PCGS eCollector

Market Report

Bowers & Merena "Rarities Sale" and 2002 F.U.N Show are Ready to Dictate Market Tempo
Florida United Numismatists (F.U.N.) show is first major market test of the New Year. Bowers & Merena "Rarities Sale" features huge selection of high quality numismatic treasures. Dealers and collectors alike agree that market is strong and ready for 2002. Market strength shows expansion.
Click here to read more.

Set Registry Spotlight

Richard Green Collection - Kennedy Half Dollars Circulation Strikes (1964-Present) - The Number One Finest Set of All Time
Out of a 70 coin set, five of Richard Green's coins have a population of one! They are the 1969-D, the 1883-P, the 1886-P, the 1889-D, and the 1994-D. So until he retires this set or more high grade Kennedy's are graded, his set will be nearly impossible to beat. Congratulations to Richard Green for assembling a spectacular collection. To view this set, click here.

The PCGS Set Registry has new sets being added every day and now you can see the number of sets registered.Click here to visit the home page of the Set Registry. At the top of the page is the number of registered sets, which today is 1782!

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 Kennedy Half Dollars set? Go to the Authorized Dealer link on PCGS and click on United States 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

Adding, Altering and Taking Away - the Counterfeits Keep Rolling in!
Rick Montgomery, President of PCGS, is considered the world's top expert on U.S. coin counterfeit detection. The added-on mintmark, the altered date, and counterfeit seated quarter are topics of this discussion. Click here to read more.

Collector's Survey
The Kennedy half dollar has been so popular with collectors since 1964 that the coin has almost never circulated. Sacagawea dollars are also being hoarded, along with the Statehood quarters. If the government issued five new coins, which one would you be most likely to hoard yourself?

The Lincoln cent with a new log cabin reverse for one year only in 2009 remembering Lincoln's 200th birthday.
The Woodrow Wilson dime. This coin actually existed in a famous story by Jack Finney.
The Kennedy half dollar of 2017 celebrating JFK's 100th birthday with a new reverse honoring the Peace Corps.
A new $500 gold piece that was issued for circulation, weighing one-half ounce so that it wouldn't be hoarded solely for its intrinsic value.
A new $5 coin struck in cupronickel and intended for circulation. The coin would depict the heroes of September 11, 2001.

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

Results from last survey: 33% answered that they would like to complete The Gold Coins of 1907 set the most. Click here for a complete breakdown.

What is a clad coin? Find out in Lingo, the PCGS dictionary of numismatic definitions. Click here for Lingo.

Subscribe to the online PCGS Population Report^SM 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 Kennedy Half Dollars.

Our Readers Ask

Question: I have just bought a 1912-S Liberty nickel at a local coin shop, and it has a bulge in the left field in front of Miss Liberty's nose. Also, the hair details are not sharply struck. The dealer I bought it from said that this is the way they usually come, but I am a bit skeptical so I thought I would write to you. What's the story?

Answer: The dealer was right-all authentic 1912-S Liberty nickels were struck from a die which displays a bulge in the left field, approximately extending from star 5 through star 8. In addition, all authentic pieces have weakness at the very highest details of the hair, the general area beneath the word LIBERTY. If any variations exist-such as this sharply struck piece from a die not showing a bulge-I have yet to see one. I presume that all of the 238,000 struck-certainly a small mintage-are the same.
-- Q. David Bowers, Bowers and Merena Galleries

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

Internet Bidding for Rarities Sale ends Jan. 6th
Bowers & Merena's Rarities Sale, which consists of many scarcities as well as popular collector coins, also includes the Dr. Roy Sturgeon collection of 1793 Liberty Cap cents, one of the largest holdings ever assembled. The Internet portion of the auction ends at 9pm PST on January 6, 2002 and then goes to a live floor auction which will be held in Orlando, Florida on January 8th. For more information about this auction, please call 800-458-4646. To bid now, click here.

PCGS AT THE F.U.N. SHOW NEXT WEEK!

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.