Harlen J Berk Does Stickers

Now Harlen is joining the sticker craze, used on slabs, for ancients.

HJB’s Ancient Coin Verified Authenticity Program:

https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/hjbs-ancient-coin-verified-authenticity-program/

I'm indifferent with it.

 

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We do what we have to do. A Berk opinion/verification is valued. As long as they are not sealing the holders, I'm OK with what they do.

 

It's just window dressing and marketing. It doesn't change a thing about their service nor is there a financial guarantee of authenticity, for the same reasons there isn't one with NGC and David Sear.

Everyone is just trying to lure the deep pockets of modern coin collectors and I can't really blame them for that.

HJB will put the sticker on a flip. That is interesting... I assume they also maintain a photographic inventory of coins they sticker. Also, I don't know about your flips but mine have to be changed out rather often, especially for larger or thicker coins or for coins I fondle often . What happens when the stickered flip breaks? Send it in for a replacement? Cut out the sticker and put it in the new flip?

It will be interesting to see if this bumps their sales at all. It shouldn't... but perhaps some people will not think it through.

 

The article has at least one factual error:

"The problem however, is NGC does not stand behind their opinion of grade and authenticity since neither is guaranteed."

The grade is guaranteed, although I'm not sure how that would play out if questioned.

On second reading, perhaps the HJB sticker program will have some impact:

HJB now offers a sticker with its logo which states “Verified”. If we place it on the back of a slab or coin flip it means we have seen it and agree the piece is authentic. We also will offer a sticker with the words “Guaranteed” which means we offer a lifetime refund for the price paid on any ancient coin which later is proved to be modern copies. The big difference between the two stickers is we provide a refund for the guarantee sticker. The verified ancient coin sticker is strictly used for vetting purposes and does not carry any refund or buy back policy.

It sounds like for now these Guaranteed stickers are only for coins they sell, so that is really just putting a sticker on an existing policy. This though,

"In time we may offer a paid service for the guarantee sticker of items we didn’t sell but need to work out the infrastructure for that service first, so stay tune."

is... interesting.

 

I like this idea from Harlan J. Berk & Co. I've been a long time customer of Harlan Berk & can say with confidence if anything I purchased from his company turned out to be fake or misrepresented I wouldn't need a sticker to get my money back. This service will be of great value to new collectors or anyone spending a large amount of money on an ancient coin. It would be great if NGC & other 3rd party grading companies followed suit.

 

I love that it is free for the verification sticker. They offer nearly everything NGC does except the plastic.

 

I have a Harlan J. Berk SHIRT from one of those Rosemont ANA shows. Can I get a sticker for my shirt?

 

Only if the shirt was made in China or Pakistan...

 

My personal thoughts on HJB's offer:

I think it's a clever combination of marketing and service. If a collector sends in his/her own coin and gets a free opinion (sticker), that's actually a valuable service and if I didn't have my own dealer or purchase coins through high-profile auctions, I would certainly use this myself.

The marketing value to HJB is also obvious: he gets to see lots of coins that may later be offered for sale, he establishes contact with a lot of collectors who are potential buyers and he can pinpoint their collecting focus to offer them coins from his inventory, etc.

Actually, I'm impressed by his offer and if he's not overwhelmed by the response (and has to delegate the authentication to those with lesser expertise), I actually support what he's doing. He's one of only about a dozen or so well-known individuals who could offer this service with some validity.

 

Very much so.

Just out of curiosity, will this be competition with David Sear like NGC is with PCGS?

 

While not the only dealer to do this, Berk earned my respect years ago when he realized that he was not expert in absolutely everything and proceeded to hire staff whose ares of expertise complemented his. There was a time I bought good coins of Septimius Severus for reasonable prices from Harlan Berk but he hired Curtis Clay and the sleepers came to a screeching halt. I am sure that his staff, like that of CNG to name another, includes several very respectable generalists in addition to the super specialists in their own fields. I would consider his corporate opinion as good as we are likely to find. I do not think he needs to take the further step and guarantee coins he did not sell. Those coins already should be guaranteed by the dealers who did sell them. People who choose to buy from flea markets and sellers who offer coins 'as is' can do with opinions offered without underwriting. Those unwilling to assume some risk in their hobby might be well advised to switch to something more certain than ancient coins (like skydiving?).

 

Move over David Sear and HJB, there's a new Coin Authentication Program in town.

I am not making this up... eBay seller AncientCoins.Market is offering an authentication service, complete with a certificate bearing a 24k gold seal. The cost of the service is $120 (~2 month turnaround) or $260 (~1 week turnaround).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Order-Your...537010?hash=item520bdfd632:g:Iz4AAOSw3kxbd6ie

 

I see that they’ve already sold 10 of them.

 

I'm thinking of offering a similar service...

I've got a seal!

And 24 carrots too!

*not intended to reflect any bad will towards HJB's service, only the latter service mentioned.

Though, I'm concerned about getting solid competition from the firm CACA...

 

No nonsense Lady......shoots from the hip, and calls a 'spade' a spade. Much like you, my dear........

 

I wonder if that includes the "all inclusive sulfur bath service."

 

Only if you want to take it with a bunch of Roman 'old guys', and I'd suggest a 'pass'......

 

They do that up in Banff, Alberta, don't they?

 

Danged if I know what Canadians do..........