The truly dismal state of NGC world coin population data.

[CoinPictures-migration]

Last year I had mentioned to NGC that I found the online population data for world coins to be extremely incomplete. I received a response touting how frequently things were now being updated and that there were new programming tools speeding up the process, etc., and "There are many fewer omissions than you might suspect, and a 100% inclusive Census is our goal. It is not far off."

 

Au contraire.

 

(Keep in mind that this was back in September 2006.)

 

Tonight I finally got around to verifying the cert numbers and checking population data on all the NGC-graded world coins in my collection. The 41 coins below are NOT in the population data.

 

That is a staggering number to me, given the relatively small size of my collection. If there are that many coins in my personal collection not showing up, there literally must be thousands of coins that have been omitted from the population data.

 

Very disconcerting.

 

Austria 1 Heller 1901 NGC MS66 BN 1880363-013

Belgian Congo 5 Centimes 1887 NGC MS65 BN 2750338-022

Belgian Congo 5 Cents 1888/7 NGC MS63 BN 1878047-001

Belgium 1 Franc 1867 NGC XF45 1282427-003

Belgium 5 Francs 1869 NGC AU55 2750634-004

Breslau 3 Kreuzer 1670 SHS NGC MS64 2751317-002

British Honduras 5 Cents 1936 NGC MS65 548520-001

British North Borneo 1Cent 1891 H NGC MS65 BN 1521589-003

British West Africa 1 Penny 1936 KN NGC MS66 2750388-017

Ceylon 5 Cents 1870 NGC MS62 BN 2047561-005

Chile 1 Peso 1885 SO NGC MS63 1755720-017

Chile 10 Centavos 1941 NGC MS67 1728021-004

Costa Rica 50 Centimos 1923 over 1893 NGC MS65 2750904-031

Fiji 1 Penny 1936 NGC MS66 2750387-021

Great Britain 1 Penny 1806 NGC MS64 BN PL 1520833-010

Great Britain 1/2 Penny 1770 NGC MS64 BN PL 1520843-002

Great Britain 1/3 Farthing 1844 NGC MS63 BN (5% curved clip) 1879857-003

Guatemala 1/2 Real CS 1894 on 1893 NGC MS64 2751145-007

Hungary 5 Pengo Klippe 1929 BP NGC PF68 CAMEO 1944042-002

India 1 Rupee 1840C KM 458.2 NGC MS62 2751317-011

Lebanon 1 Piastre 1955 NGC MS66 1879137-008

Liberia 2 Cents 1868 Pattern KM-PN16 NGC PF64 BN CAMEO 1522706-026

Liberia 2 Cents 1890 Pattern KM-PN54 NGC PF66 RB 1522707-017

Mozambique 2 Reis 1853 NGC MS62 BN 1521376-013

Muhlhausen 6 Pfennig 1767/6 NGC MS62 2751317-017

Netherlands 1/2 Cent 1883 NGC AU58 BN 2751317-018

Netherlands 2.5 Cents 1883 NGC MS66 BN 1906775-020

New Zealand 20 Cents 1977 NGC PF69 ULTRA CAMEO 2750598-006

New Zealand 3 Pence 1942 NGC MS66 1907924-003

Portuguese India 1/2 Rupia 1936 NGC MS65 2085900-009

Portuguese India 1/2 Rupia 1947 NGC MS65 1811137-011

Saudi Arabia 25 H AH1408 NGC PF65 1520860-012

Saxony 1/6 Thaler 1865 B NGC MS66 1879616-003

Schwyz 1 Alba 1838 NGC MS63 BN 1906141-003

Seychelles 25 Cents 1951 NGC MS66 2750337-049

Sweden 2 Kroner 1897 EB NGC MS63 1879637-004

Sweden 5 Kronor 1935 G NGC MS64 1757055-009

Sweden 5 Ore 1922 NGC MS61 BN 1755720-003

Tunisia 1/4 Kharub AH1281 NGC PF67 RD 1520868-009

Tunisia Kharub AH 1281 NGC SP66 RD 1757055-005

Vaud 1 Franc 1845 NGC AU55 704386-003

[World Colonial]

Yes, you are correct. I have a few coins in my collection that are not in the reports. It is really annoying because the material I collect is very difficult to find in the grades that I am looking for, and the poor data in the reports just makes it that much harder to determine what is available and how rare it actually might be.

 

There are a few series that I believe are accurately represented even if the numbers are wrong. South Africa ZAR coins are one. But this would only apply to coins with a larger population.

[koincollector]

All of mine do not appear in the population report! Not that I mind it! The world coins graded by NGC are just a small percentage of the population as a majority of them are collected raw outside of the US and so the population data on these are meaningless to most of the world coins.

[World Colonial]

US collectors do not own most world coins but there are probably a few series and issues where they own a substantial percentage or a majority of the HIGH quality coins (and the trend for many these coins seems to be an increasing preference for slabbed coins). A good example of that is British coins It is much easier to find high grade business strikes or proofs or rare issues with Heritage and Goldberg at auction or Northeast Numismatics as a dealer than it is with Spinks or any local British dealer that I know of.

 

Other series such as the Spanish Colonial Pillars or Bolivian Republic I collect are slightly different than that example but not much. There are far more collectors in the US or Europe who collect Pillars than in the former colonies. And I've been to Bolivia and the average collector cannot find any quality material, colonial or not, locally. I think all of the high quality Bolivian coins have left the country and I would expect that there are many other countries with the same experience. There either are few collectors or they do not have the money to compete for them.

[zissop-migration]

The problem is why NGC does not update correctly the population data. They have the invoices, its a matter of time to make a program that will include anything.

 

I am a programmer myself and for me it is very strange how this has not been addressed yet.

 

Any official reply?

[HuliganRS]

Same for Russian coins. The pop does not reflect coins I own.

[AtlaZ-migration]

1slabbed coin /30 is not in the census. Pretty good for me.

Maybe my slabbed coins are recents

[SuperDave]

I don't think more than one or two coins out of twenty or so NGC slabs I've looked at in my recent online travels have been in the population data.

[dooly]

Yes all my world coins are missing from the reg.. why can we not add them.. by putting the numbers in when we get the coins back ?

[dooly]

I have a 1830 CNB 10 kopeck B-273 pattern graded MS 65 BN one is listed but is it mine ? how can you tell

[World Colonial]

I have a 1830 CNB 10 kopeck B-273 pattern graded MS 65 BN one is listed but is it mine ? how can you tell

 

It is possible that it is not but most likely it is. I believe each collector needs to just develop a subjective opinion based upon how often they are able to find coins in their series.

 

One of the denominations I have has a population of 12 for all dates and I own six of them plus I had the opportunity to buy three others. Do I think there are others? It would seem that there would be because it does not seem likely that most of the NGC coins would come up for sale in a short period of time. But then, I never saw any in the five years prior to that. I bought five of them last year and sent one in as a cross-over.

[dooly]

I have a 1830 CNB 10 kopeck B-273 pattern graded MS 65 BN one is listed but is it mine ? how can you tell

 

It is possible that it is not but most likely it is. I believe each collector needs to just develop a subjective opinion based upon how often they are able to find coins in their series.

 

One of the denominations I have has a population of 12 for all dates and I own six of them plus I had the opportunity to buy three others. Do I think there are others? It would seem that there would be because it does not seem likely that most of the NGC coins would come up for sale in a short period of time. But then, I never saw any in the five years prior to that. I bought five of them last year and sent one in as a cross-over.

 

you are probably right as there was only 25 ever minted of this pattern 3 listed two i have seen for sale in the US (which were not as good) ? could all 25 still be around? i dont think so..

 

well done finding your coins any chance of a picture!