PCGS Grading Contest and Coin Grading Seminars Return to June Long Beach Expo

So you think you can grade coins? Well, your chance to prove it will return this June 4-6 at the Long Beach Convention Center when PCGS sponsors another of it’s widely-known Grading Contests.

Three classes will be set up to see who can come closest to matching the actual grades PCGS assigned to a group of United States coins. Dealers, collectors and youth (under 16) will each have their own class and prizes will be awarded to each group. Dealers and collectors will compete for a $1,000 cash prize, while the youth will compete for an MS-65 Morgan Silver Dollar.

The contest will take place on the bourse floor of the Long Beach Convention, starting on Wednesday at noon, and going through Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Winners will be announced on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Dealers and collectors will have thirty minutes to grade twenty coins, and the person most closely matching the PCGS grades will be declared the winner. The youth will have twenty minutes to grade 10 coins.

The cost to enter the PCGS Grading Contest is $50 for dealers and collectors. The youth contest is free. Collectors however must either be members of the PCGS Collectors Club, a PCGS CoinFacts subscriber, or participants in the Set Registry, and dealers must be an authorized PCGS dealer. All employees of Collectors Universe are ineligible.

If you are interested in participating, contact PCGS Customer Service by calling 800-447-8848 by May 31, 2015 to reserve your space. Time slots will be awarded on a first come – first served basis.

Additionally, as part of the Collector Education Program, PCGS will again offer its two most popular Coin Grading courses on Saturday morning, June 6. Both classes will begin at 10:00 AM in the Long Beach Convention Center, and a complimentary luncheon will be served at noon.

The Grading 101 class will be presented by PCGS CoinFacts President and veteran numismatist Ron Guth, and will cover the elements that go into grading Mint State and circulated coins, along with tips and techniques used by professionals. This is followed by an exam, in which participants will be given the opportunity to put what they’ve learned to use by grading approximately fifty Mint State and circulated coins.

Following a break for lunch (provided by PCGS), the grading test will be discussed, and participants can review their results against actual PCGS grades to see in what areas they might need further instruction or improvement. An extended question and answer session will follow, whereby the attendees can ask as many questions as they wish related to coin grading. PCGS founder David Hall will also make an appearance, and will answer questions related to coin grading.

Grading 102 will be presented by PCGS Director of Collector Education Michael Sherman, and will cover Qualifiers (color on copper coins, strike on silver and nickel coins and prooflike and cameo surfaces). Grading Proof coins will follow, along with a discussion of ultra-high grade modern coins and some difficult-to-grade series such as Indian gold coins.

After a break for lunch, coins will be available to view and discuss, and a question and answer session will follow.

Cost for the courses will be $149 for PCGS Gold, Platinum and Diamond Collector Club Members and $199 for non-members. Attendance is limited to thirty individuals for each course.

Contact PCGS Customer service (call or email) 800-447-8848/[email protected] for further information or to reserve your space.

We look forward to seeing you in Long Beach!