checking the Trade Dollar listings on eBay and ran across this gem, in a new PCI holder with the grade partly obscured, looks like "MS66" to me. What's your opinion? Looks a bit lower grade than that , IMHO. Who's running PCI now, anyway? https://www.ebay.com/itm/314005648304?hash=item491c31f3b0:g:plMAAOSw2WhiiBF5
I believe that generation of PCI was circa 2012. They have not been around for at least several years now. @Burton Strauss III might know some more. Here was a thread that mentions them (not the original post but later down in the thread) https://www.cointalk.com/threads/is-this-a-newer-generation-of-pci.333046/
I saw this one . I was having A Hard time telling which of the many contact marks where on the coin or the holder. If they are on the coin I am not so sure it would straight grade.
From what I’ve heard, the old PCI is much more conservative than the new PCI. The new PCI is basically a basement grading service
I worked at the old PCI from 1990 to 1998 with a short break in between. We we strict graders. PCI introduced "Detail" grades. It was based on the Technical Grading System used at INSAB in DC - the second third-party authentication service and first TP grading service. Grade the coin state the problem.
The coin looks to me to have MS details...but I'm seeing a lot of hairlines on the surface that are all criss-crossed which makes me think the coin's surface has had some work. My guess a cloth was used to wipe the coin creating the hairlines.
Lots of those sch's are on the case. I would never buy a coin in a slab that you cannot see the grade on the label. BTW, the reverse is a Type 2M and not a Type 2. If the owner says it has a green label, it's MS.
The colors of the coin almost looked juiced to me too...I wonder how much photo editing has occurred. Did PCI color code labels based on grade?
Coins in old PCI slabs tone quickly. There were three main colors used with Banknote labels: Green - Normal Red - Details Blue - Foreign Check the PCI coin closely if there is any other label besides these and the "Signature" label. When the company was sold, the quality went into the basement.
MS63 on the label, but my gut tells me to run away from that coin. I don't trust myself to know enough about Trade dollars, other than to buy them already authenticated by a reputable TPG, but first glance makes me think of a "tooled" coin. Just my impression.
Thanks for clarifying the grade obviously 63. I recall that DLRC bought the PCI equipment and started Dominion Grading Service (DGS) which was short lived but I really liked as they would give a technical grade and list problems. They shut down around the time of the 2008 crash iirc and sold the equipment to someone else, which makes me wonder if this dates to sometime later. From the photos hard to tell if MS even, and looks very marked up.
According to oldslabholders.com, the coin/slab in question is a PCI generation 11.0 (produced by the 8th or 9th owner of PCI) and slabbed in 2021 or later. It is most likely grossly over-graded and possibly a problem coin.
To answer the OP's question, I should have also added that oldslabholders.com believes that PCI is now owned by Centsles, which should give anyone familiar with Centsles an idea of the quality.