I would like to introduce are updated and newly released 24 hr. spots charts for all precious metals and base metals. The charts include live feeds of ALL metals and this includes: Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium, Copper, Nickel, Zinc, Aluminum and Lead. All on one page, so it’s one click away if you bookmark the page or save it in your favorites.

It’s updated each time you refresh your browser window and when the market is open in the United States. If the market continues at this pace, we will see nickel gaining on silver and copper not far behind.

Currently, copper is the next most desirable metal since it’s readily found in U.S. cents dated 82′ and earlier, even though nickel is more valuable, it’s not found in great quantities as part of US Coinage planchets.

Note: Copper cents get all the press when it comes to their copper content, but many bullion and coin collectors, don’t realize that clad Eisenhower Dollars contain more copper than cents. In fact, Eisenhower Dollars contain more copper than any U.S. Mint coin every minted.   Of course, the best deal is 95% copper cents because they are worth 2 and half times face, and Eisenhower dollars have only 22 cent worth of silver but are $1. (August 21, 2011)

In this article, I thought it would be very interesting to see just how rare sample slabs actually are. Anyone who collects anything desires to know the rarity of what they collect, and that number helps to determine the values. Often, this isn't a problem, but with Sample Slabs it's difficult to determine their populations, and many questions need to be asked and answered. In my search for the facts, the following questions came to mind. Do TPG companies keep a population report on just how many Sample Slabs they produce? Are the older Sample Slabs becoming much more expensive to buy since they're more rare? Are the common samples going to become more difficult to attain at the rate they are selling, since they're not common when it comes to what we think of as a common collectible? These are just a few of many questions I think that collectors may be asking. From what I see on the auction sites, the number of collectors seems to be growing as are the prices of samples. Read the rest of this entry »

ACCA (Asian Coin Certification Authority) appears to be on the forefront of a “new” computer technology (introduced in 2009)  for authenticating and grading Asian Coins. ACCA operates out of Taiwan and is considered reputable in authenticating and grading Asian Coins.

This technology is being referred to as “Artificial neural network approach to authentication of coins by vision-based minimization”, and was first reported by SpringerLink. The development, research and publication of this technology is credited to Jang-Ping Wang, Yi-Cih Jheng, Guo-Ming Huang and Jen-Hsien Chien

Of which, Jen-Hsien Chien, formerly Professional Technician of London Jewelry,  was promoted to the President of Asian Coin Certification Authority (aka 2009),  (sample image of their holder above). This technology will hopefully bring in an era of more consistent and trustworthy methods of authenticating Asian coins, and hopefully for US Coin Grading and Authentication, in which the present leaders in the U.S. now are *PCGS, *NGC (ANA), *ANACS and *ICG respectively.

Considering the Reference’s mention of Kenneth, B., Abe, K.: The Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins. American Numismatic Association (2006),  applications of  the Artificial neural network approach to authentication of coins by vision-based minimization, just might soon be on the way. This might be stretch on my part, considering the reluctance for such technology being used in authenticating and grading U.S. Coins, but it’s my opinion that its use is long over-due. Read original publication of reference click here

 In 1991, Compugrade was introduced to the public, but within a fews months, they closed their doors to the public. A few submissions went through but the technology and the Numismatic Community wasn’t ready yet. It’s been a long time since any serious attempts have been made in grading or authenticating coins using computer technology.

In 1991, most people didn’t trust computers and didn’t know much, if anything, about them, but that has changed dramatically over the last few years; and Smart Phones have  helped bolster our trust in technology that gives us our powerful computers.

Applications for Smart Phones have broke the mold in what a little hand held computer can do. Touch screens, bar code scanners, navigation, paying bills, directions, calculations, Internet searches, even telling the phone what to do, and much, much more can be accomplished via a computer that fits inside your hand.

It’s a just a fact that technology has advanced, at super speed, since 1991 so that even one single smart phone has many more abilities than any technology Compugrade had at it’s disposal. I hear people say the human factor can’t be eliminated by in grading of coins, besides “How can a computer determine eye appeal?”.

Ah, but computers can or eventually will be able to scan coins with great eye appeal (toned or white), then be able to identify this eye appeal in other coins they scan in the future, and will be able to accomplish much more than some can even realize.

PCGS have come the closest to using this technology for grading and authenticating coins, but only use it in their Secure Plus Program, that scans and saves a coin’s various markers, so it can be identified if it ever returns to PCGS, for reholder, regrade or even a raw submission, after being cracked out of its original holder by a thief, if such would happen.

If you have more information you would like to share on this subject send inquiries to help@coinauctionshelp.com

*PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service, NGC (Numismatic Guarantee Corporation [ANA's official grading/authentication service]), ANACS (American Numismatic Association Certification Service), ICG (Independent Coin Grading Service).

 More information on TPGS (Third Party Coin Grading Services)

 

Read Part II or Part 1 First

In this article we will look at some of the different kind of coins one can find in a sample slab. It will give you an idea of what to expect when looking for sample slabs, and some of the types of coins you might find.

Let’s look at North American coins found in sample slabs first. Many people are under the impression that all sample slabs just contain unimportant coins. It’s just not the facts!

So let’s start with what coins PCGS has placed in their sample slabs: a 1961-D quartet, 1942 war nickel, a circulated 1911 Liberty five cent, a 1995 silver eagle, a no date buffalo nickel, a 1920 Lincoln penny, State quarter’s, circulated Peace dollar, a 1964- MS Kennedy, a 1978 MS 63 Ike dollar, a 2007 Presidential dollar, 1921 circulated Morgan, and even a MS 60 1884-O Morgan Dollar.

Now, from NGC, there’s sample slabs with 1922 and 1923 MS-60 Peace dollars, as well as the 1887 MS-60 and MS-63 Morgan dollars. Some 1943 Steel pennies MS-64 and MS-65 a very nice 1982-D silver George Washington Commemorative half dollar MS-66 Again the Kennedy half dollar 1964, 1965 and 1969 and more US states quarters

Then it’s ANACS and they have used a Washington quarter, a Canadian nickel MS-65, a Sacagawea dollar a Peace Medal and Ocean View Medal nickel and state quarters. I am sure I have missed many others, but time will tell as this hobby increases in popularity, and increasing it is!

Even ICG has used Presidential dollars, Kennedy Half Dollars and several different State Quarters.

So it’s obvious that these coins are not just low grade cents, nickels, quarters, etc.

I have also recently learned that sample slabs with grades, might in fact, not be the actual grade of the coin inside the holder. Furthermore, the grade was only printed on the slab to show how it would look as a normal slab with a grade. But this confused some collectors into thinking the grade on the label an accurate grade of the coins in the holder. So, it was decided, to remove the grade on the labels to clear up any more confusion.

It’s obvious that many sample slabs do contain the standard common Roosevelt Dimes and Jefferson Nickels. They can be found on EBay or at your local coin store, but even these are going up in value or soon will.

The silver Roosevelt Dimes, Kennedy Halves (1964-1970), Peace Dollars, Morgan Dollars and the 1982 George Washington Commemoratives have the advantage of being 90% silver. Sample slabs containing silver coins will sell for a higher premium do to the precious metal market, but it proves that sample slabs don’t just contain common coins without value.

There is also another kind of sample, and that is the multi-coin sample slabs and one is an example of PCGS with five of the 2003mint state quarters. NGC has use multi-coin holders as well.

Now, let’s look at some sample slabs containing World Coins.

From PCGS: There’s the Swiss ½ Frank, the first world coin to be graded by PCGS, and the 1944-S U.S Philippines sample and the 100-Yen Olympic coin from Japan.

From NGC: There’s the 1923-A German mint state 500 marks, a 1994 Mongolia 100-T, a 2002 Australian 1 Euro, a 2001 Great Britain 1P.

From ANACS: There’s a 1965 Jamaica penny, a 1970 Brazil 10- centavo, a 1965 British 1- P and a 1967 British ½- P. From ICG we have a 1959-H East Africa cent, a 1962 English penny, a 1960 England ½- penny, a 1966 Mexico 20- centavos, a 1944-Mo Mexico 5- centavos and a 1949 Israel 1-P.

I know I have missed many coins as there are included in hundreds of sample slabs, but like any type of collecting, patience is the key when trying to fins and buy sample slabs with the best coins.

They often come up on eBay or other auction sites from time to time and for some unknown reason, I have noticed that, when a hard to find sample slab shows up for sale a few more come along soon after. Now that could just be my imagination, but it just seems that way to me.

Let’s look at the one thing that affect all of us when it comes to buying any coin or sample slab and that’s prices! The truth is I have no idea how much a sample slab of one kind or another will costs at any given time.

In example, I recently saw a Second Generation, PCGS Sample Slab containing a 1963 Roosevelt Dime for a Buy It Now format at eBay. The seller was asking $185.00, and claimed the coin was naturally toned (eye appealing, toned coins bring a premium above their numismatic values).

It’s mind boggling to think that a common date, silver Roosevelt Dime, could realize a price of $185, toned or not or just because it’s housed in a Sample Slab. Is this an indication of an up-rise in Sample Slab’s values? I think so.

Watching the bidding on EBay and other auction sites, in my opinion prices are going upward, as is the amount of bidders on sample slabs. The only thing I can deduce from this is that more and more people are collecting sample slabs. It’s a recent and fast growing phenomenon.

Remember that most coins where, and still are being minted in the millions or even billions, but sample slabs are often only made in the hundreds or less, sometimes as little as twenty five can be made for a certain event or show. Some are only given to dealers and these are usually the best sample slabs. And do the these dealers sell them? Well they are out there for sale so I would have to conclude that, yes they do, more often than not. I was recently given a beautiful John Adams One Dollar ICG sample by SmallDollars.com. These slabs where only made in a lot of 110, and on the website the break down of how these slabs where distributed is laid out like this. Only 25 where given out by ICG at the 2007 Fun show, and the remainder where given out by smalldollars.com. Now this sample is quite unique because it was designed to show the edge lettering on the coin, the first coin since 1933 to have this type of edge lettering

Now I have been collecting sample slabs for a while now, and have a small, but very nice collection. I do, however, know people who have collections in the hundreds, and they’re not selling anytime soon.

The whole point of listing all these sample slabs, and the many different coins they contain, is to give you a small glance into how many sample slabs that are or will be available to buy and collect, and that the coins are not always cheap or common.

I have come to the conclusion that collecting sample slabs, is to collect a very important part of numismatic history. I think sample slabs are becoming a new and exciting part of collecting, and more and more people are starting to enjoy the hobby. It is fun and interesting and there are hundreds of samples to collect.

As a side not, I would like to thank conder 101 for all his help and support in providing impute on this new wave of numismatic collecting of sample slabs.

These slabs where the very important so collectors could read the edge lettering

 

All the Best

Alan Canavan

Read Part II or Part 1 First

If you have ever purchased PCGS holdered coins or submitted coins to PCGS for grading and authentification, then you mostly likely have seen coins labeled as “Genuine”, without a grade or explanation.

In the image, on your left, I used an arrow to point out what number code PCGS used to identify this coin as Genuine. Below is a list of PCGS’s numbers and what they mean. PCGS determined that this particular coin had damage or code “98″ (The damage was on the reverse, image of reverse not shown).

 

Sometimes, PCGS will print an explanation on their labels like “Bent” , “Machine Damage”, “Surface Tooled”, etc. but this is often not the case. So, I hope these codes help you identify what is wrong with a coin, and eliminates some confusion when buying or getting a Genuine labled coins back from PCGS

  82 – Filed Rims 83 – Peeling Lamination 84 – Holed & Plugged 86 – No Decision 90 – Not Genuine 91 – Questionable Toning 92 – Cleaning 93 – Planchet Flaw 94 – Altered Surfaces 95 – Scratch 96 – Refund, No Service 97 – Environmental Damage 98 – Damage 99 – PVC Residue Also, ebay doesn’t holder coins when they can’t see the entire date or coins that are an unlisted or attributed token, medal, private or mint employee created. Below is a could samples of what the coin will be returned and the label used.