coin Institute. Old company I guess? Great looking coin but have never heard of them. Anyone know background, reputation or anything about them. thanks for any feedback. james

NewEnglandRarities · April 5, 2024 10:08AM

They are known, there are some threads about them on this forum, which are worth reading. Here is one for example.

https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1032807/old-pci-bust-half

There are some links in that thread with some more info. The company was PCI, though I believe started in larger holders with photo, and then to PCI.

davewesen · April 5, 2024 10:27AM

I had an old holder MS64 turned into a PCGS 65 - it depends on the coin, so like any coin consider raw and grade yourself

seatedlib3991 · April 5, 2024 11:19AM

@NewEnglandRarities . Thanks for that link. very informative. James

messydesk · April 5, 2024 11:22AM

They were the first PCI. The photo slab was their first type of slab. They then introduced the normal size slab when they bought Hallmark's assets. They phased it in over time at a lower price than the photo slab ($6 vs $10, I think). Submitters had the option to have either one, probably until they ran out of photo slab shells. Their quality was good. The innumerable PCIs that followed, not so much.

conrad99 · April 5, 2024 11:33AM

@messydesk said:
Prime Number Set

Just looked at your prime number set for the first time. Spectacular and slightly amusing too! There's one set which will never, ever be completed.

Unless of course one day coins are no longer being minted..

coinbuf · April 5, 2024 2:16PM

I like them, but I know many that do not.

BStrauss3 · April 5, 2024 4:29PM

SInce I don't see it in the linked thread

Type 1 - has the grade in White on the obverse bottom right of the photo
Type 2 - the grade is not on the photo
Type 3 - the grade is on the reverse
Type 4 - the grade and a barcode are on the reverse

@coinbuf 's is a Type 1, as is @davewesen 's

Here is another type 1:

messydesk · April 5, 2024 5:32PM

@BStrauss3 said:
SInce I don't see it in the linked thread

Type 1 - has the grade in White on the obverse bottom right of the photo
Type 2 - the grade is not on the photo
Type 3 - the grade is on the reverse
Type 4 - the grade and a barcode are on the reverse

@coinbuf 's is a Type 1, as is @davewesen 's

Here is another type 1:

That's low serial number! Pity @Insider3 isn't here to comment on his days there.

seatedlib3991 · April 5, 2024 6:03PM

Anyone know if age of certificate matters? Serial # is 70904 but i can't seem to get a full picture from dealer. james

BStrauss3 · April 8, 2024 9:38AM

Are you missing a zero?

There doesn't seem to be a perfect alignment between cert#s and types.

Type 1, I have 0000115 through 0310222
Type 2, 0032715 through 5231520
Type 3, 00335-05 through 31504-02 (I also have 0942-14 which may just be missing a leading zero)
Type 4, it's the same kind of coin#.grade/cert as PCGS uses, 0072001 through 0289421

Most of the samples I've seen are Type 3. And my Type 3s are the most international: A Morgan, German 10pf, 1862-C 2 Anna (India), 1980 Olympics Yuan, an Error ZLincoln, Barbados $1, and the required sample dime.

My Type 4s are the more interesting coins, a 1908 DE and a 1923 Peace. Plus a Kenedy half with strike doubling and two dimes.

seatedlib3991 · April 8, 2024 11:23AM

I am afraid I cannot see the cert number for myself. the dealer says the cert # is 70904. I had hoped to get a different pick on Collectors Corner but it has not posted there yet. Perhaps I will have to call them James

CoinHoarder · April 8, 2024 11:59AM

I got this one many years ago.

pointfivezero · April 8, 2024 1:26PM

I have a few but nothing real interesting:

Tim

seatedlib3991 · April 8, 2024 2:10PM

found out is type 4. dealer deleted first 2 zeros. thanks. James

seatedlib3991 · April 9, 2024 7:51AM

just wanted to leave a note. A coin that is in my top 5 list just popped up for auction.
I don't know what interest others may have in getting one of these Photo Institute coins but the coin I had been considering is at Northeast Numismatic. I still consider it a very nice coin but can't buy them all. good luck if it fits someone else's collection. James

pointfivezero · April 9, 2024 7:59AM

Thanks James - do you happen to have a link?

Tim

seatedlib3991 · April 9, 2024 8:00AM

Sorry no. The coin is in the Seated Dime list of their inventory. It was stupid of me not to mention that. James they have a web site under that name by the way.

pointfivezero · April 9, 2024 8:10AM

Found it:

https://www.northeastcoin.com/mobile/viewItem.jsp?itemKey=zi10_40000017682

Thanks,

Tim

seatedlib3991 · April 9, 2024 8:59AM

Thank you @pointzerofive. They will be imbedding computers directly into people's brains (And I will be the only computer embedded person who still can't) perform the computer voodoo that escapes and exposes me. James

seanq · April 9, 2024 9:34AM

@pointfivezero said:
Found it:

https://www.northeastcoin.com/mobile/viewItem.jsp?itemKey=zi10_40000017682

Thanks,

Tim

What a beautiful dime. Kind of a miracle it's survived all these years in that old holder without someone trying to cross it.

I have a couple of these, including a 1989 no-P quarter with a rim clip. I do not know of any other service who recognized that polished die variety, I have seen my coin and one other in photo slabs, probably from the same submission.

Sean Reynolds

Photo-Certified Coin Institute

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