PCGS Blog

Early Dollars in PCGS AU58 are scarce!

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Don Willis1 Comment

The recent sale of some of Dr. Hesselgesser’s early dollars got me thinking. Have you ever thought about how difficult it is to find early dollars in PCGS AU58? PCGS AU58 early dollars are exceptionally scarce. They are extremely difficult to make and can be quite rare and valuable.

I sold a lot of early dollars when I was a dealer. It was very seldom indeed that I could locate a PCGS AU58 example of any date (the 1799 is by far the most common). I was known for dealing in early type so I got “first shot” at numerous collections of early dollars. Still there were very, very few coins that graded PCGS AU58. Over a 7 year period of being an aggressive high buyer, I was only able to locate around 3 dozen examples. It takes quite a coin to make it to that level in PCGS’ opinion. Like most of us, I learned the hard way just how discriminating PCGS was compared to other grading services.

I helped build several early dollar collections. I was always overjoyed when I was able to help a good client fill a hole with a PCGS AU58 coin. Don’t get me wrong, there are some really nice AU55 coins out there that we often had to settle for. An AU55 is a very choice AU, but doesn’t quite have everything that an AU58 coin does.

Check out the population reports. After 25 years PCGS has graded only 65 Flowing Hair dollars, 51 Small Eagle dollars and 227 Large Eagle dollars in AU58. The numbers may be a bit high because so many people try to get their PCGS AU58 coins upgraded, either by PCGS or another grading company. Some of my best scores were when I could by a PCGS AU58 coin from a crack-out dealer before they resubmitted it hoping for mint state. By far the most common date is the 1799 which PCGS reports having graded 96 in AU58 (counting the overdate).

When Dr. Hesselgesser’s coin were offered in auction it was quite a thrill for me. For starters the opening lot was the only known PCGS AU58 example of 1794. This coin was previously part of the Connecticut Historical Society. That was soon followed by the only known 1795 FH Silver Plug in AU58 (that came from me). A dynamite rarity soon followed: the 1798 13 Star Small Eagle in AU58! When he purchased that coin from me it was the single AU58 and the finest known. Now the pop says 3 with one finer.

There were a few other PCGS AU58 dollars offered in the auction that were part of the Dr H collection including a 1798 LE, a 1799, and an 1801. These coins represent just the tip of the iceberg of the good doctor’s collection but would take an immense amount of work and luck to replace.

So think about it. The next time you see a PCGS AU58 early dollar be sure to examine it closely. You will be holding a truly rare and significant coin!

Back in the day…

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Don Willis2 Comments

Back in the late 1950s I was growing up in Binghamton, NY. That’s considered Upstate if you’re living in the NYC area but it’s only about three hours north of the City. When I look back on those years I can’t imagine anything more idyllic. We didn’t have to worry about all the things young kids do today. We never heard of child molesters or kidnappers. No one ever tried to hurt you or take your stuff. Besides, there were too many adults around that simply wouldn’t let that happen. Police didn’t arrest people – at least we never heard of it happening. The worst thing that could happen was getting in trouble with your parents.

After a quick breakfast the door would slam and I would be on my bike headed off for a day of adventure. Often times I would slide my baseball glove over my handlebars and head for the ball field where we would play all day. It was a simple little field where we would play Little League on the days we played organized ball. Somehow a few of us would congregate until there were enough for two teams. Then the fun would begin.

Binghamton was part of what was called the “Tri-City” area. I think the Tri-Cities consisted of Binghamton, Endicott and Johnson City. Back in 1960 or 1961 my dad got me started on collecting coins. We approached collecting like most others back then. We bought several blue Whitman folders and diligently worked to fill them. Everything we collected we found in circulation. In the early 60s there were a lot of older coins that were still in circulation. Silver coins were still the standard and the only people with any reason to take coins out of circulation were collectors. On many an occasion my mother would give me a 50c piece and tell me to go to the Grand Union and get a loaf of bread. These were usually Franklins or Walkers, and I’m not sure if my memory is playing tricks on me, but I seem to remember some Barbers as well.

One night I was sitting in front of the TV and the local news was on. The news team was quite excited about some local young man who had just spent a king’s ransom on a coin – a dime at that. They actually interviewed the youngster and you could tell they were flabbergasted. That young man’s name was Q. David Bowers. I think he was a teenager at the time. The coin was an 1894-S 10c that I think he paid $10,000 for. That was probably more than most of those news people made in a year. It caused quite a stir! QDB’s Empire Coins was located in the Tri-City area.

Money was pretty tight back in those days. We could go to the movies for 65c, and a candy bar was only a nickel. One of our entrepreneurial ways of making money was to pedal our bikes around town looking for soda bottles that had been tossed to the side of the road. We could redeem most of them for 2c each. Finding 3 or 4 bottles made you rich! (BTW – tossing a soda bottle out your car window was standard operating procedure in those days. We hadn’t heard of littering yet.)

On the corner next to the ballpark was a little corner store called Sammy’s. It was quite the hangout for the pre-teen crowd. Sammy had this great big wooden counter that he always stood behind. It was surrounded by all kinds of candy and enough other enticements to make sure that we never left with any money. Sammy was a wily old guy with a sense of humor. He had glued a buffalo nickel on the wooden counter and would deliberately turn his back to anyone standing in front of it. There was a little mirror that he would use to watch that person struggle to pick that nickel off the counter. It was his way of having fun with any new person that came in.

One day, after cashing in a couple empty bottles, my friend Richard and I were trying to decide what to buy when I noticed that one of the pennies I had just received looked funny. All the lettering and the date were doubled! I remember saying something about it, like “boy they really messed up when they made this coin”, but I didn’t know anything about 1955 double dies. I went ahead and bought my candy and spent my penny. Little did I know that the Tri-City area was ground zero for the distribution of the 1955 double die cents. I never saw another in circulation.

PCGS Developments – First 60 days

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Don Willis1 Comment

2011 is only 60 days old and PCGS has already had so many new developments that I thought I would take a couple minutes and recap a few. Before I do, I hope everyone follows our website. You should be checking regularly (daily?) to stay on top of all the developments we are making. Be sure to read the Product Spotlights as well as our news releases to remain current with the most recent developments.

* The year started with our announcing that the Coin Sniffer had gone online and was being used for all Secure Plus submissions as well as other submissions on a case by case basis.

* A new membership level was announced – the Diamond Level. Basically the Diamond membership is a combination of a Platinum level membership with a one year subscription to PCGS CoinFacts at an attractive “members only” price.

* An updated Million Dollar Coin Club was issued with revised valuations and a few new additions. The new report is available for free on our website.

* We announced that all edge anomalies on Presidential Dollars as well as Native American dollars would be recognized as errors not varieties. New Registry sets were created that include these error designations.

* Of course we celebrated our 25th anniversary with a party at the February Long Beach show and will continue to celebrate our anniversary all year.

* A new Collector Club Quarterly Special format was introduced. We moved away from specials based on a particular coin to specials based on a service level. The first quarterly special is 4 Economy submissions for the price of 3.

* We announced that we will begin recognizing some 2009 Ultra High Relief (UHR) coins as Proof Like (PL). At the same time we announced that we will begin recognizing some 2010 5 oz. America the Beautiful coins as PL or DMPL (Deep Mirror Proof Like).

* A new feature was added to PCGS CoinFacts called “Rate a Page”. With this enhancement we encourage all subscribers help us make CoinFacts even better by sharing their comments with us for every page in CoinFacts in addition to rating each page.

* A significant counterfeit protection feature was added to Certification Lookup. Now when you look up a cert. number the system will provide links to any auction in our database of almost 2 million records where the coin has sold as well as any Registry set it is part of. Since most of these links contain photos of the coin we believe it will greatly help potential buyers who are uncertain if the coin being offered is genuine.

* We eliminated the multiple submission forms of old and replaced them with a single form that can handle all of your submissions. The new forms are online. If you need new forms see us at a show or contact Customer Service.

As you can see, it has been a busy first two months! At PCGS we love coins and are working hard to make your coin collecting experience more interesting, rewarding and fun!

A New Year!

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Don WillisNo Comments

We are just back from the FUN show which this year was held in Tampa Bay. The FUN show always marks the beginning of the New Year. As always this year’s show had many dealers setup and was very well attended. There were the requisite exhibits, club meetings, and auctions that are part of every successful show. PCGS received thousands of coins for onsite grading and thousands more for grading back at the office. As far as I could tell most dealers were very busy and the floor had the buzz going virtually non-stop.

What is unique about the FUN show is the tremendous burst of energy that it injects into the coin market. As a dealer I felt it and still see it today from my new vantage point here at PCGS. Even though it is just the turning of the pages on the calendar for some reason the FUN show feels like an entirely new beginning. It’s not just the level of activity, which is very high. There seems to be a new sense of purpose, a renewed sense of enthusiasm, almost a rebirth if you will. Whatever you call it the FUN show is exciting to attend and holds the promise of many exciting new things for the upcoming year.

Where’s the beef?

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Don WillisNo Comments

The beef these days is in Plus + grades.  Yes that’s right; while lots of people are asking how to value Plus graded coins others are out there making them and selling them for huge increases over regular grades. 

When PCGS introduced Plus grading last March most people thought it was a good idea.  We had been beseeched by collectors over the years to do something to recognize coins that were superior for the grade. Our Plus standards have been very strict and not many coins achieve this distinction. At first a lot of submitters who didn’t completely understand what it took to get a Plus were disappointed. You must remember that all aspects of a coin have to be superior to earn a Plus designation, it’s not just about eye-appeal. We projected that perhaps 10-15% of all the coins in a given grade might qualify for a Plus. This projection has proven to be very accurate. 

PCGS Plus graded coins are being snapped up wherever they are offered and sometimes at a significant premium to regular grades.  I talk to a lot of dealers and I’ve been made aware of many private transactions where a Plus graded coin has brought a large premium.  To be completely objective and eliminate any doubt it is best if we look at a few public auction transactions to report what PCGS Plus grades have brought in sales. 

The Bowers & Merena sale of November 2010 provides many examples of PCGS Plus graded coins selling. Here are just a few PCGS Plus coins from that sale: 

There are many other examples of PCGS Plus coins selling in this auction and in others.  While PCGS Plus grading has not been around very long it is quite apparent that significant value is already being placed on this designation. 

Where is the beef? Try looking at your PCGS Plus graded coins!

PCGS President

Posted on October 10, 2010 by Don Willis3 Comments

I remember seeing a thread on the PCGS message boards years ago which asked the hypothetical question, “what would you do if you were asked to be president of PCGS?” What followed were the expected responses and wish lists from a cast of characters who never seriously expected to be in that position. I always thought that it was an interesting thread especially after I was asked to be president of PCGS!

I think I first met David Hall at a Long Beach show. My table, Premium Numismatics, was setup not too far from DHRC and David would pass by frequently. Occasionally he would sit down and look at my inventory (mostly pre-1840 Bust material for those who don’t know). We would always have a pleasant exchange and David would make a few gracious compliments about my coins. This got to be a regular thing and David started calling me “Coin Stud” (of course it probably helped that almost all of my coins back then were in PCGS holders). We obviously shared a love and appreciation for coins.

As a local dealer I would occasionally visit the PCGS offices to drop off or pick up coins. I even had a couple of instances where I asked PCGS to review coins based on their turning in the holder (an artificially toned 1914-D 1c as well as a matte proof 1908 $20). These occasions were additional opportunities for David and I to get to know each other. [btw, both coins were bought back by PCGS.]

Most of you probably don’t know that I spent almost 30 years in Information Technology. The first 20+ working for large corporations where I ended up as a Senior Vice President running a very large organization, followed by 7 years where I founded and ran an Internet based software company. Some of the disciplines learned through those years will stick with me forever, for example recognizing the power of information. After selling my software company I founded Premium Numismatics in 2002.

David and I had several lengthy conversations about coin related information and how much of that PCGS had generated in over 20 years of business. We agreed that information actually makes coin grades more meaningful and that the more people knew about their coins the more they would enjoy their hobby. We discussed many other aspects of the coin business as well.

One night my wife and I attended a high school musical performance that our daughter was part of. When we returned home I had a message from David asking me to call him. So I called his number and after saying hello, David said “We’ve got a bomb to drop on you”….”What’s that?”…..”We would like you to come on board as President of PCGS”….”Well, that is a bomb!” You could say it was! Over the next few days we met several times and worked out the details. One very important issue for me was Ron Guth who was the current president and who I have known for years and always admired and respected. Well, David’s master plan called for Ron to head up the new information initiative which was going to be called PCGS CoinFacts. Ron is a fabulous researcher and author and I thought this was a fantastic opportunity for him, if he was interested, which he was. So over a two or three week period everything was worked out and I was introduced to the staff and the rest of the world as the new President of PCGS!

I am reflecting on all this because last week marked my second anniversary at PCGS. It’s hard to believe that two years have gone by already. There is so much going on at PCGS these days that time seems to fly by. Hopefully a few years from now we’ll be able to look back and see that what we are doing today made a real and positive difference in the coin hobby.

September … just another month.

Posted on September 26, 2010 by Don WillisNo Comments

This is my first weekend at home in three weeks. It’s a welcome relief to play ball with the dog and watch my first football of the season. And of course, not to work too much, but it is impossible to get away from the computer and smart phone…

It started just after Labor Day as we held another of our Members Only shows in Las Vegas. We hold these at the Venetian Hotel & Casino (we have investigated several alternatives but the Venetian keeps coming out on top). This past show was again oversold as we squeezed in a couple of loyal PCGS dealers who at the last minute asked us very nicely if they could have a table. Our Members shows have a unique quality that you will not find in any other show. They are by definition – invitation only – as you must be a PCGS authorized dealer or Collector Club member to enter the show room. That eliminates the tire kickers and the “just curious”, the result of which is that everyone in the room is a serious numismatist (ok, some are more serious than others but you get the picture). The shows are small, typically with a couple dozen dealers setup and a hundred or so visitors mingling in the aisles. I usually hear of several sizable transactions and witness a lot of trading. Many dealers report they do as much business there as at most major shows.

The day after the Members show found me on an overnight flight to Paris. We opened an office in Paris this past June. We grade coins in that office on a regular schedule, app. every 6 weeks. So off we went to meet our many new friends from all across Europe. During this trip we had dealers from a dozen different countries submit coins for grading. Mostly World coins with some U.S. It is fast paced action as our team is only there for one week. All coins submitted are graded onsite and returned by the end of the week. In many ways coin collecting in Europe resembles coin collecting in the US back in the 60s & 70s. Third party grading is a relatively new concept, although it is rapidly catching on. I really feel that PCGS is providing a great service to the dealers and collectors of Europe by offering our independent opinion. Not only that, but there is a tremendous lack of information that we take for granted here in the States such as population reports, pricing information, rarity rankings etc. This is just the beginning, but I foresee PCGS having an extremely positive effect on coin collecting not only in Europe, but around the world.

After an 11 hour flight home my wife and youngest daughter were waiting for me at LAX. We drove directly north to Santa Cruz were my daughter was enrolling as a freshman the next day. That was a long trip! After helping her move in to her dorm room we spent the night in Paso Robles. We toured a couple vineyards the next morning before making the long drive home.

Then it was a couple days in the office trying to catch up on two weeks worth of issues. The good part of email, messaging and all of our technology is that we can stay fairly current on most things. Wednesday was the first day of the Long Beach show. I try to be at all the major shows because I think it is important to meet face to face with as many dealers and collectors as possible, as often as possible. I always get lots of questions, issues to resolve and good input to consider. This past Long Beach show seemed especially hectic as the crowd around our table was several people deep for much of the show. We not only grade thousands of coins at every show but we also receive thousands more coins to bring back to the office for grading. Shows are a great opportunity for collectors to get an opinion on their coin and some advice on their submission.

I got home Friday night about 7 PM. I am a home-body and there is nothing like collapsing in your favorite chair. It is a lot of work but I am so lucky to be doing something that I truly enjoy! I am already looking forward to October!

Bourse Etiquette

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Don WillisNo Comments

Even the smallest coin show offers something new and exciting. Every show begins with the promise of the unexpected, what you might find, what you might learn, chances to buy and sell. For both collectors and dealers coin shows are a great opportunity to meet and greet fellow hobbyists and conduct business. Even in today’s Internet driven society coin shows are an integral part of the business.

If coin shows are so important, why is it that so many people are unaware of how a bourse operates and of the unwritten rules. We hear all the time from collectors who feel unsure how to interact with a dealer, or who feel intimidated, mistreated or even insulted at times. Then again we hear from dealers who tell stories of collectors wasting their time, interrupting them in the middle of a sale, or making ridiculous requests or offers.

We should suppose that it takes all kinds, meaning that whenever there is a large group of people there will be all types of personalities, levels of knowledge and sophistication and a wide range of just plain manners. Everything else aside, here are some basics that would improve the experience for all.

First of all there are many different types of dealers. At most shows dealers will break down into two groups – wholesalers and retailers. Of course some dealers do both, but when the bourse is open to the public it is pretty easy to identify which is which. A dealer who is interested in retailing will have his table prepared and look like he is open for business. His cases will be uncovered and coins will be assembled so they can be seen. Usually someone will be standing by ready to answer questions or assist as needed. Here we need to mention the sole proprietor, the coin dealer that is all by himself. It’s unavoidable that there will be times when he’ll be taking care of some paperwork on the back table, or even leave his table unattended for a few minutes. It’s not that he isn’t interested in your business; he can only do so much. Everyone needs to cut this guy some slack.

When a dealer is engaged with another customer you need simply to remember those basic manners we were taught in elementary school. Do not interrupt. Be patient. Wait your turn. Most dealers will attempt to make eye contact and recognize your presence. As soon as they can they will be with you. You must recognize that every interaction between a dealer and customer could result in a sale. If you are in too much of a hurry to wait or it seems that their conversation might go on too long, then move on and perhaps you can circle back. Demanding to be noticed or being rude is most likely to produce a similar kind of response.

Once engaged it is helpful to let the dealer know what your interests are, specifically what you are looking for and even your budget guidelines. If you are just looking then let him know. It’s not necessary to give away information that will compromise your negotiating position, but at the same time don’t spend a lot of time trying to ambush or cherry pick the guy. There are plenty of dealers that don’t mind getting cherry picked, but there are no big “rips” in the coin business. Just don’t waste his time, or yours, with any cloak and dagger stuff when you know darn well what you are looking for. And by all means don’t try to haggle with the guy if you do cherry a coin! On the other end of this issue, if you really aren’t familiar with the market, or the coins you are looking at, be up front about it. All dealers laugh about the guy who stands at their table for 30 minutes deciding between coins and when he is quoted “1750” for the coin he selects, pulls out a $20 bill and asks for change.

It costs a fair amount for dealers to set up at most shows. I used to plan on $5,000 per show minimum. If your goal is to pay the least amount possible for any coin you buy, that’s fine (you’ll get what you pay for), but understand the guy you are buying it from needs to make a living. Most dealers don’t mind being asked what their “best price” is, but don’t expect to buy a $5,000 coin for $2,000. Unrealistic expectations can lead to insulting offers and bad feelings all the way around. Again, it is up to everyone to do a little homework and know the market. Even though some price guide says the coin is a $2,000 coin, the coin may be selling in auction for $4K-$5K. Some price guides don’t work too hard at staying current and just because you have one in your pocket does not make you an authority on the issue. Dealers had better know the market because they are investing their hard cash in their inventory. If you get quoted something that you know is too high all you have to say is “that’s more than I want to spend”. It may be that that particular dealer is priced too high on that coin, or on everything he has, but once you’ve asked for his best price there is nothing to be gained by further arguing price.

Most dealers will accept cash or check (some are setup for credit cards as well). If you have never done business with a dealer he will probably ask you for references before he will complete the sale. Don’t take it personally. There are teams of scam artists that prey on dealers by passing bad checks. If you can’t provide an immediately verifiable reference, you should be willing to have the dealer ship the coin to you after your check clears. If you have any concerns almost any dealer would be willing to provide you with plenty of references. There are rules and regulations on cash transactions and forms that are supposed to be completed. It really isn’t smart to pay cash when the transaction is over $10k. I once had a guy flash me a briefcase full of $100 bills. I guess he was trying to impress me by telling me it contained $250k. I told him he had a better chance of getting robbed than impressing anyone if he kept opening his case like that!

Dealers whose cases are empty and who sit with their backs to the aisles are not interested in doing business with the public. They are there to wholesale and are focused on dealer to dealer transactions. Wholesalers play an important role in the overall market, but unfortunately they are taking up valuable bourse space that you just have to walk by. Shows for them are just a place they can meet and trade with each other.

There are thousands of bourse floor stories that could be told. Good material for another day. There are good guys and not so good guys in the coin business just like anything else. Some of us were paying better attention in school than others. The bottom line for today is common courtesy goes a long way on the bourse floor.

Too good to be true….

Posted on August 14, 2010 by Don Willis1 Comment

The classic story is you are walking down the city street and a stranger approaches you opening his trench coat to reveal a selection of Rolex watches to chose from. Of course he can offer a fantastic deal – only pennies on the dollar – for your cash purchase. We are all familiar with this scam, but I wonder why so many seem to forget this lesson when it comes to numismatics.

Far too often someone contacts PCGS to ask for help after they have been on the wrong end of one of these transactions. It’s very unfortunate as there is nothing PCGS can do to help someone who has bought a counterfeit coin or a coin in a counterfeit holder (of course every coin in a genuine PCGS holder is fully guaranteed by us). We usually offer the same advice: contact the seller and ask for a refund; contact the venue through which the item was sold and report the seller; contact the police in the locality where the sale was made. Just as when someone buys a counterfeit Rolex there is not much Rolex can do except try to help put the illegal sellers out of business. (PCGS is actively working with law enforcement.)

So how can you avoid this happening to you? Here are a few things to keep in mind.

First of all there are no Santa Clauses in Numismatics. If a deal seems to be too good to be true, it isn’t. When someone is offering to sell you a coin for far less than its market value you should be very suspicious. Every coin dealer in America would love to buy coins at 30-50% below market value. Why wouldn’t the seller walk into any coin shop and make an easy sale? Second, when a seller wants to meet you at some unusual location to complete the transaction you should be very suspicious. Would you normally think of meeting someone at an airport or in front of a bank to buy a coin? And when the seller insists on cash only, that’s another good reason to run away from the transaction.

The reason these sellers stay in business is because they prey on one specific human weakness: GREED. Do you really think that you were so lucky you were able to buy a rare coin at half of its value? Is the seller such a nice guy that he is giving you this great deal, or maybe he is just ignorant and you can “get a steal”. What’s that old saying – “A sucker is born every minute.” Even professional numismatists allow greed to cloud their judgment and fall victim to the same scams. When we see a collector get taken by one of these scams we feel very badly. When we see a dealer get taken we have far less sympathy.

I just had an incident with a collector who bought a rare date coin off of Craig’s list. The transaction had all the classic characteristics that we’ve already mentioned. When we told him that he had bought a counterfeit coin he was very upset. Maybe at first he was upset at us – the messenger – but soon his anger turned towards himself. He knew it was too good to be true. How could he be fooled so badly? Even though he had bought the coin at far below market value he was out $11,000.

Collecting coins is a great hobby and can be very fulfilling. I’ve collected for years and still do. The vast majority of transactions are safe and without risk. To minimize the chances of getting involved in a bad transaction you should always be careful of whom you are dealing with. My suggestion is to deal only with established and reputable dealers or auction houses who are members of one or more of the industry groups like PCGS, NGC, PNG or ANA. If you aren’t familiar with a dealer check him out. I never had a problem with a potential customer checking my references nor does any other legitimate dealer. Any dealer who does not guarantee the product they sell and offer some type of return privilege should be avoided. It’s that simple. You probably won’t find too many coins for sale at half their value, but as some people find out half of nothing is not a good deal.

Bean town!

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Don WillisNo Comments

Here we are in Boston at the ANA pre-show. Actually there are two pre-shows going on at the same time. We are here in “The Castle” and a couple blocks down the street the other pre-show is being held at the Radisson Hotel. I guess we can chalk up the two shows to the spirit of entrepreneurship as two competing parties try to make a go of it. For the dealers and collectors it’s only a short walk between the two so it’s not too inconvenient. This splintering will end when the ANA begins sponsoring its own pre-show next year.
The mood here is upbeat with the general anticipation of a strong and active ANA show. I’ve spent time at both pre-shows, both of which seem well attended, with a fair amount of trading going on. PCGS has been accepting coins for onsite grading since Thursday afternoon. We will be running through next Saturday with a one day break tomorrow on Sunday. Submissions for onsite grading are currently planned to be cutoff at 5 PM Friday the 13th. It’s a bit of a grind for all the PCGS crew but we know you want us here and we appreciate it.
Speaking of the PCGS crew, most people have no idea of how many PCGS team members it takes to pull off a show like the ANA or all the work that is entailed. Planning starts a year in advance. Dates have to be confirmed, calendars coordinated, hotel accommodations made, then there is the massive amount of equipment and supplies that are required and the logistics it takes to get them to the right spot at the right time. You won’t see all of us as many are working behind the scenes, but there will be 35 PCGS employees here in Boston!
Boston is a great city full of history and many wonderful historic venues. I lived and worked here years ago and still have family here in the city and nearby. One of the things I miss about East Coast summers are the later afternoon thunder storms. My connecting flight from Dallas was delayed on Thursday as Boston experienced a nice storm!