I saw Larry Briggs at the big Raleigh regional show in... 2019? It was still a going concern at that point, and I haven't heard anything here about them shutting down. On the other hand, I tried to hit their website just now, and I'm having no success.
No surprise if they aren't operating anymore. eBay was probably the main factor. eBay wouldn't let a TPG use their grades as proof of certification unless they had a database that could be accessed. NGC and PCGS already did and ANACS and ICG busted butts to complete theirs. SEGS and PCI didn't so they lost out on that.
The SEGS website has been taken down. Emails and phone calls to them go unanswered. I sent them an order of 14 potentially very valuable (think 1963-D full steps) Jefferson steppers in November 2019. They cashed my check promptly, but never heard from them. AND NEVER RECEIVED MY COINS back. I sent an email directly to Larry Briggs and no reply from him either. Larry has always seemed like a stand up guy, I hope he is OK. My hope was that someone here on CoinTalk would be able to shed light on what is going on with SEGS because pursuing remediation through Attorney General, Better Business Bureau, Chattanooga PD, etc. is a real pain in the butt...
Ugh. In that case, you definitely have more recent information than I do, and it sounds pretty grim. I see that http://www.larrybriggsrarecoins.com/ is still up, and a tag at the bottom says "Powered By Larry Briggs Rare Coins 2021" -- sometimes when a site gets abandoned the datestamps tell the tale, but it's easy enough to write code that will always show the current year. But that's a really primitive website: it doesn't even use HTTPS for logins. Without going into technical details, that means "don't even think of ordering online through that site", with a large side of "what the heck is he thinking?"
Happily, I got a phone yesterday call from the nice young lady that used to run the office at SEGS. I don't want to give too many details about what happened, as there may be legal action in progress, but I will say that apparently there was a crook working inside SEGS undetected for many years. That's the bad news. The good news he finally got caught and this precipitated the dissolution of the "old" SEGS, and the formation of a "new" TPG: SEGS2021 My coins are safe and will be among the first coins encapsulated by the "new" outfit!
Wow. I'll be waiting to hear more news about this. I'm glad your coins are accounted for, and I hope SEGS can recover.
Every so often we hear stories about undesirables tarnishing a grading service from the inside. Unfortunately, they are true and mostly covered up really well. Outside consultants have also been involved in this type of "game." Besides SEGS, at least one other TPGS has been hit extremely hard twice by an employee and consultants in their foreign coin tier.
The answer to your REAL question is: No. What I really mean is that no matter how much rebranding they do, there’s no way they’ll b accepted in the larger marketplace at this point. They’ve botched too many grades for too long.
I generally found their grading to be comparable/better to the 4 ebay acceptable TPG, and an extraordinary believed function was having a grade with a fault note. (e.g. MS64, reverse scratch). I've repeatedly over the years posted PCGS coins as a recent MS66 Gold coin with severe bag marks, rub, poor luster. I personally hadn't found similar grading to the above with SEGS. I only expect a TPG to provide an accurate grade. With respect to a guarantee/customer-service from the ebay acceptable TPG, I can only LOL, as an ebay buyer trying to contact them. JMHO
Just my humble opinion… but I don’t think you’ve looked at enough SEGS coins. But that aside, yes: all TPG services make mistakes and frequently change their standards. That was not my point. My point was that SEGS will never be accepted in the marketplace. And yes, I respect Larry Briggs and his contributions to numismatics. (Just not his attempts at grading).
You may be correct, as I've only watched, and acquired their products for the ~13 years of using ebay. I can say that when submitting their slab relieved coins to NGC and PCGS as raw, a reasonable grade was received. I'm a potential buyer for pre-1933 U.S. Gold SEGS slabbed coins from owners on this site who P.M. to me. JMHO
I'd love to know how this turned out, but @bushmaster8 hasn't been on the site for almost a year and a half. On the off chance you're still out there and getting email notifications (that would make ONE of us I guess), any update?
I saw them at the Summer FUN show. They were about as friendly as a pack of porcupines. I couldn't leave quickly enough.
I purchased a coin from Larry Briggs last week on his website. I received an order confirmation right away. I emailed and called to arrange payment several times and haven't been able to reach anyone there. Does anyone know if his Larry Briggs Rare Coins business is still operating? I've never encountered a business still taking orders with no one responding to calls or emails.
Really? You ordered from a website where the show schedule is from 2017? And everything else is equally dated.
I don't know whether he's still doing business, or even still alive, but that website won't provide the answer. I found a couple of one-star reviews from the past year complaining about his personality on Google -- no surprise, he doesn't generally do warm-and-fuzzy. There was also one five-star review that was quite recent but provided no details. I wonder if it was from someone who found a coin he liked at a price he liked on the website, but hasn't yet tried to pay?
Larry Briggs is still alive as of last month. He set up at a local show in the Nashville area and looks quite rough. Most of his business was going through someone else at his table while he sat in a corner reading the Greysheet. That said, he isn't the most likable or friendly individual. He left a rather poor impression as he quoted me a price for a coin that was $100 more than the sticker had suggested.
