Is there a way to figure out the approximate grading date of a coin by the slab ID?

Just curious, particularly for PCGS and NGC. Is there a way to approximate the grading date by the slab serial number?

Thanks to anyone that can answer this and point me in the right direction.

Happy Friday!

 

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PCGS may still have their different slab generations link up...... Found it.

http://www.pcgs.com/holders

Ngc I think Conder would have to answer.

After reading your title again not sure of the serial number but I know the slab type can narrow it down.

 

I'll also add that when I called NGC to ask for guidance regarding the 1939 Jefferson DDR I found unattributed in an old fatty holder, they were able to tell me the year in which it was graded. So I'd think there was a searchable database on their end...

...which makes me wonder if, at some point in the future, people will have to sign in to visit the "archives" at NGC/PCGS to research certain coins (in other words, that their database of coin images becomes so large that it evolves into a useful documentation of the hobby - on a much, much larger and more well organized scale than today.)

 

You can do it roughly by the #s.

PCGS seems to be sequential.

NGS uses blocks of numbers for different sources - paper forms, internet fillable pdf, etc. So it's less clear.

 

They all know when every coin was graded and by who. It's just a matter of whether or not they will release that information to anyone.

 

I have an old "fatty" NGC holder with a prefix of 115xxx-xxx and I'm just trying to get a rough understanding of when it was graded - considering re-submission. Would also love to understand PCGS as well.

Thanks!

 

Officially, there's no way to find this out, and I don't understand the reasoning behind that. How is someone going to leverage "this was graded in 1998, not 2001" into any unfair advantage that looking at the coin won't cancel out?

PCGS does theirs sequentially for a little while, then changes the most significant digits. As far as I know, however, 108xxxx is the earliest of the rattlers, and I think all the 7-digit certs (including 8-digit with leading zero) were green holders. Newer holders with a leading zero are reholdered coins.

 

OK, no sooner did I say that than I picked up a blue labeled "Series/Coin" holder with barcode on back, and it has a 7-digit cert with no leading zero.

 

Probably still a reholder messy, just no leading zero.

It would be interesting to crowd source this, but we would need to base it on primary documentation, i.e. invoices with dates on them.

Actually, for PCGS you can do the work using the shared order page, at least back to October 2001... and get some ideas, but it will show lots of confusing information.

For example, October 2001 orders, shipped from 11/5/2001 to 11/29/2001 are here: https://www.pcgs.com/Membership/Shared.aspx?Year=2001 gives us several data points from coins submitted on 29Oct2001 and shipped during November 2001

There are several different ranges in use

Cert # PCGS No. Description Grade Country

02878559 6887 1800 $1 VF30 USA
02878560 7784 1857-O $2.50 AU50 USA
02880266 142969 (1934) $1 Y-513.1 AU55 Sz-Sh Soviet
PCGS Secure

03679159 8513 1909 $5 MS64 USA
03725295 2398 1903 1C, RD PR65RD USA
03725296 5603 1892-S 25C MS63 USA
03754052 4367 1858 H10C NOGRADE NOT SPECIFIED USA
03754053 5458 1863 25C NOGRADE NOT SPECIFIED USA
03755557 2127 1877 1C, BN AU50BN USA
03755558 8000 1878 $3 MS64 USA
03755559 8510 1908 $5 Indian MS63 USA
03755560 8514 1909-D $5 MS63 USA
03755561 8527 1914 $5 MS63 USA
03755562 8871 1912 $10 MS64 USA
03757107 600169 "1780"-SF Thaler Modern Restrike MS63 Austria
03757108 827701 2000 Punt PR69 Ireland
03757686 10142 1861 $20 Clark Gruber Min Grade USA

21000019 23 1652 Shilling Pine Tree, Lg Planchet MS62 USA
21000020 23 1652 Shilling Pine Tree, Lg Planchet AU58 USA

These last two are not found in the PCGS database, so probably not genuine

I think there is enough information and consistency in there to date 0375xxxx coins to the 2nd half of 2001.

I don't know what to make of the 0367xxxx and 0372xxxx - could just be that those took longer to complete (lower tier, needed research, etc.)

 

There is likely some variance from online to paper invoices maybe even show too.

 

210xxxxx seems to be November-December 2001. This abrupt transition from 037xxxxx to 210xxxxx is what I was talking about when I mentioned that PCGS changes the most significant digits now and then. Most recently, I noticed 33xxxxxx had been used, then suddenly 80xxxxxx. I agree that mining the info from the shared orders would be feasible. Unfortunately, the first 15 years remains.