All of us at the Certified Collectibles Group extend our deepest sympathy and heartfelt concern to all those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The devastation and aftermath is unimaginable, and we are hoping for the most expedited recovery possible.

We have created a Community Bulletin on our Message Boards for collectors and dealers to post temporary contact information and details about business interruptions. You can post directly by visiting the boards, or we can add a post for you. Please contact Customer Service to have your post added.

Hurricane Katrina Community Bulletins

Additionally, The Certified Collectibles Group conducted a donation drive and offered to match donations to the American Red Cross made by its Authorized Dealers, Collectors’ Society and Message Board Members.

This donation drive ended Thursday September 15th and we are pleased to report that the final donation total was $16,881.00. A portion of this amount was raised during an auction held by NGC on the message boards. All proceeds from the auction were donated to the American Red Cross.

The Certified Collectibles Group made its matching donation to the American Red Cross on September 19th.

Thank you to all who participated in this donation drive!

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It is an unfortunate reality, but oftentimes when a numismatic item has a nominal value, it will suffer with less than ideal storage. This is the fate tokens have long endured. Until a recent surge in popularity, tokens have often taken a backseat to their standard issue cousins in terms of both their popularity and their value. The result of this has been storage in holders and in environments that have not been the best to promote long-term stability and those ill-effects abound.

Residues can often obscure the surface beauty of a coin or a token. That is what was covering the obverse of this Civil War Token depicting a patriotic eagle in flight. Civil War Tokens are found in two varieties—those issued by specific merchants known and those depicting purely patriotic design themes with no mention of specific merchants. Civil War Tokens are cataloged in two references written by George and Melvin Fuld. Once the residues are removed from the surface of this token, the details are more vivid and the token is much more stable for its long-term storage and enjoyment.

Another large type of tokens NCS frequently works on is what is known as a Conder Token. These tokens were issued in Britain at the end of the 18th century to provide small denomination money in circulation. Usually representing ½ penny in value, many tokens feature designs advertising merchants through political and social themes as well as cultural themes are also common. The Conder name to these tokens is taken from the name of an author of an early catalog of these tokens. Just as with other token types, many of these tokens have been poorly stored resulting in heavy residues being deposited on the surfaces of the tokens. This politically themed Conder Token had thick residues hiding detail and brilliant surfaces. After the conservation, we can see this token’s true beauty.

So-called Dollars are medals issued in America mostly at the end of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. These medals are typically large, around the size of the contemporary silver dollar or half dollar and feature designs commemorating places, events, people, or things. This medal conserved by NCS was issued in 1876 to commemorate the Centennial Exposition that year in Philadelphia. Thick residues were hiding the surface of this pewter metal almost appearing as corrosion. With professional conservation, those residues were carefully removed to reveal the medal’s details once again.

With greater interest in the various token series, improper storage methods should be a thing of the past. For a complete list of the types of tokens and medals NCS will readily conserve and encapsulate, visit our website www.NCScoin.com.

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World coins frequently can show the effects of improper storage. This piece of China as a Republic dating from 1923 displays some typical results of poor storage. The surfaces have been dulled by a thick residue which in places has resulted in blotchy spots. Once the offending residues were removed through professional conservation and the spots evened out, the coin revealed beautiful reflective original surfaces. This coin later graded MS 62 with NGC following its professional conservation.

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Early American pieces are often encountered exhibiting problems that would prevent them from encapsulation from a major grading service such as NGC. The light corrosion on the surface of the Dollar will prevent it from being certified by NGC. This Continental Currency Dollar in pewter is a great example of what could be encapsulated in an NCS holder when NGC certification would not be an option. In an NCS Details Grade holder, this coin has been authenticated and given a grade of its details.

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Please include a credit card number on your submission form when submitting coins. Failure to include this vital payment information can lead to delays in processing your coins. If you would like to include a credit card as part of your account files, NCS customer service will be glad to do this. The credit card listed in your account files will be charged when a different number is not listed on your submission form.

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