Looking for a little guidance from those who handle slabbed coins. Needless to say, I usually don't go after graded/certified coins, but this is a special situation. Without boring y'all with the details, I want to verify that a graded coin, in a slab, is legitimate. It's a PCGS slab, with a holographic label on the reverse. What I would like to do is: 1) Determine whether the container has been tampered with or unsealed. (i.e. someone slipping a non-graded coin into a graded slab) 2) PCGS has a serial number on the label. I know what the numbers refer to. But I would like to know if they keep records of who submitted the coin for grading. The idea on this point is to verify a chain of ownership. Again, this is not an area that I usually dabble in. I'm by far not a newbie, but just never got into graded coins. Because of the complexity of the situation (lots of legalese), I need/would like to be able to verify the ownership, independent of the current possessor. That's the short and skinny of what I'm after. (more details can be provided to aid in assistance.) It's a knoodler, I know. Any help, information, or insight is greatly appreciated. Thanx!
I don't know if it is possible to verify who submitted what and when or the chain of ownership, but I would think it might be a violation of someone's privacy if the grading service made such information public. Chris
You can vertifed a PCGS cert # here http://www.pcgs.com/cert/ Here the typical information given their web page. COIN INFORMATION Cert Verification #: Date, mintmark: Denomination: Variety: Minor Variety: Mint Error: Pedigree: Country: The United States of America Grade: Mintage: PCGS Price GuideSM Value: I do not believe they will out the information on who submitted the coin for grading unless forced to by court order.
More or less, only the "provenance" can be followed with outside records of who previously owned the coin, the grading services do not provide information as such. Leading TPG "sonic seal" the edges which in essence makes them tamper proof. The edges become bonded and the only way to reopen the original clam shell is to either cut it open or crack it all along the edges. It will be obvious if an attempt was made to switch a coin. Happy Collecting
Does anyone have a link on pcgs' website were they tell you what the numbers mean? i.e. damaged, altered surfaces, questionable color, etc. Also I think the closest thing you'll get to finding a chain ownership of the coin on a slab would be a pedigree. Thanks
Thanks for all the information folks. I tried contacting PCGS about 10 days ago, but never heard back. Maybe they just get flooded with these types of inquiries. And you say that a tampered case is obvious? Would anyone out there have a pic of a tampered case that can be used as a demonstrator? In particular, fake holograms. (something not dealt with on the PCGS website.)
