Well-known paper money authentication expert Jason W. Bradford and his team of experts launched Legacy Currency Grading (www.LegacyGrading.com), a new paper money grading and authentication service, on February 20, 2019.
Bradford, the founding and former President of PCGS Currency, stated: “Legacy Currency Grading will strive to improve the consistency and accuracy in grading for which my team has always been known. We will focus our primary efforts on excellent customer service and turnaround times, and we will be expanding our team. We’ve added both operational staff and additional grading experts to increase our capacity and help dramatically reduce turnaround times.”
Legacy Currency Grading will offer a warranty for all banknotes certified by its graders.“The guarantee for all Legacy graded notes will be as strong as ever, with all notes guaranteed for grade and authenticity by our lifetime grading warranty,” explained Bradford.
“In addition, to ensure the continuity and stabilization of the market, Legacy Currency Grading will continue to honor the same grading guarantee for all notes that K3B, Inc. certified from February 4, 2009 until January 30, 2019, under the license for the PCGS Currency brand name from Collectors Universe, Inc. The Legacy Currency Grading population report will also include all notes graded under that same license,” he added.
In order to make the transition as smooth as possible for all collectors and dealers, Legacy Currency Grading will be offering a discounted “crossover” service for all notes graded under the previous brand name.
“For a limited time, we will be offering a special rate for our clients to reholder their notes into Legacy Currency Grading holders,” said Bradford. “Details will be announced in the near future regarding the procedures for submitting notes, including the ‘crossover’ service.”
Legacy Currency Grading is also launching a new holder design featuring a fully sealed holder with the grading insert inside the tamper-proof Mylar plastic.
“This holder design is the result of several years of market research. The Legacy Currency Grading holder will be made of the same acid-free Mylar material used by generations of collectors and dealers. We are extremely excited about this new holder because I believe that this is the safest material for the long term storage of any banknote, and we won’t compromise by using anything but the highest archival quality materials for our holders,” stated Bradford.
Existing grading submissions that were previously submitted to K3B, Inc. now will be graded by Legacy Currency Grading.
“We will be contacting all clients in the immediate future regarding the details of their submissions and the estimated time frame for completion. However, if any client prefers that their notes be returned ungraded and their fees refunded, we will, of course, honor that request,” said Bradford. “In addition, all current memberships from the old service will be honored and extended in the new Legacy Membership program.”
Bradford is a pioneer in the paper money grading profession, personally examining, authenticating and grading more than a million banknotes since 2005. He will continue to lead the new company as President and CEO.
“It is extremely important for me to focus my energies primarily on grading and training our other graders. The day-to-day operations of the company and customer service will be overseen by our management team, which will free me and the other graders to focus on doing what we do best—grading banknotes. We are optimistic and excited about the future of the currency collecting hobby and the marketplace. Legacy Currency Grading will provide the best and most efficient customer service, and the most accurate and consistent grading process possible,” Bradford pledged.
Information regarding submitting banknotes for grading and authentication to Legacy Currency Grading will available soon at www.LegacyGrading.com, or by calling the Legacy office at 309-222-8200, or by email at info@LegacyGrading.com.