PCGS The Standart for the Rare Coin Industry

Anonymity is requested by many of our consignors, particularly museums and other public collections, and we follow this direction carefully. Others enjoy having their biographies and collecting histories presented for bidders to enjoy and appreciate.

After all of the consignments for a given sale are in our vaults, our cataloguing begins. First the coins are graded, and if it is deemed desirable, certain coins are sent to one of the certification services. Scarce and rare pieces are earmarked for photography. The coins are assigned lot numbers, and then research begins leading to the creation of a catalogue. Die varieties have to be checked, pedigrees verified, and market information studied. Sometimes this research can lead to surprising results, as in the case of a consignor, a prominent Cleveland attorney, who paid $200 for what he thought was a common variety of 1800 large cent, only to have us attribute it as a rarity which brought the breathtaking price of $13,750 in our Sussex Collection sale!

Similarly, in 1993, Andrew W. Pollock III examined a well-worn Abt. Good 1794 half dollars consigned by a Midwest client, and perhaps worth $400 to $500. Something about it looked unusual, and his subsequent research showed it was a previously unknown variety. When it crossed the auction block it dazzled onlookers as it was sold for- would you believe it? - $29,700!

At any given time a dozen or two people are busy working on the preparation of our future auctions, even though the given auction may be months away. The culmination of all this effort is the production of a Grand Format(TM) catalogue. I am very proud of the catalogues issued by our firm over the years, and I am especially pleased that the Numismatic Literary Guild, which reviews auction catalogues each year and presents awards, has given our catalogues more "Catalogue of the Year Award" honors than have been given the auction catalogues of any of our competitors. We never rest on our laurels, and during the preparation of each catalogue, our Graphics Department has many meetings and discussions concerning cover designs, layout, and other artistic and numismatic aspects.

We are fortunate to have a full in-house facility for the complete creation of auction catalogues from beginning to end. As time permits, the Graphics Department also designs and prepares reference books and other works. Our staff, under the direction of Jennifer Meers, never rests, for there are always more projects to do.