Thread entitled "A trip across the street......", from...well, ATS

[James_OldeTowne]

I virtually never go ATS, much less link threads over there, but a friend alerted me to this thread on the PCGS forums , and it might be the best candidate I've ever read for linkage here. Kudos to AMRC, with whom I have no relationship whatsoever (and I have no idea who he/she is). A worthy read!

[tejas1836]

That's a great post. I'll never get a trip to NGC like that but it's nice to read about someone else's experience.

[cpm9ball]

Thanks for posting this, James. I wish Mark Salzberg would show us his coins, here.

 

Chris

[MarkFeld]

I've seen the Trade Dollar that was mentioned in that post and it is AMAZING. I also think it's cool that the coin is still unlsabbed.

 

I guess some "strange" collections are quite special.

 

Oh, and since the post is worth reading, why not make it easier to do so, like this? :

 

"Several weeks ago I had the privilege of assisting one of my clients to get his NGC number one rated full Morgan Set, pedigreed by NGC. The collector, one of my team members and I all flew to NGC to see the results of the Executive Review and what all 105 coins in the set looked like laid out on the table in new holders. Here we were at NGC headquarters staring at a set in the seven figures and all feeling pretty smug about the whole experience.

Soon we were joined by Mark Salzberg and he personally whet through the collection with us and fielded questions about why some things we had hoped would upgrade did not, while others did. It was quite the education. Here were five full grown mean sitting around a table talking about this collection and after a while I had to ask Mark Salzberg about his collecting habits. Well it was not long after that he offered to share his “strange” collection (His words not mine).

He disappeared for a few minutes and returned with a slab box. And within minutes of opening that box we got to see and hold some once-in-lifetime opportunities. Now we looked at about 20 coins but the four I wrote down that especially moved me were the following:

 

Ultra high relief 1907 G$20 Saint in PF 68. I could not stop starring at this small piece of artwork in my hand. This piece gave new meaning to the whole concept of relief and was superb in finish and quality. A real eye-popper.

 

The next coin that riveted me to my seat was the 1803 S$1 in Proof 66 CAM. Talk about reflective surfaces. This coin looked like it was minted yesterday.

 

The following coin was one of his favorites. To use his words “This coin has everything you could every want to see in an original high-end piece.” And out he pulled a RAW 1877-S Trade dollar that was majestically toned. I graded the coin at MS69, but it was refreshing to hear about the head of NGC not needed to have a coin this magnificent in a holder. He loved the coin for the look, and rightly so as he was true to his words.

 

Another coin that caused me to pinch myself was an 1854 $20 Kellogg Gold Piece. This coin was graded SP69 and was an Ex-Humbert and Garrett pedigree. This was a coin that you seldom see at any price and I spent a good long time taking in every detail.

 

And just when we thought the day could not get any better, we were invited to tag along with Scott Schechter and see behind the walls of Camelot. We saw the receiving room, the vault (from the outside), the grading room and the slabbing room. What floored me the most was when we walked into the grading room and Mark Salzberg was heads down grading coins! There were mountains of Modern Hockey Pucks, crates of ASE’s, Morgan’s and countless other treasures moving left to right on the grading tables. We saw the imaging room where they shoot photos of EVERY coin they grade 4 at a time in this amazing cross between camera, copy stand and computer.

In all it was a great day to be a coin dealer, and a great treat as a collector.

 

Wish you could have all seen it."

 

 

[lcoopie]

I am sure it's not practical,

but if one could spend the day in the grading room

looking over the shoulder of a grader...........

 

wake up Lester

 

[MarkFeld]

I am sure it's not practical,

but if one could spend the day in the grading room

looking over the shoulder of a grader...........

 

wake up Lester

Don't wake up too fast. That might make a great raffle prize to raise money for a charity or the ANA - seriously.You might consider suggesting it to NGC.

[Tradedollarnut]

Would love to see a pic of the trade dollar.

[jesbroken]

Oh please, oh please a photo of the T$. Someone surely has a photo of this coin. How about Mr. Salzburg. Not fair to show it to others and not us.

Jim

[gmarguli]

I am sure it's not practical,

but if one could spend the day in the grading room

looking over the shoulder of a grader...........

 

wake up Lester

Don't wake up too fast. That might make a great raffle prize to raise money for a charity or the ANA - seriously.You might consider suggesting it to NGC.

 

Sounds awesome, but the liability for the grading company should a coin disappear or get damaged is huge. Also, it might be distracting for the graders to have someone looking over their shoulder. I sure most people would be happy with just a quick tour thru the TPG.

 

And it would be very nice if Mr. Salzberg would post some of his coins for us to see.

[DC Dawg]

I am sure it's not practical,

but if one could spend the day in the grading room

looking over the shoulder of a grader...........

 

wake up Lester

Don't wake up too fast. That might make a great raffle prize to raise money for a charity or the ANA - seriously.You might consider suggesting it to NGC.

 

Sounds awesome, but the liability for the grading company should a coin disappear or get damaged is huge. Also, it might be distracting for the graders to have someone looking over their shoulder. I sure most people would be happy with just a quick tour thru the TPG.

 

And it would be very nice if Mr. Salzberg would post some of his coins for us to see.

Somehow, I am sure that if NGC would do this, the person who would bid high enough to win this prize would not be the type to cause too many problems. In many cases, money can be a bozo filter.

 

I would also love to see the coins described. Maybe he would be nice enough to display them at the NGC booth at their next show... say in Baltimore in June?

 

Scott

[Tradedollarnut]

The other coins mentioned I've seen and they are wonderful. But still haven't seen the trade dollar.

 

Monsterman has a trade dollar? Must be a proof.

[leeg]

Great Read!!

 

It is a very nice secure facility.

[MarkFeld]

The other coins mentioned I've seen and they are wonderful. But still haven't seen the trade dollar.

 

Monsterman has a trade dollar? Must be a proof.

Yes, he had a beautifully toned NGC PR66, that I felt was superior to and more appealing than most 67's I've seen.