I will post pics when I get it in. The major doubling was on ONE CENT. The rest of the doubling may or may not have been there. I was so stoked to find it, I mailed it off with mine and @Jdiablo30 's order the same day without taking pics. It graded AU58, which was exactly what I knew it was. Pretty coin, but may just be machine doubling. And you're right. If it IS the DDR, then it's worth around 5k.
FS-801 is best attributed in UNITED STATES, where there is clear serif splitting, and the pickups in the Memorial. Can't wait to see pics. It probably isn't, but I trust PCGS attribution as much as none at all.
Yeah, it was iffy on UNITED STATES, so probably isn't, but a lesson will be learned from the submission fees. (And the lesson is free for everyone here)!
OMG that's beautiful. I'd curse you for your luck, but I know it ain't "luck" and then I'd get banned anyway.
Maybe it was $75...but I won it at auction. No one else wanted it that bad, I guess! Was in an old yellow Whitman envelope. So sweet!
They've been better about getting it right when it is on the label, but they are definitely gun shy sometimes and error on the side of saying it is not. This is one area where you probably are better off with discovery or very low population pieces going to ANACS first and then crossing it over
I have a guarantee re-submission / potential conservation with them for about 70 business days now. Last time I called the rep told me that these have to be looked at by David Hall before agreeing on the course of action (buyback or conservation) and that David will be out of office for the next 2-3 weeks. It's a roughly $600 coin that developed a dipping stain inside the holder after I had it conserved with them. I'm just surprised they have grading processes that rely solely on one particular person being available.
David Hall had surgery to have a tumor at the base of his brain removed about 2 weeks ago. I reckon his return timeline is unknown.
I spoke with an auctioneer yesterday who raised heck with PCGS as his coins were there for months and they moved him right through and made him very happy. A double eagle Saint his wife had accidentally scratched while dipping it got an MS65. Go figure.
Wow, that's a hit! I like to poke fun at Hall as a hobby, but I wouldn't wish that kind of stuff on anybody! On a lighter note, he may come out of it with better taste in clothes.
When you are as successful as he is and have money you can wear what you wish. Many folks like that even can influence fashion. So we all better get those shirts before the price goes up.
I don't subscribe to that theory - taste is taste. Slovenly appearance is just unforgiveable. I only despair that it's taking too long for 3-piece suits to come back.
I know someone who worked there, not as a grader or janitor. He doesn't even collect coins. I think he said there's twelve graders, so that may not be enough if there's a lot of business. He left left for a job I have, which isn't that highly paid but it's stable, benefits good, and growth opportunities better (per him). I wonder how many graders ngc has? If more, my guess is they're paid a little less but perhaps the job isn't so sweat-shop like, if you know what I mean
Oh they're both pretty shvitzy places, one east, one west. No one wants to grade coins in Minot? Why not? "Minot - Where Minnesotans are Considered Wimps"
They did at one point, their last earnings report showed they had hired more. I believe they are up to 30 now, though that may be spread over their various offices I didn't read closely
Well, they now have dedicated offices in Paris, Shanghai and Hong Kong, and must have expanded their assets sufficiently to cover those areas whether they grade on-site or not. Whether they ship to California or grade on-site, they quote 2-3 weeks' turnaround, telling me they're really prioritizing International submissions, possibly at the expense of US customers. Which would be par for the course.
I think SuperDave has solved the mystery of slow turnaround times at PCGS. Established customers have a lower priority as they reach out for more business!
That means you're seeing it clearly. They're answerable to the stockholders, not the customers, and we live in a world where quarterly results can never be "level" if you want to keep your job. The US market is locked-in because of PCGS' rep at retail, so they can afford to beat those people about the head a bit in favor of increasing revenue Internationally, which is their only chance of doing so.
