The Gallery Grading Company

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Originally posted by danmcbride1968

After that, we'll all band together and see what can be done about this new kid on the block, the Gallery Grading Company.

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I'm not quite sure what you are saying here? Are you suggesting that this person or company don't belong in this hobby?

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Originally posted by OldDan

I'm not quite sure what you are saying here? Are you suggesting that this person or company don't belong in this hobby?

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Well, OldDan, I DO BELIEVE that Gallery Grading Company has no business in the coin grading business, and that Grant Welton (shadowzen66) has no business in the coin collecting hobby, and he certainly should not be selling them. Here's why I have formed this opinion.

I received a winning bid notice from ebay on one of the coins graded by Gallery Grading Company, which I purchased from ebay user shadowzen66 (Grant Welton).

At the beginning of the email, it lists the item number, seller, and end date. This is the seller information that I received:

                  Seller: shadowzen66 (4 Welton - Sikeston, MO United States)

As I mentioned in my original post, the WHOIS information for the Gallery Coins / Gallery Grading Company website lists a Sikeston, MO address for the website owner. It just seems a little too convenient to me that the coin seller lists the same city/state as the website owner.

At the bottom of the email, it states that the payment was sent to Grant Welton at an address in Cape Girardeau, MO. Would you believe that Cape Girardeau and Sikeston are less than 35 miles apart?

This whole situation has me in an uproar, and it's certainly not helping my high blood pressure one bit. I'm praying that I've not been the victim of a fraud or scam by these characters, because I'm certainly not the richest man around.

I have purchased these coins as birthday presents for my daughter, who will be 6 in July. I started her in coin collecting on her second birthday, having bought her 100 wheaties from a local dealer. As time passed, her wheatie collection grew to over 500. I even had an 1858 Small Letter Flying Eagle penny (the condition wasn't great, but it was an interesting coin) and 15-20 Indian head pennies, all dated between 1860 and 1872 (some of those coins were in very good condition).

Unfortunately, the entire collection was stolen sometime during a move we made two years ago. As you can well imagine, she was crushed. So I've been slowly building her a new collection, this time including coins other than just pennies.

I do sincerely believe that Gallery Grading Company, Gallery Coins, and Mr. Welton are taking place in some sort of a scam. It seems EXTREMELY suspicious to me that the coins were graded by a company only 35 miles away from the address of the seller. For all we know, Mr. Welton works for Gallery Grading and he graded the coins. Heck, Gallery Grading Company could actually be Mr. Welton himself.

The rest of you out there, please, let us know what you think, and what your experiences have been with Gallery Coins, Gallery Grading Company, or ebay user shadowzen66. I'd be interested to know if there are any of you that feel the same way I do.

We'll have to wait and see. I have already spoken to a very reputable coin dealer here in my hometown, and he has offered his services free of charge. When I receive the coins he will do an "informal" grading of the coins for me. He already has many of the GGC graded coins that I have purchased, and all of his coins were graded by PCGS.

Let's all keep our fingers crossed (and our wallets closed) on this one. I'll be sure to keep you all posted on what I find out.

Well, I got my first three coins from shadowzen66 (graded by Gallery Grading) today and gave them a good look.

First coin is a 1955-S MS-68 RD penny. It looks pretty good, but it's DEFINATELY NOT MS68. If I were to guess, I'd say MS65, maybe.

Second coin also a 1955-S MS-68 RD penny. It looks a little better, but still not MS68. Best of the three.

Third coin is a 1957-D MS-67 RD penny. Imperfection on back. Don't know if this makes it better or worse.

Then I took them over to Shorty at the coin shop. He offered me $150 for the lot, and I turned him down. He wouldn't grade them for me, but I swear I saw stars in his eyes while he looked at them.

Still have five more coins coming. I'll keep you posted.

Dan

Must be the "Second" finest examples known....See reports Below...A great illustration of ND's explaination for why low tier TPG's exsist and thrive!!!!!Mike

Description
1955-S 1C MS68 Red PCGS. The 1955-S was produced to the extent of 44.6 million pieces. While this total may not be small in the wider context of U.S. coinage, it is rather limited for a Lincoln Cent from the 1950s. Apparently, the collecting community in 1955 felt the same way, because this issue was widely hoarded at the time of delivery. As a result, the '55-S is actually more common in Mint State than in the circulated grades. That said, we turn our attention to the present Superb Gem, which is a 1955-S Cent that belongs in a category of its own. The surfaces are truly extraordinary, both sides being free of even the most trivial blemish. Full orange-red luster flows over the sharp features, the latter of which are particularly noteworthy for an issue that is known for severe die wear. A swirl of powder-blue color on the reverse at the denomination ONE CENT further confirms the originality of this gorgeous example. This is the single finest certified 1955-S Lincoln Cent (7/02), so Registry Set collectors had best be prepared to enter premium quality bids when it crosses the auction block.

Previous Prices from Heritage Auctions
Lot Date Grade Service Realized
Sale 300, Lot 5632 Saturday, September 28, 2002 68 PCGS $7,475.00

Price Guide*
Grade Coin World
(Trends) Numismedia
Retail Numismedia
Wholesale Numismedia
NGC (nmn) Numismedia
PCGS (nmp) Coin
Universe
67 --- $115 $92 $81 $84 $200
68 --- --- --- --- --- $6,500
69 --- --- --- --- --- ---
*All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible.

Population Guide
Service Grade Population Population of Higher Grade Total Population Mintage
PCGS 68 1* 0* 2,225 44,610,000
NGC 68 0 0 2,723



Description
1957-D 1C MS67 Red PCGS. Sharply detailed with rich orange-gold color and luxuriant luster over nearly mark-free surfaces. A Registry bound late-date Wheat cent. Present population: 13 in 67, none finer (3/05).
From The Tom Mershon #2 All-Time PCGS Registry Set of Lincoln Wheat Cents.(#2845) (Registry values: P1)

Previous Prices from Heritage Auctions
Lot Date Grade Service Realized
Sale 372, Lot 5445 Saturday, May 7, 2005 67 PCGS $4,312.50
Sale 355, Lot 5586 Saturday, September 11, 2004 67 PCGS $2,645.00

Price Guide*
Grade Coin World
(Trends) Numismedia
Retail Numismedia
Wholesale Numismedia
NGC (nmn) Numismedia
PCGS (nmp) Coin
Universe
66 --- $50 $40 $35 $36 $35
67 --- $150 $120 $105 $110 $2,700
68 --- --- --- --- --- ---
*All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible.

Population Guide
Service Grade Population Population of Higher Grade Total Population Mintage
PCGS 67 13* 0* 810 1,051,342,000
NGC 67 0 0 0