Coin Collectors News

PCGS major announcement about Prooflike designations

Jul 3, 2019 | Announcements

You’ll Like This PCGS Announcement About Prooflike

Now, all qualifying mint state U.S. and world coins, tokens and medals can be PCGS-certified as PL

(Santa Ana, California) July 2, 2019 – Any and all qualifying mint state United States and world coins, as well as tokens and medals submitted to Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com), are now eligible to receive the desirable designation, Prooflike (PL). The formal announcement about the expansion of PL eligibility is yet another positive opportunity for collectors and dealers to showcase their PCGS-certified coins.

According to PCGS standards, a coin’s surface is Prooflike when there is a clear reflection in the fields on both sides as viewed from two to four inches away. A cloudy effect or striations may impede the reflectivity.

The PL designation was available first for qualifying Morgan silver dollars when PCGS opened for business in February 1986. Since then, additional U.S. coin denominations and types have been added, such as California fractional gold and world coins, in the past year.

“As of July 1, all mint state coins, tokens and medals, U.S. and world, that meet the PCGS Prooflike standards now are eligible for PL designation,” said Brett Charville PCGS President.

“During the Ask Me Anything we conducted on our U.S. Coin Forum, it became clear that there was confusion regarding what coins are eligible for Prooflike designation and a desire for expanding this designation to all mint state coins. We decided to take a hard look at Prooflike designations, and this announcement is the continuation of addressing the requests of our community in The Year of the Customer,” stated Charville.

“While Prooflike surfaces on vintage coins other than Morgan Dollars are infrequently encountered, we felt it was appropriate to formally recognize them. Two perfect cases in point are the PCGS MS68PL 1899-S Liberty Head $5 and PCGS MS65+PL 1871-CC Dime. They are dazzling examples that ideally display the attributes we are looking for,” said Mike Sherman, PCGS Director of Numismatics.

The first notable coin to receive the PL designation is the 1899-S Liberty Head $5 gold coin. Struck in San Francisco, the coin exemplifies the incredible quality of the mint during that time with nearly flawless fields. The grade of PCGS MS68PL makes it one of the finest known.

This 1899-S Half Eagle is graded PCGS MS68PL. (Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com).

The second notable coin, the 1871-CC 10C recently graded MS65+PL, is by far the finest known of this scarce date with an estimated survival of around 100 pieces. “The surfaces are fully PL, where all other mint state examples display a more satiny luster. Calling this amazing, rare coin PL and having it be a highlighted example for the new PCGS PL program was an easy choice,” said PCGS Director of Numismatic Education and Outreach, Steve Feltner.

This 1872-CC Liberty Seated dime, graded PCGS MS65+PL, is the finest known of this scarce date and mint mark. (Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com).

A convenient guide to submitting coins to PCGS for authentication and grading is available online at www.pcgs.com/submissionguide.

For information about PCGS products and services, visit www.PCGS.com or call PCGS Customer Service at (800) 447-8848.

Ellsworth to Become ANA’s 61st President at World’s Fair of Money®

Jul 2, 2019 | ANA, News

Voting members of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) have chosen five new candidates and four incumbents to the ANA Board of Governors for the 2019-21 election term. Clifford Mishler was the top vote receiver.

New members Muriel Eymery, Mary Lynn Garrett and Shanna Schmidt; returning members Michael Ellis and Clifford Mishler, will join current members Greg Lyon and Paul Montgomery on the Board of Governors, along with President-elect Col. Steven Ellsworth, Ret. and Vice President-elect Dr. Ralph Ross.

For President	Votes
Col. Steven K. Ellsworth, Ret. Brentwood, Tenneessee	3,206
Dr. Donald H. Kagin Tiburon, California	2,849

For Vice President	Votes
Dr. Ralph W. Ross Sugar Land, Texas	3,757
Thomas J. Uram Eighty Four, Pennsylvania	2,173

Candidates for Governor	Votes
Clifford Mishler Iola, Wisconsin	4,479
Greg Lyon St. Louis, Missouri	3,951
Mary Lynn Garrett Lexington, Kentucky	3,935
Paul Montgomery Guthrie, Oklahoma	3,888
Shanna Schmidt Oak Park, Illinois	3,871
Michael L. Ellis Camilla, Georgia	3,473
Muriel Eymery London, England	3,133

Unelected Candidates for Governor	Votes
Robert E. Oberth Marietta, Georgia	3,112
John W. Highfill Broken Arrow, Oklahoma	3,063
Rick Ewing Beaumont, Texas	2,024

In the event that a board member cannot fulfill their term, the runner-up will fill the vacant seat for the remainder of the two-year term.

The new board will be sworn-in at the annual ANA Banquet on Friday, Aug. 16, at the World’s Fair of Money® in Rosemont, Ill. Ellsworth will become the Association’s 61st president, succeeding current President Gary Adkins, who will serve as a non-voting, ex-officio member of the board.

Donald Kagin and Thomas Uram, having lost their bids for President and Vice President respectively, will be leaving the Board, as will John Highfill. Brian Hendelson did not seek re-election.

ANA members had the option to vote by either electronic or paper ballot. Out of 6,131 total votes, 4,283 were cast by paper ballot while another 1,848 members voted electronically, representing over 30 percent of votes cast.

The election was conducted and tabulated by Election Services Corporation of Hauppauge, New York. Overall, 19,737 ANA members were eligible to vote in this election; 31.06 percent of eligible voters participated. To be eligible to vote, members have to be at least 13 years old and a member of the Association for at least one year as of March 31 of the election year. In 2017, 19,425 members were eligible to vote; a total of 5,371 votes were cast, representing 27.65 percent of eligible members.

The American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging the study and collection of coins and related items. The ANA helps its 25,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its array of instructional and outreach programs, as well as its museum, library, publications and conventions. For more information, call 719-632-2646 or visit www.money.org.

US-Canada “Pride of Two Nations” Set: Special NGC Label and Designations

Jun 28, 2019 | Announcements

The US Mint has announced the Pride of Two Nations 2019 Limited Edition Two-Coin Set, which will go on sale July 3. It consists of a 2019-W US Silver Eagle with an Enhanced Reverse Proof finish and a 2019 Canadian One Ounce Silver Maple Leaf with a Modified Proof finish.

NGC is celebrating the coins in this set with a special label featuring the flags of the US and Canada, as well as a special pedigree of Pride of Two Nations. There is no additional fee for the label or pedigree.

This is the first time that the US and Canada have collaborated on a coin release. Both coins contain 1 troy ounce of silver in the standard fineness for each respective nation (.999 fine for the Eagle, .9999 fine for the Maple Leaf).

Learn more →

“Alert” -Coin Shop Owners-Chilean Gang Targeting Jewelry Stores

Jun 28, 2019 | News

CRIME PREVENTION INFORMATION
Jewelry Store Burglaries

Although the following information concerns jewelry stores, NCIC recently received two reports of coin shops having the power cut to their business.

During the past two months, numerous jewelry stores across the country have been the target of several Chilean Burglary crews. The suspects are highly mobile.

On June 22, 2019, suspects cut the power to a jewelry store in Kansas and attempted to break into the safe but their attempt failed. Police learned that four other jewelry stores had their power cut off the same night.

METHODS USED:

Jewelry stores targeted on weekends, or nights before the day the store is closed. Holidays, such as the 4th of July, are also high-risk times.
Burglars access the outside electrical panel and cut off power to the store, disabling alarms and camera systems.
Burglars wait to see police or other response time and then wait until police depart.
Burglars wait until back up battery is exhausted.
Suspects are Chilean burglary crews reportedly based in California and Florida, but who travel throughout the U.S.
Suspects may cut through the roof, or break into the jewelry store from a neighboring business, but also may break open or pry open front or rear doors.
Suspects may cut power to numerous jewelry stores in the same area and wait to observe response time and then identify the best target store.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Shop owners must respond to cases of power interruptions at their stores.
Make sure that your call list at the alarm company includes the owner and enough employees who will be available to respond, including during vacations, weekend and holiday nights, and at all other times.
Shop owners or designated employees should not respond alone and need police to accompany them.
Police should be alerted that there may be burglars near the store watching to see the response to the power line cut.
Shop owners should inspect their electrical box on a regular basis and report to police and JSA any sign of tampering with it even if the power is not cut off and no burglary occurred.
You must have alarm protection for your store that covers all possible means of entry, including the roof and sidewalls.
You must have line security to protect you if your alarm system is disabled.
The interior and exterior of the premises must be checked, including the roof and all possible means of entry.

Shop owners should have alarm policy and procedures in place and reviewed with employees and family members periodically. Yearly alarm system assessment and maintenance should be conducted to detect any problems or identify the need for additional equipment or system upgrades.

*** DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME IS OF YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY?” ***

Doug Davis
Founder/President
NCIC
817-723-7231
Doug@numismaticcrimes.org

Gold Price Jump Has Potential for Gold-Selling Scams, Experts Caution

Jun 27, 2019 | APMD, News

(Temecula, California) June 26, 2019 – With the recent, rapid jump in the price of gold, investors should beware of scam artists trying to lure them with urgent claims of too-good-to-be-true low prices and quick, guaranteed bullion market profits, cautions leaders of the Accredited Precious Metals Dealer (https://apmddealers.org) program, a division of the nonprofit Professional Numismatists (www.PNGdealers.org).

“Don’t make a hasty decision based on slick advertisements. Don’t make any purchase until you have shopped around and learned the competitive prices from reputable, accredited dealers,” advised Robert Brueggeman, Executive Director of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG).

“If you don’t know precious metals coins, you’d better know your precious metals coins dealer! You don’t want to unwittingly buy counterfeits or send money to an unscrupulous seller who completely fails to deliver ordered merchandise,” warned Brueggeman.

Members of the PNG Accredited Precious Metals Dealer (APMD) program must adhere to a strict code of ethics in the buying and selling of numismatic bullion items and guarantee the authenticity of the merchandise they sell.

A directory of PNG/APMD members can be found at www.apmddealers.org/apmd-dealers. For additional information, contact the Professional Numismatists Guild at 951-587-8300 or by email at info@PNGdealers.org.