PCGS eCollector

Market Report

Silver Dollars, Early Americana Sparkle in Flannagan Sale; Overall Market Strong
Carter/Flannagan 1804 silver dollar realizes $874,000 in Bowers & Merena sale. Colonials, Bust dollars and other market areas show tremendous strength. Morgan dollars, collector coins, PCGS Set Registry keys are selling quickly. PCGS grades 7,000,000^th coin.
Click here to read more.

Set Registry Spotlight

Wm Walser - Mint State Washington Quarter Set 1932-1964
Number One Current Finest Set
William Walser is fast on his way to having the number one set of all time. Now ranked #4 in ATF, he holds on the the #1 spot in Current Finest with a grade point average of 66.42. The two keys in the set, the 1932-D and 1932-S are solid MS65 coins and the rest of his set is sprinkled with MS66 and MS67 coins. Truly an awesome set to behold. Congratulations to Mr. Walser for this fine accomplishment. To view this set, click here.

GOOD NEWS! Weighting has begun! You can find the first weighted sets if you visit the Mint State $20 Liberty Gold or the Proof $20 Liberty Gold. Click on the set composition to view the weights for each set. Next up is the Washington Quarter series.

Show off your coins! The Set Registry has new sets being added every day. Click here to visit the Set Registry.

Get involved with other collectors who are currently participating in the Set Registry program or are just beginning. Click here to chat on the Set Registry Messageboard.

The PCGS Set Registry^TM is a work in progress. If you have any suggestions or comments please email setregistry@collectors.com.

Building a Washington Quarter set? Go to the Authorized Dealer link on PCGS and click on 20th Century Coins in specialties. Looking for dealers with Internet sites? Click on the Internet sites link in services. Search for more than a 1,000 dealers in the PCGS Authorized Dealer listings.

The Expert's Corner

A Long Journey to a Foreign Time: The Ancient 50 States Quarters Program
Young Numismatist Ben Keele submitted this award-winning essay to win third place in the 2001 PCGS Young Numismatist Essay Contest. Written "tongue in cheek," this humorous essay discusses how future historians may view the now very popular Statehood quarter program.
Click here to read more.

Collector's Survey
At one time Washington quarters were not nearly as popular with collectors as most other 20th century series. Today they're right up there with Lincoln cents as the MOST popular, especially with entry-level collectors. Which one of the following five areas that are relatively quiet right now have the same kind of explosive potential for the future?

Silver commemoratives from 1892-1954. These coins from the "golden age" of commemoratives are about 15% of their 1989 highs in MS65 and MS66. Some specialists say that they could double in price and still be cheap.
Liberty Seated type coins. These coins are classics and every denomination is overflowing with rarities. Prices are ultra-attractive, so this might be the right choice.
Gold type coins. Those 4-piece, 8-piece and 12-piece type sets are extremely popular most of the time, but right now they're being ignored a little as collectors look elsewhere. Is a big turnaround looming?
Proof Three Cent Nickels. This set can be completed (1865-89) in high quality and only a couple of dates will challenge the pocketbook. Overall, about 15% of the all-time highs in price.
Proof Liberty Nickels. This is another set that can be completed (if you don't count the ultra-rare 1913) and is only a whisper of its former self price-wise.

Click here to answer. Results will be posted in the next eCollector.

The most popular answer to last week's question was that the four Carson City five dollar gold pieces in MS65 or better would be the most valued coins in a person's collection. Click here for a complete breakdown.

Washington Quarters have many double died variations. What's a doubled die? Find out in Lingo, the PCGS dictionary of numismatic definitions. Click here for Lingo.

Subscribe to the online PCGS Population Report for as little as $4.95 a month! Updated weekly, get the latest census data on all coins graded by PCGS. Click here to get a free peek at the population statistics for Washington Quarters.

Our Readers Ask

Question: I am new at coin collecting and have just inherited 1880-1885 Carson City silver dollars. Would you recommend sending them in to be graded or keeping them in their government packaging with the GSA's?

Answer: Some people enjoy keeping their GSA holders intact while others do prefer the graded feature of the PCGS holder. You might want to wait so that you can have both features. In the near future, PCGS will be placing the GSA pedigree on those dollars as long as they are submitted in the original GSA holder. Look for this within the next month. -- Rick Montgomery, PCGS

Do you have a question you would like to ask our experts? Click here.
Or, visit the PCGS messageboards, the most active coin forums online.

Join the PCGS Collectors Club ...Enjoy the Benefits!
If you love collecting coins, the PCGS Collectors Club is for you. Silver Members enjoy direct access to PCGS's Online $30/30-Day (1970 and earlier) and $12/30-Day (Post-1970 coins) grading services. Silver Members must join online and membership is FREE! Gold and Platinum Members enjoy direct access to all PCGS grading services, complimentary PCGS gradings and a wealth of essential information. All PCGS Collectors Club Members enjoy access to all Collectors Universe auctions, eShops and messageboards and the eZines of their choice. Joining is quick and easy. Just click here or call PCGS Customer Service at 800-447-8848. Do it today!

Announcements

PCGS AT THE F.U.N. SHOW IN EARLY JANUARY!

47th Annual F.U.N. Convention
Orange County Convention Center
9800 International Drive
Orlando, Florida
January 10 - 13, 2002 (Dealer Set up January 9*)

Take advantage of PCGS' Show Service!
Show service will be available at the following rates:
- Special Show Service -- $65 per coin valued at $1,500 or less
- Standard Show Service -- $100 per coin
Check with our show personnel for show service turnaround time.

Have your coins graded by PCGS and save on one-way postage! You may submit your coins at the show to all PCGS grading service levels. Submissions will be accepted from Wednesday, January 9*, through Saturday, January 12 (until 5 p.m.). Your PCGS-graded coins will be mailed to you following the show.

*Wednesday, January 9 is Dealer Set Up Day. We'll be accepting submissions from 2 p.m. - 8 p.m. on January 9. Check with the show promoter, Cindy Grellman at (407) 321-8747 for access to the facility. Show Hours are as follows:

Dealer schedule Public schedule

*Wed. 1/9 (Set up) 2:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m.

Thur. 1/10 8:30 a.m. -7:00 p.m. Thur. 1/10 10 am-6:30 p.m.

Fri. 1/11 8:30 a.m. -7:00 p.m. Fri. 1/11 10am-6:30 p.m.

Sat. 1/12 8:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sat. 1/12 10 am-6:30 p.m.

For more information about this show, visit www.funtopics.com or contact Cindy Grellman at (407) 321-8747. For more information about PCGS, call 800-447-8848.