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BStrauss3's Last 20 Posts
1881 S Morgan DMPL Ins Certification Company Another Worthless Grading Company?
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BStrauss3
Pillar of the Community
United States
4359 Posts |
Posted Yesterday 09:22 am
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Exactly. Originally, authentication, then grading was added.
Most of the informational posts are over at PCGS, can't post links here, but search for INSAB or INS. I'll quote one post from the thread about a 1904 $5 Liberty that ended up having the most consolidated view:
Quote: Putting all this info in one place. Courtesy of collector universe and coin talk.
@insider2 posted:
"The International Numismatic Society (INS) was established in DC around 1975 - 76 (I forgot) by Charles Hoskins and a group of well-established US, world, and ancient coin dealers when ANACS left DC and Hoskins (the Director of ANACS) and most of the staff elected to stay behind. Chuck and I worked at INS's Authentication Bureau. We authenticated ancients, tokens, medals, and coins from any country or era. INSAB was the service that authenticated the 1870-S Half dime after it was discovered. The INS had several yearly conventions with auctions in Washington, DC.
Before leaving ANACS Charlie and I were at the first grading roundtable where plans were being made for the ANA to start grading coins after the publication of a grading guide. ANACS was moved to CO before the guide was published. INS was the FIRST THIRD-PARTY COIN GRADING SERVICE beating the ANA by several months. Charlie and I graded coins for free upon request an sent out our opinion on a separate card from the Photo Certificate of Authenticity. As soon as the ANA started charging folks for a grading opinion we began charging extra for grading. Unfortunately, The ANA system of grading had some major flaws - chief of which was to combine the amount of wear on a coin with the number of marks. Additionally, while they claimed to have a technical grading system, no one there actually had a clue as they were never taught the system so they bastardized it. Then one day one-day coins graded MS-65 became MS-63's when they had to conform to the marketplace.
We used the "technical grading system" I devised for the internal records of ANACS when I worked there. This "true" technical system was based on the old standards of "No trace of wear." Since it was very strict, the grading was very precise with no wiggle room and very little subjectivity. The system was designed so that a coin would always be the same grade over time as long as its condition did not change. We were only concerned with its condition of preservation from when it was struck so a flat strike and eye appeal were not that important. The system was to identify a coin along with a weight and photo - NOT TO PLACE A VALUE ON IT. That was the job of the coin dealers. Obviously, this did not work in the marketplace. Nevertheless, INSAB stayed in business until the early 1990's. I left in the late 1980's."
From Conder101 on NGC boards:
INS was the second authentication service. They started up in 1975 just a couple years after ANACS (ANACS started in 1972 not 1974 as the MyCoinCollecting site says.) It was based in Washington DC, the same place as ANACS at the time. There earliest holders used Polaroid images of the coins and the certification was on a separate certificate, at first a postcard size and then later an 8 1/2 X 11 one ith much more detail about the coin. In 1976 Charles Hoskins left as director of ANACS and moved to INS where he became the company President. In 1979 they added grading to their certificates as well.
@PerryHall In 1985 they licensed the use of the photoslab shells from Accugrade and began produced slabbed coins. The one Prudden posted is either an INS-3 or and INS-4 slab the difference being the addition of a serial number on the back of the INS-4.
In 1992 the company relocated to Philadelphia PA. The slabs changed to an orange label and the words Authentication Bureau were replaced with a Coin Capsule logo.
The last INS slab seen dates from 1997. The company has relocated once again and I now in Aston PA. The label is now a yellow orange and the INS has a new logo. At this point I think the company was now little more than Charles Hoskins just doing soe slabbing on the side. Aston PA is the last known address I have for him. INS -5 slabs from Philadelphia are few and far between, then with the five year jump before the INS-6 slab is probably a good indication that the company was pretty much defunct. Only one example of the INS-6 slab has been seen.
The slab company information on the Error World Administrators page came from me. I gave Jan Schwenk the information in answer to a question from him, and he then "generously donated it" to the website without asking me. Later when someone pointed out the website to me I agreed they could keep it and provided the information on companies 74 through 83. They attributed the information to Kerridee which is my sister-in-laws craft company. (My computer was down and I provided the information through her computer.)
Had no idea 1904 $5 were hard to find.
While Conder said "Only one example of the INS-6 slab has been seen" and elsewhere indicated it had probably been cracked out due to the value of the coin, there is at least one lower valued still in existence... I posted photos of it later in the thread I'm thinking of.
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| Forum: US Classic and Colonial Coins |
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US Mint Facility In The Dalles Oregon?
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BStrauss3
Pillar of the Community
United States
4359 Posts |
Posted 04/15/2025 10:35 am
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If you think about it, the function of the 2.5 mints was very similar, to take local gold deposits, refine it, and produce Federal coinage in a secure manner.
Thus it's not surprising that the designs of the buildings were similar. As to the ornamental, there was also a concept of what a "government facility" should look like - imposing, stone, just radiating "I'm government". |
| Forum: Main Coin Forum |
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How Will The New Import Tariffs Affect International Coin Auctions?
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BStrauss3
Pillar of the Community
United States
4359 Posts |
Posted 04/07/2025 09:17 am
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Well for last mile delivery through USPS, there's going to be a fee you will need to pay in addition to the tariff before your package is released for delivery.
There is what appears to be a reasonable Reddit post but it's in the sub for that company that shall not be named. A search for "USPS Attempts to Prepare for De Minimis Revocation With $8.85 Service Fee on Each Inbound Package" will find it.
But anyway, if you want the thumbnail...
Reference this https://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc7_002.htm which just says the USPS will collect a fee for handling dutiable packages. That ultimately leads to this:

and
Quote: 712.12 Collecting Postal Service Fee for Each Package The Postal Service collects the fee on each package bearing CBP Form 3419ALT. When a single mail entry form covers several packages, the Postal Service collects the fee only on the package bearing CBP Form 3419ALT. The CBP Form 3419ALT is enclosed in an orange adhesive-backed Treasury Department envelope attached to the outside wrapper or envelope. The form indicates the tariff item number, rate of duty, and amount of duty to be collected plus a customs processing fee, which is assessed on all dutiable mail shipments.
For giggles, now read this and estimate the workload of a few dozen packages per carrier per day
https://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc7_003.htm#ep28899
It's going to be a Goat Rodeo!
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| Forum: eCommerce | eBay, eCrater, Heritage, Paypal, Auction Houses, etc. |
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1990 P Penny - Improperly Annealed
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BStrauss3
Pillar of the Community
United States
4359 Posts |
Posted 04/05/2025 11:33 pm
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Starting mid-year 1982, the composition of the cent changed from copper (technically bronze due to up to 5% of Zinc in the alloy) to copper-plated zinc.
What you are seeing is some of the copper plating being worn off exposing the zinc core. |
| Forum: US Modern Variety and Error Coins |
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Blank Nickel Coin I Got In Change
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BStrauss3
Pillar of the Community
United States
4359 Posts |
Posted 03/26/2025 09:25 am
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When a to-be-coin is cut out of the metal strip by the blanking press, that creates...
a blank, also called type 1.
The blank goes through an upsetting mill which uses pressure to create a proto-rim that creates...
a planchet, also called type 2.
The planchet is struck to create a coin.
Occasionally, blanks and planchets escape the mint without being struck (the mint has also given out cent planchets as tour souveniers and included them in mint sets to fill an empty spot).
What you are seeing is the raw surface that should have been struck by a die to create a nickel, plus the dings from circulation - which are probably a lot worse than average due to the flat surface.
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| Forum: US Modern Variety and Error Coins |
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1965-Nm Washington Quarter
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BStrauss3
Pillar of the Community
United States
4359 Posts |
Posted 03/24/2025 6:47 pm
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Wasn't a mint "decision". The enabling legislation allowed them to use all of their facilities without mintmarks. It was an actual change in the law. Reverted in 1968. |
| Forum: US Modern Coins |
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