I was flipping through the channels last evening and happened upon the "Coin Collector" show on the Home Shopping Network. What a disheartening experience. First, in terms of meaningless designations, we are already familiar with PCGS and First Strike as well as NGC and Early Releases. Well, HSN has been granted exclusive rights to their own meaningless designation by ANACS and ICG (I think those are the only 2 TPGs they use because, in the words of the guest coin "expert", they are considered to be in the top 4 grading companies.) That's probably a true statement, but the question I would ask is "What are the top 2 and why don't you use them?" Anyway, the designation HSN is using is First Day Of Issue or, as they kept saying last night, FDOI. I think that is because acronyms automatically make thiings better, don't ya know. While I was watching, they had a 70-grade Silver Eagle 25th Anniversary Set on sale for about $2,200.00, a 70-grade 2011 or 2012 (I can't remember which for sure) $50 Gold Eagle on sale for about $3,100 (that's right, about the same cost as a good-quality 2009 Ultra High Relief Gold Eagle) and a 70-grade 2011 or 2012 Gold Eagle Set (I can't remember which again) for over $5,000.00. I couldn't watch it for much longer, but I really feel badly for the people that actually spend that much money for something they would get quite a bit less for if they had to sell it. I know it's Buyer Beware and Do Your Homework and all of that, but when I think about the demographic of those who usually buy from those hawkers and their questionable business practices, I find it sad and irritating. We hear a lot of horror stories about ebay, but the television coins shows appear to be just as bad, if not worse.
another label on coin vault. just caught a bit of Coin Vault, now they are pushing a new label-first releases- I guess they combined the other two to come up with that and now they are trying to push it as a new "series" to collect by the label. still the same old MS69 ASE common as dirt coin. what BS.
