Has anyone had any "luck" with Hallmark graded coins ? I never heard of the service, but bought some type coins in Hallmark holders. They were graded at MS64. I'm guessing they are really AU50 to MS62 at the highest. I paid only about 10% of pcgs.com MS60 price for each coin, so even if the Hallmark coins are junk, I'm not out too much. The idea is to resubmit to a "real" grading service, even though a downgrade is all but assured. The marketability upside outweighs the downgrade downside. Any thoughts ?
lol, not the same company. Not trademark infringement because it's very unlikely someone will mistake greeting cards with a coin grading service (the same reason why Delta Faucets doesn't infringe on the trademark of Delta Airlines.) I've heard of them, but they have little reputation yet, good or bad. To the degree they have any reputation, they at least are not known for slabbing any fakes, but do tend to overgrade a bit, but it seems more due to liberal grading standards than an attempt to intentionally deceive. In that regard there are at least better than SGS, but that's not saying a whole lot. When buying a Hallmark graded coin you may as well ignore whatever grade they give and treat it as a raw coin and decide what you'll spend accordingly. (Good advice in any case anyway.)
Stay away from Hallmark slabs on ebay! Nearly all of the coins in their slabs have problems, and a reputable TPG will not encapsulate them. If you are able to return your purchases, I would recommend doing so, if not, chalk the experience up to a lesson. By the way, PCGS Price Guide values are way off- for accurate guidance, check the completed auctions at Heritage, Teletrade, or eBay. GDJMSP, These coins are from a new 'Hallmark', not the original Hallmark associated with QDB.
