Sample Slab collectors: New PCI discovery!!!

So there I was, digging in my local B&M junk bins. Looking at common stuff, foreign silver, and anything I could cherry. My dealer pulls out a long box of modern slabbed stuff for me to swim through. It was mostly stuff that I wouldn't even normally look at, like prez dollars and Kennedy's... When I stumbled across this slab, I did a double take, as it read PCI ex 1991 Kentucky state SAMPLE. I thought to myself; hmmmmmm, that's interesting. So I took a chance, as the price was marked $1... ..... ............ when I got home and did some research on it, I found out, this is a sample that hasn't been catalogued or sold on eBay. Which leads me to believe it's a new discovery...Calling all Slab experts, sample slab collectors what say you ? Burton ? Conder? David????

 

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Not sure who Burton or David are, but Conder mostly does regular issue slabs (I think).

The one you show is not listed here: http://www.sampleslabs.com/pci.html (the owner of that site committed suicide a few years ago, so it hasn't been updated)

I think someone took over Cameron's research, but I'm not sure who, or where it is located.

 

Holy crap, I have been to the website a few times and did not know that. I really hate to hear that. I also researched info on samplecoinslabs.com and that site seems to be more up to date which makes sense now that you mention it. This particular slab is not on that site either.

 

I don't know exactly what the source of it is, but I'd have bought that for a dollar, too.

 

Yeah, really sad story. I think he left behind a wife and kid. I'm not entirely sure of what happened, but you can find more details if you google it. It apparently had something to do with cyber-bullying, but I'm sure there was more to it than that.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/rip-cameron-kiefer.146923/

 

i received a sample slab from him at a show in Boston. I'll try and find it. Seem like a nice young man so sad

 

Burton is me.

David is David Schwager, author of the recently published (and now out of print! But still available in pdf format) Sample Slabs book (Google those three words). And an article in the Numismatist. David used - with permission - information from Cam and Conder (see his preface).

Conder is Conder101 (Mkke Schmidt) who wrote the original slab book back in 2003. only if you've seen the book would you realize that he did have sections on samples and novelties (e.g. PCI 5S1 is a sample version of PCI5).

Cam is the latef Cameron Kiefer.

At the time Cam and Conder exchanged information. Two similar ships headed to different ports. Conder focused on the slab shells and basic label types, while Cam (like David) also differentiated by serial (cert) number.

Conder also tracked 'novelty' slabs which David calls out and expands as club, show and promotional categories added.

Conder's known PCI small sample is PCI 5S1 (pg 338) and which is labeled for the 1992 FUN show.

David lists 14 varieties for a range of different shows (FUN, ANA, GNA, TNA) in the 91/92 timeframe.

But you are correct this is new.

I (and others) have beem feeding David new discoveries for the 2nd edition, tjis would be

S: PCI-001-2-15 (p)

 

Yesssssss

 

Cam was a cool young man. He was working as a grader at a really young age. He gave me a sample as well but I don't know who he was grading for. Sad ending.
Some folks over on CU got together and saved his site at the last minute.
Cool new find.

 

I collect Sample Slabs but only those with a cent and have over 80 so far. This PCI Kentucky label is the first one I have seen.

PCI used 1958, P and D cents in five other Samples in 1991, 1993 and 1993. This will make a total of six slabs for that year cent.

 

More than that... let me key the data from David's book

PCI-001-2-1 1944S wheat - 1992 ANA Midwinter
PCI-001-2-2 1944S wheat - 1992 TNA show
PCI-001-2-3 1944S wheat - 1992 ANA (summer)
PCI-001-2-4 1944S wheat - 1993 Long Beach
recent eBay sale $17.84, http://www.ebay.com/itm/151935879020
PCI-001-2-5 1944S wheat - 1994 ANA
PCI-001-2-6 1944S wheat - 1992 GNA (Georgia)
PCI-001-2-7 1944S wheat - *red border* 1992 ANA (see PCI-001-2-3)
PCI-001-2-8 1956, 1958, 1958D - 1992 PEACH STATE
PCI-001-2-9 1957, 1958D - 1991 ANA
recent eBay sale $17.84 (1957), http://www.ebay.com/itm/351606471458
recent eBay sale $33.99 (1957), http://www.ebay.com/itm/291602080490
PCI-001-2-10 1958 wheat - no show id
PCI-001-2-11 1958D wheat - 1991 PEACH ST (known w/o year)
recent eBay sale $10.50, http://www.ebay.com/itm/272026346207
PCI-001-2-12 1958 wheat - 1992 FUN
PCI-001-2-13 1958D wheat - 1993 ANA (several varieties of label spacing/punctuation)
PCI-001-2-14 1960 Memorial - label unknown, unconfirmed
PCI-001-2-15(p) - 1991 KENTUCKY ST
PCI-001-2-16(p) - 1944S wheat - ANA (no year)
recent eBay sale, $22.69, http://www.ebay.com/itm/351588685341
(David may class this as a variety of -2-1, -2-3 or -2-5)

 

Heritage has part of it mirrored too... http://coins.ha.com/ref/sample-slabs.zx

I don't know who that is - the site hasn't been updated since December 2012. The WHOIS data traces to coinHELP (http://coinauctionshelp.com/) - that site also seems to have been left alone for a while...

If you go through the pages at SampleCoinSlabs.com, look back at the older versions (a lot doesn't seem to have been carried forward) using the WayBack machine, e.g. https://web.archive.org/web/20111203213223/http://samplecoinslabs.com/index.html/sample-slab-guides/

 

Mark Powell and Skip Fazzari were PCI graders at the time. They may know the answer. Skip is with IGC in Tampa, I think Mark is still an account for a textile mill in TN. Both were at the last TN show in Chattanooga. Anyone in TN can ask Mark or call ICG.

Dah...I'll call ICG on Monday myself

 

found it

 

s: ICG-025-1-55

From David's book:

Object: Colorado quarter
Date: 2006-D
Grade:
Serial:
Label: QUALITY YOU CAN SEE
Notes: ICG is based in Colorado and, once the Colorado quarter debuted in 2006, the company used this coin in several samples. This is the standard Colorado quarter sample.
Value: 9

 

Heavycam, thank you for showing all of us this new sample. You are right that it is an unlisted variety. I do not show any sales in my eBay data, which covers August 2013 - present. As Burton helpfully described, PCI made several similar samples for 1991 - 1994 shows. Most sell for $15 - $20 on eBay.
One of the things I like the most about samples is that unknown varieties show up all the time. Another thing is the way that they hide in plan sight. Think of how many people flipped past that $1 slab before you were perceptive enough to buy it.
May I use your photos for the second edition?

 

Thank you david, I enjoy finding these old forgotten relics....Yes, yes you may but......
Mr Burton will have this in his posession shortly so he will no doubt have better photos as he is my go to guy on these sort of things...

 

Thank you for the permission to use the images. I am glad to hear that Burton will have the sample shortly, as he has been supplying me with high quality photos.
I decided to make a second edition of Sample Slabs instead of a second printing and started work today.

 

I think what you are doing for the numis community is awesome! Hopefully it won't be long before I contribute something else to the new edition of the book! I really want a Hallmark or a photo sample slab for my collection. I will be avidly searching!!!

 

Hallmark samples are rare.

The PCI photo certs samples (s: PCI-010-1-2) come up for sale on eBay periodically (maybe a couple times a year), the last one end of November (I know, you don't bay)...

What's really odd is that I have two, s/n 30500217 and 3050219 and the one that sold in November is 3050221 - so where are the EVEN #s?