37,000 Coins Later, Founder Ron Guth Looks To The Free Future of PCGS CoinFacts

In celebration of its 30^th anniversary this year, Professional Coin Grading Service has made access free to www.PCGSCoinFacts.com, the Internet’s most comprehensive resource for information about United States coins. It’s a million dollars’’ worth of numismatic information, but now it doesn’t cost a cent.

From its simple beginnings 17 years ago, the numismatic information website has grown to more than 37,000 coins and over 300,000 photographs. The site now includes historical narratives, expert commentaries, auction histories and current retail values for all U.S. coins from Colonial era and pattern issues through modern commemoratives.

PCGS CoinFacts President and Founder, Ron Guth, spoke about the website’s past, present and future with award-winning veteran journalist, Donn Pearlman.

Pearlman: "How did you first get the idea for CoinFacts? When was that, and what came to mind?"

Guth: "Back when the Internet was still young, there was a need for a comprehensive, one-stop place for information about U.S. coins. The structure of the Internet is such that one can compress an entire library of books and auction catalogs behind a single entry page and all the information can be cross-linked. The idea was to create the ultimate coin ’book’ online."

Pearlman: "When did you actually launch CoinFacts?"

Guth: "It was in late 1999."

Pearlman: "Do you recall the first items you posted?"

Guth: "Yes, we started with a single-page listing of all the major types of U.S. coins. Then we just started fleshing it out, going date-by-date and mintmark-by-mintmark."

Pearlman: "And adding illustrations?"

Guth: "Yes, we added illustrations when we could. Back then, memory (bandwidth) was a big issue. Internet hosting companies allowed only a certain amount of space for websites and images quickly filled that space. Additional memory was rather expensive. However, our timing for building the site was perfect because when the need for additional space came up, memory was becoming less expensive, so we were able to keep expanding the site without a huge additional expense. In retrospect, we were fortunate to have launched CoinFacts when we did."

Pearlman: "When did this become part of Collectors Universe?"

Guth: "In 2004, Collectors Universe (the parent company of PCGS) was going through an acquisition phase and they thought CoinFacts would be a very good plug in for what they are trying to do. It was to be an educational component for their company."

Pearlman: "And you’ve remained with it ever since."

Guth: "Yes, I joined the PCGS team and became their Director of Numismatic Research for a year, and then in 2005 I was tapped to head the coin grading division. In 2008, we decided to put a major effort into relaunching CoinFacts, at which time I became the President of the newly rebranded PCGS CoinFacts."

Pearlman: "So, here we are, 17 years later after the initial launch. In your wildest dreams did you ever envision CoinFacts becoming so large?"

Guth: "I think I always saw the vision, but I have to credit PCGS and (PCGS Co-Founder and Collectors Universe President) David Hall with the ability to roll it out and put the resources into it that I could never have done as an individual. Going from an entrepreneur type of position to joining a corporate bureaucracy was an interesting change, but it’s something I would do a hundred times over. There’s a big benefit to being part of a large organization and the vision and resources that they provide."

Pearlman: "What advice would you give to collectors or dealers who are looking for information but have never before visited the PCGS CoinFacts website?"

Guth: "My advice would be to explore areas outside your area of collecting to learn about other possibilities. There are numerous nooks, crannies, and side roads within PCGS CoinFacts that are really worth searching out. For example, we have all varieties listed for Sheldon large cents and Overton half dollars, two "hot" areas of collecting. These pages are several levels down, but once you get there you»sll discover information you may not be able to find anywhere else."

Pearlman: "There’s a lot there for beginners as well as advanced collectors."

Guth: "The entrance to the website (www.PCGSCoinFacts.com) is simple and easy to use, but we also have numerous levels for advanced collectors. Navigational "breadcrumbs" tell you where you are within the site at all times and they allow the visitor to jump around as much as they wish."

Pearlman: "There’s a tremendous amount of work that must go into maintaining the website in keeping it up to date and adding new material. What is your average week like in overseeing PCGS CoinFacts?"

Guth: "We have a tremendous IT department that maintains the structure of the website. Every day, information comes in automatically in the form of grading data and images. The PCGS Population Report is updated automatically each day, and the auction prices realized are updated and integrated into the site pretty much within a week or so after a major auction.

A lot of what I do is ’clean up.’ For example, we sometimes get duplicate images involving coins that have been resubmitted, so I have to make sure we only have one image of the specific coin instead of several. I also work on Condition Census information and maintaining the pedigree chains on significant coins that are showing up at auction. That kind of information is available in pieces and parts all over the Internet, but we take the information from the major auction houses and consolidate it into one place."

Pearlman: "Looking ahead, what do you see in the next year, five years or ten years for PCGS CoinFacts?"

Guth: "We just went to a free model, which is a big change from our previous subscription model. We may be adding some advertising on the website, but it won’t be an in-your-face model. It will be subtle. We’ve already seen the traffic to the site jump dramatically since it became free on February 3rd (2016). It tripled the first four days it was free, thus there are a lot of additional "eyeballs" coming to the site. By being associated with PCGS, we see virtually all of the great coins and collections at one time or another. For years, we’ve been imaging all of these great coins and this great library of images will only get better as time goes on.

Pearlman: "Anything else you want to add that collectors and dealers should know about the site?"

Guth: "Just that it’s a very valuable tool and I encourage everybody to use it. The educational side of PCGS CoinFacts provides information and stories about the coins, but there’s also the commercial aspect. For instance, our smart-phone app (www.PCGS.com/apps) allows users to scan the bar code on a holder insert and instantly pull up all the relevant information about that coin (it works on both PCGS- and NGC-graded coins). You can immediately make an educated decision when you’re buying or selling. Like the PCGS CoinFacts website, the app is completely free."