Any News On 25th Anniversary ASE Set?

A couple of comments:

If you believe that the TPG's have it out for you then it's simple...don't send anything to be graded and boycott graded coins from the bigger more respected companies because you know they are all in cahoots. Solves that issue....(oh, and don't use a credit card in a restaurant 'cuz they are all stealing your data and peeing in your food.)




While the mintage quoted was incorrect the numbers of these regular issue coins with the 25th Annie label will be MUCH lower than the two key coins of the set (because of the bazillion open box sales). THAT is a very key point for collectors that will want a complete set in a certain grade. Even if "the Man" takes all the 70's out of your submission (humor) just the 69's in a set will command a significant premium...

Facts are facts....this is from my post on another thread here:

Same common coin...only difference is the label...repeat...ONLY difference is the 20th Annie label:

Without the 20th Annie label:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2006-W-NGC-MS-7...em20be3473f8

With the 20th Annie label:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2006-W-1-AMERIC...em4cfb80722e

Same exact coin....whether or not you agree with the concept it is what it is...collectors WILL pay for it...

Little more happy today ..... mint account says my order has been shipped ...
the tracking information is showing anything .. but I have hope I will have my sets tomorrow.

My order number is 38360xxx, I think my order went through around 4:20 EDT

This whole notion of perfection, something only really applicable to modern coins of the past few decades, is so heavily dependent on the definition of perfection being applied to the specific coin type by the specific graded at the specific company that there are bound to be differences between the companies. To discover if there is truly a difference between the companies (and not simply a perception of difference), one would need to perform a fairly complicated study without either the knowledge or consent of the companies involved. It would be difficult to execute, require stealth and secrecy, be expensive, and be of huge value to the collecting public. Unfortunately, finding people willing to fund such a study who are also capable of keeping the secret, may be difficult. In the absence of such data, impressions of the standards of the various grading companies (mine included) will remain highly subjective and charged with emotion. ANACS, which began its life as the official grading service for the ANA, has been, in my view (again based on my perception of the wallet ballot), and remains highly respected in its grading of a number of classic coins, especially gold coins.

I have only sent a single coin in for grading (and the grade was of no interest to me, really) and that was my 2009 silver proof Northern Mariana Islands quarter, and I only did that because I wanted it tagged as a significant error (including establishing a point in time at which it was known) and protected by the slab. Unfortunately, the additional $36 that PCGS charges to authenticate and grade error coins turned out to pay for nothing more than a special label, which I did not even get because the grader stated that the mint meant to make my coin like that and that no error had occurred. I have no desire to have the coins in my collection "professionally" graded or slabbed, and, aside from mint direct purchases or the purchase of "mint original" items from the secondary market, I use available imaging if I am not holding the coin I am considering for purchase and make my own determination as to whether or not it is worth the asking price, deserves a counter offer, should be walked away from, or what my max price on an auction should be. The grade, stated or guesstimated, is unimportant. What is important is what I am willing to pay for what I see and can I get for that price or better. Even in the realm of the "perfect" 70 grade, there is significant variation from one coin to another and with what is sometimes a ten to one price jump from 69 to 70, deciding what a particular coin is really worth to me is not an easy task. For me, to blindly pay the asking price for such a coin, or to believe that all "perfect" coins of any given type, evaluated by the same grader, at the same TPG are worth a single price is a risky tack at best. With such a significant difference in price between grades, there are certainly many coins from both sides that are worth somewhere in between the two extremes. Also, it is important to remember that "professional" grading takes place in a matter of seconds, whereas I normally spend several minutes examining a coin before assigning a value. I too, feel that I can tell the difference between a 69 and a 70, but what causes that difference is different for each coin type and not all perfect coins of a given type are of equal value. For me, when deciding whether a coin deserves a perfect score is largely a matter of not finding any reason to downgrade it during a detailed evaluation. That is a very different process than the one used to assign any grade at or below a 69. Also, for me (as I believe is the case for most people), to be considered perfect requires more than the lack of detectable defects.

Of course, all of my rant so far is mainly concerned with coins entering my collection. When talking about having coins graded and slabbed for the sole purpose of preparing them for sale the ideals of numismatics fall by the wayside and market forces dominate. Do I send my coins to the company who's 70s people appear to be paying the most for or do I go with a company that I perceive hands out the grade to a larger percentage of coins to get more of them even though the average per coin selling price seems lower. Is my buyer going to base their decision on what to pay based on the opinion of a TPG and a set of price charts or will they act like me and arrive at their own subjective decision of what each individual coin is worth to them. Buying any coin sight unseen is risky business and buying a coin graded 70 is even more so because of the drastic premium granted so often that grade. This notion of perfection doesn't even exist in classic coins, the first appearance of the grade in the PCGS price charts is 1960 for cents, dimes, and quarters, 1963 for nickels, and 1968 for halves. The grade has been handed out to modern commemoratives and Eagles since the inception of those series (in 1982 and 1986 respectively).

I guess what my rant really boils down to is caveat emptor. Educate yourself both as a buyer and a seller, and put as little faith as is possible in third party grades and grading companies. Use TPGs sparingly and carefully, their services are not cheap and not always what they appear to be. Make sure that what you are paying for is what you really want when using their services and understand what their labels are really telling you as a buyer. As a member of the ANA, I think I would have a problem selling coins with these FS, ER, or FDOI labels without explaining what they do and do not really mean to a potential buyer without violating my interpretation of my contract with that organization. Of course, not every member interprets the contract as strictly as I do (and that's OK) and ANA members are a fairly small percentage of coin buyers and sellers, so be careful out there and try to enjoy coin collecting and trading as much as a hobby as a business.

EDIT: GR58, with your order marked as shipped this early in the day, it will definitely ship this afternoon. You probably won't get any meaningful tracking info until the wee hours of tomorrow morning but sometime after 3:30PM ET UPS should at least recognize the tracking number but you will get your coins sometime tomorrow.

Here is a link to the thread I started shortly after I discovered the coin (the pictures aren't there any more):
http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum...ins&tid=1687
Here is a link to a thread I started when I first sent the coin to PCGS (this thread still has some pictures):
http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum...ins&tid=2506
And here are direct links to the pictures of the coin in that thread:
http://forums.about.com/n/docs/docD...457e4a6b6a0a
http://forums.about.com/n/docs/docD...138b7d1d9bbf
http://forums.about.com/n/docs/docD...191bf22ae64c
http://forums.about.com/n/docs/docD...4cde696803bf
http://forums.about.com/n/docs/docD...d8c5eacd2ef5
http://forums.about.com/n/docs/docD...1e847fac8586

In the two plus years since finding the coin, I have yet to see or hear of another like it so it is still possible that it is the only one to escape the mint. Any that did not get out were certainly destroyed. Mike Diamond did a full page write up on my coin for the Feb 14, 2011 issue of Coin World. That article (on page 74) has pictures as well.

The arc that goes through "ED STATES OF AM" on the obverse is the lower edge of a portion of the field that is raised to the north. The conclusion is that that the portion of the field was ground down accidentally as part of the final mirror polishing of the field before the die was put into service. The defect was evidently discovered right away since only one of the coins struck with that die (possibly but not likely the only one) has surfaced so far.

Here is a link the the thread on this forum I started to try and reach more collectors in an attempt to find more examples of the coin:
https://goccf.com/t/74013

Some of the best pictures of the error area itself are on page 3 of that thread.

NGC OFFERS LABEL FOR 25TH ANNIVERSARY EAGLE SETS

Posted on 10/26/2011
Coins from the limited-edition set of American Eagle Silver coins will receive a special NGC label and pedigree. Special submission instructions apply.

To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the American Eagle Silver Coin Program, the US Mint is issuing a limited-edition set of five one-ounce American Eagle Silver Coins. This five-coin set contains one each of the following 2011 dated coins: American Eagle Silver Uncirculated Coin -- mint mark: "W" (West Point); American Eagle Silver Proof Coin -- mint mark: "W" (West Point); American Eagle Silver Reverse Proof Coin -- mint mark: "P" (Philadelphia); American Eagle Silver Bullion Coin -- no mint mark and American Eagle Silver Uncirculated Coin -- mint mark: "S" (San Francisco).

Coins from these sets will be pedigreed as 25TH ANNIVERSARY SET. A special NGC commemorative label is available. Because some of these coins are also available individually from the US Mint, special instructions must be followed in order for coins to qualify for this
25TH ANNIVERSARY SET pedigree and label.

Submission Instructions

Coins must remain in the sealed US Mint shipping boxes, and the entire unopened package must
be sent to NGC for certification.
NGC must open these boxes in
order for the coins to qualify for the
25TH ANNIVERSARY SET
pedigree.
Note: If NGC receives the package unsealed, only the reverse proof and S mintmark coins will receive the NGC 25th label. All other coins will get NGC's standard brown label with 25th Anniversary in the coin overprint.

Select the Modern Special Tier or higher.
All anniversary sets that arrive at NGC during the Early Releases period will automatically be labeled as "Early Releases". To opt out of the Early Releases designation, write "No Early Releases" on the submission form.
Coins for this designation or special label must be on their own submission invoice. The 25th Anniversary coins cannot be mixed with other coins to qualify for this pedigree.
Mint purchase receipt will be returned with the Shipping Copy of the NGC Submission form.
Original Mint packaging will not be returned unless requested on the submission form.

â- Š If requested, a surcharge of $1 per set will be assessed for this service.
â- Š Write "Return Mint Packaging" clearly on the submission form.
â- Š The Mint packaging including capsules will be returned with graded coins. The weight of the original Mint packaging is approx. 3 lbs., and you will be charged for the postage to return it.
Shipping boxes will not be returned.
Due to the special handling required, NGC will not accept submissions of these sets at trade shows.

Dealers should contact NGC for bulk submission instructions and guidelines.

Questions? Contact NGC Customer Service at service[b][/b]@[b][/b]NGCcoin.com or 1-800-NGC-COIN (1-800-642-2646).

Collectors Society paid members can submit their sets directly to NGC. Not an NGC Collectors Society member? Paid memberships start at just $39/year. Join as a Premium member, or upgrade to Premium membership, and you'll receive a coupon to have five coins graded for free, which you can use to submit your 25th Anniversary set. Join today.

Can somone point out the post# in this thread that had the compilation of ebay auctions for the 25th ann set? At least I think it was this thread. I looked back but I can't seem to find it.

Also any opinions on bringing the sealed box of two sets to a coin show (lots of dealers) and seeing what kind of offers Imight get versus going the (first timer) ebay route?

Thanks.