Looks Like PCI is Going out of Business

According to the December 24 Coin World, it looks like PCI's assets are being auctioned off in January. I know there had been problems with JT Stanton leaving the company and with Brian Beardsly's death. I also image PCI was hurt severly by eBay's rules towar TPGs.

I know they were a little less than a top tier grading service, but it's a shame that they could carve themself a little niche in today's market.

 

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yah i saw that add to i was thinking if they had anything that i could use for cheap

 

You could buy their sonic sealing equipment that seals slabs and start your own grading company....lol.

 

oh crap.... one of us needs to grab that before SGS buys it

 

That's a shame. Although they are not considered top tier I never had a problem with them.

Whereas so many get into slabbing sheely to overgrade and make profit PCI at least made an honest effort to be a legitimate business.


I hope they are just selling equipment and not the name because as Daggarjon pointed out what if an SGS got ahold of a "legitimate" name.

 

I really don't think it would matter at all.

The knowledgeable would be aware that it's a new and different company as of a particular date, and should not be credited (or denigrated) on the basis of the former ownership.

The ignorant - those we try so hard, and so unsuccessfully, to protect from themselves - wouldn't give the new company any greater credence because they wouldn't know anything about the old company.

 

you don't need a "legitimate" name to make money[be successful].

all a coin slabbing or certification service has to do to make money, whether it be pcgs or sgs, is either fill an open niche in the market or when the market is saturated...create a new market niche.

here are a few article by James García of www.earlyus.com that indirectly explains these occurrences and the roles/differences between what pcgs and sgs actually ''do''.

http://earlyus.com/art008-terminology.pdf

http://earlyus.com/art009-terminology.pdf

 

I have several PCI slabs and I've always been satisfied with them from a price-to-value ratio. I just hope some illegitimate outfit doesn't pick up their name because it will cheapen all of the coins in their slabs.

 

Might not be a bad idea... LOL

Ben

 

Darn shame.
In my opinion, PCI's grading had been becoming fairly respectable.

There is no doubt though, I hope someone other than SGS gets ahold of the equipt and God forbid the PCI name.

 

Man, that is a shame. Only problem I've had with them is there proof coins, but other than that they weren't half bad.

Phoenix

 

go over and take a look around cheap slabs dot com, they are filled with PCI slabs.

I had a cpl Morgans in PCI plastic I sold this year on Ebay, 1879-S 64, 80-S 64 and 81-S 64, they took a beating pricewise due to the name. I was almost thinking crackout because they were ligitimate 64's, but it is IMPOSIBLE to get accurate $$$ for a raw Morgan on Ebay.

ACCURATE being the key, junkers fly off shelves due to photoshoppers and nice coins get low prices being raw.

 

maybe you should find a more efficient selling venue.

 

My website will be up Janurary, however Ebay is the best place to get NEW customers, hands down.

I don't sell Morgans per se, I collect them and just got rid of some of my collection. Overall, I did very well, but a few did do so good, those are mentioned above. My $ collections is mostly 66 and above PCGS and NGC toners, I did not sell too many of those.

 

But what happens if they get both the name and the equipment and begin producing slabs that can't be told from the current PCI slabs? PCI isn't the greatest service but if someone like SGS starts making PCI slabs with SGS grading that will put all of the older somewhat accurately graded slab into the toilet. Much to the financial damage of the people who own them.

 

PCI to be auctioned off Jan. 16, 2008
Heres what you get. Any guesses who will be the winning bidder?
http://gravittauction.com/auction_detail.php?ID=375763

 

Hmmm.

Anyone else notice anything funny with the listing of items for sale?

The have five computers and FOUR compressed air machines???????? And a lot of "folding" tables. What the hey?

 

Sonic sealers are not cheap, and those safes? $$$

Also note " intangibles", people pay tons of $$$ for mailing and proven customer lists that are as industry specific as those would be.

 

I have quite a few older pci slabs, and I was always happy with them as a decent grader, sure they had their problems, but it still always came down to buy the coin, not the slab, and I was always able to get a discount on their slabs just because they weren't one of the big 3.

 

SGS?