What is THE WORST coin grader?

Not even close. DL bought the assets from bankruptcy and opened a new service, DGS using the PCI style shells.

However, once they closed it, they resold the assets and the new, mysterious owners are still slabbing, again as PCI (with the bullet train label). They are up to about 10K coins in 2 or 2.5 years...

 

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No clue on the web site to the owners of PCI. Their submission form goes to Delray Beach, Florida. Dennis Daidone is the registered agent/officer according to the Florida Secretary of State's web site.

 

From my notes...

----- February 2008 ---- PCI
Out of business, assets purchased by David Lawrence Rare Coins

----- 8 April 2008 ---- DGS
became Dominion Grading Service

“John Feigenbaum, President, stated today that “we had initially planned to keep the PCI brand name, but we quickly realized that it would be impossible to overcome the confusion that would ensue as we endeavor to recalibrate the [PCI] grading standards. Therefore, we have decided to discontinue the PCI brand in favor of an all-new grading company named Dominion Grading Service.“”​

21Jun2008 Over 1,500 coins received for grading

6Nov2008 DGS hires Mike Ellis

5Aug2010 Shutdown:

“DGS announced today that effective immediately, all grading and certification operations at Dominion Grading Service (DGS) has been discontinued.”​

New PCI #1 - 2010
http://forums.collectors.com/textthread.cfm?catid=26&threadid=788068

Sep/14/2010 11:39 AM OchoReales
Kevin McNerney ( founder of NTC) bought DGS, (lock, stock and barrel) from John Feigenbaum in the last six weeks or so and has decided to 'resurrect' PCI.

Also
First, the ten digit serial number on the reverse is indicative of the older green label slab. The sixes in MS66 should not be rounded, they should point straight up. [i.e. Font not Futura]


New PCI #2 – 11/2010-12/2012
Owned by Anthony J. Delluniversita (court testimony) - fraudulent TPG - actually FPG

New PCI #3 – 2013 - ?
---- September 12, 2012 ---- New PCI #3



What I don't know is if this current label is still #3 or #4:



(There are also 2011.95/nnnns known)

 

Googling Dennis Daidone doesn't turn up much of anything.

 

@Burton Strauss III

What you have done here is INVALUABLE! Would you like to start a net thread "HISTORY of the TPGS?" I know there is lot's out there already as @Conder101 has records of the labels and holders. I'm more interested is charting the major changes as you have done. For example, ANACS has moved and changed owners several times - even been sued by ICG. Mike Sherman can tell us the entire history of NCI.

I should like to see the thread list (without prejudice) each major "player" (ANACS, PCGS, NGC, ICG, PCI, SEGS I should include all the forerunners too like Accugrade, NCI, INSAB, and even Compugrade). I don't care about the "fly-by-nights" who rearrange letters to appear they are legitimate by they can be added for completeness although I should hate to give them free advertising. Guess that is prejudice.

I think it would attract more posters if you start it rather than me (but it will get started). Once started, the word should spread to other's on different sites.

When finished and edited for accuracy, the thread could be posted all over including the ANA library. It would be a shame to loose this chance to summarize this part of numismatic history while most of the information can be easily found today.

 

PCI COIN GRADING, INC has filed annual reports with the State of Florida which are available from the search page... but all they show is Dennis as president. And the NY address (3280 SUNRISE HWY - SUITE 165, WANTAGH NY 11793) which is a UPS store. So is the Florida address.

Dennis lived in Florida in 2006 (voter registration, now inactive).
His LinkedIn page lists him as a self-employed numismatist in Seaford, NY (next town east of Wantagh on Long Island).

The May 2015 court findings of fraud against 2010-2011 PCI are here: http://www.coinweek.com/pdf/Findings of Fact & Conclusions of Law.pdf, but PCI was sold in December 2011.

So I think that - same ownership since 2012 indicates there is no new PCI#4, it's still Dennis Daidone

Who is DD? Reportedly he was one of the PCI graders pre Delluniversita (ex. NTC)) - https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rec.collecting.coins/XPbN4BfbzQI/discussion

 

Hey, @Insider did this ever happen?

 

There is a new grading company "Professional Grading Authenticators" which is showing up a lot on internet auction sites. Mind you the photography on these on-line sites is not the sharpest so you're taking big chances. I bought a Walking Liberty that was graded at AU58+. When I received it, it was a total joke how polished it was. There were no stripes in the skirt and no facial details. No credible dealer would condone the use of this company. Beware.

 

Bum, did it?

 

Nothing shows up on a Google search, so probably a basement slabber.

 

Close. Actually, ICS stands for "I can't see."

 

Well, there is a long and ignoble history of nicknames...

ICG I Can't Grade

NTC Not This Coin (as in there is a <grade> out there, but Not This Coin

 

Self Slabbers.
ICS (I Can Slab)
Next room over from
ICG (I Can Grade)

NAC & NGA are somewhere on a list.

 

Whenever I see these odd slabs, I tend to buy them if the price is not high.