PCGS Hosts FUN Luncheon, Launches Colonial Set Registry

Several of the country's most distinguished veteran coin dealers will discuss "the good ol' days" during an invitation-only luncheon at the Florida United Numismatists convention for registered members of the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) Set Registry^SM. The luncheon also kicks off a new series category for the popular registry program.

Q. David Bowers, David Hall, Julian Leidman and several "mystery guests" are scheduled to participate in a panel discussion of the rare coin marketplace they experienced firsthand during the 1950s and 1960s. The lunch and reception featuring the renowned numismatists will be held in Fort Lauderdale, January 14.

During the event, PCGS officials will formally launch the latest addition to the popular PCGS Set Registry^SM, a Colonial coins registry program, according to BJ Searls, Set Registry Manager.

"With input from Colonial collectors and dealers, PCGS has refined and reduced the number of categories for Colonial coins, making them easier to understand and collect," Searls explained. "Some of the coins in the Colonial sets have extraordinary pedigrees, such as the famous Ford, Garrett, Norweb, and Roper collections."

PCGS Director of Numismatic Research, Ron Guth, also is excited about the simplicity of the new system.

"The year 1776, one of the most important in U.S. history, was used as a significant dividing line for Colonial coins in the PCGS Set Registry^SM. For the years prior to 1776, we've established three categories: 1) Coinage intended for specific States (Colonies); 2) Private and Regional Issues; and 3) French Colonies," he explained.

"From 1776 and beyond, PCGS created five categories: 1) Coinage intended for specific States; 2) Private and Regional Issues; 3) Proposed National Issues; 4) Washington Pieces; and 5) 1792 Mint Issues."

Guth said each category is additionally divided into three major Registry Sets: 1) Design Set - intended to illustrate the various designs used in the category; 2) Basic Set - an expansion of the Design Set that includes the various denominations; and 3) Major Varieties Set - a comprehensive set that includes virtually all of the major varieties of all the designs and denomination.

"In most categories, PCGS developed specialty sets modeled after the way collections are actually built. For instance, the post-1776 States Coinage category includes niche sets for collectors of Vermont Coppers, Connecticut Coppers, New Jersey Coppers, and more. Over-arching, complete sets are available for the entire Colonial series at the Design, Basic, and Major Varieties levels."

Guth said U.S. Colonial coins represent both an important historical era and an exhilarating collecting field.

"U.S. Colonials include a diverse assortment of coins and tokens, some of which were made on American soil with or without legal authority. Others were made in foreign lands expressly for circulation in the Colonies, and some were never intended to circulate here, but did," he explained.

"It's important to remember that the Colonies were hungry for coins, thus a pocketful of change in Colonial times might have included an interesting mixture of French, Spanish, British, and 'home-grown' coins."

The interactive PCGS Set Registry^SM was established in 2001. The registry ranks sets in order of grade point average, completion and overall rating. There now are nearly 13,000 sets registered, encompassing every major U.S. coin series as well as Canadian, British, Euro and Philippines coinage.

PCGS is a division of Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT).