Question/suggestion for PCGS - Colonial price guide?
ElmerFusterpuck
Posts: 4,845 ✭✭✭✭✭
Just wondering why there is no colonial price guide on the PCGS website. These coins are part of 'Merken history and certainly deserve a spot on your website, plus I do see quite a few in PCGS holders. With the great recent sale of Fugio cents, maybe it's time?
10-4,
Erik
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In colonials, the non-grade attributes of planchet quality, color, strike, centering, originality, etc., etc. can be even more important determiners of value than the numerical grade, but none of these things are accounted for in any traditional price guide.
The best indicators of value are auction records, where one can see that a choice, chocolate brown state copper on a nice planchet, for example, might sell for multiples of a dark, rough one, even if they are both in the same grade holders (and we see that often).
The other major issue to contend with is that many people collect colonials by die variety, while the services slab them as type coins, so that a New Jersey Copper in a PCGS Narrow Shield holder, for example, may be a coin that is Rarity-1, or it could be a Rarity-7, with wildly different values that would need to be addressed in some way in any really useful price guide.
K
However, I still think a sincere attempt by PCGS to add colonials to their existing price guide - basing those prices on the most recent auction records and direct sales reported by dealers - would be far better than the pricing information that is now only available in the annual Red Book or the occasionally published reference.
Auction results are great, but direct sales should also be considered.
And since PCGS is providing a service to its customers, and charging a fee, why can't that service include attribution of colonials by die variety on the slab and in the price guide?
I think the long standing practice by PCGS and others of practically ignoring colonials in price guides - or providing values for colonials that are often comical and based on ancient auction records and speculation - should stop.
And, in any case, the price guide is just that - a guide. The actual price of a coin depends on its specific attributes - whether it's a colonial coin or a federal coin.
Best,
Roger
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Remember this a price guide is a guide not accurate by any means.
know what you are collecting and gain knowledge everyday, here and other places and one will know more about pricing.
<< <i>Just wondering why there is no colonial price guide on the PCGS website. These coins are part of 'Merken history and certainly deserve a spot on your website, plus I do see quite a few in PCGS holders. With the great recent sale of Fugio cents, maybe it's time? >>
Maybe this is "The Big One"?
<< <i>Maybe this is "The Big One"? >>
That would be cool.
<< <i>...it is definitely in our plans. Coming soon...... >>
This is good news!
A "beta" version of the guide should be available by the end of the month. It will have some holes to fill which maybe some of you can help us with.
Of course CCU is right that there are several factors used to determine value. The same applies to all coins.
That is one reason we have developed ValueView so you can examine a photo of the coins being sold and what they are trading for. You can access this on your smart phone, another mobile device, or your desktop.
PCGS spends over $1 million per year developing data that we hope can help you.
Thanks for your support!
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
We also need a price guide for the varieties of the classic series.
<< <i>After 4 years of work we will finally have a Colonial price guide! >>
Excellent! Thanks Don.
10-4,
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