Category Archives: Mark Ferguson

Market Matters: Do You Have a Valuable Die Variety in Your Collection or Inventory?

By Mark Ferguson for PCGS …… Seriously… If you have a substantial collection–or inventory, if you’re a dealer–chances may be high that you own a rare, valuable die variety! In my estimation, thousands of important die varieties have been overlooked and are sitting in collections and dealer inventories, just waiting to be discovered. I see […]

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Market Matters: Do You Have a Valuable Die Variety in Your Collection or Inventory?

By Mark Ferguson for PCGS ……   Seriously… If you have a substantial collection–or inventory, if you’re a dealer–chances may be high that you own a rare, valuable die variety! In my estimation, thousands of important die varieties have been overlooked and are sitting in collections and dealer inventories, just waiting to be discovered. I […]

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Changes are Happening at Major National Coin Shows

By Victor Bozarth and Mark Ferguson for PCGS …… A few lessons have been learned during the absence of major, national coin shows during the “lockdown” periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. Already successful at hosting auctions online, prominent auction houses have recognized that they can produce effective auctions from their home offices, without the expenses […]

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Patience and Strategy Are Needed to Build a First-Rate Coin Collection

By Mark Ferguson for PCGS …… Building a collection that you’ll be proud to show off takes work – and time. Whether you collect mid-grade circulated coins or “top-pop” Set Registry specimens, a little planning at the outset can pay valuable dividends, when and if you finally sell your holdings. Determining an acquisition strategy should […]

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The Washington Quarter Made Coin Collecting a Household Pursuit

By Mark Ferguson for PCGS …… Most Americans living today have known only the Washington Quarter as our 25-cent coin. You’d have to be in your 90s or older to remember spending a newly issued Standing Liberty Quarter, the design that preceded the Washington Quarter series. First issued in 1932, the Washington Quarter was produced […]

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Searching for a “Sleeper”: Collecting Classic US Coins

By Mark Ferguson for PCGS …… Undervalued coins are often referred to as “sleepers”. People who search for sleepers in numismatics are looking for coins or banknotes that show potential for better-than-average price gains during the coming months and years. Identifying sleepers requires an in-depth study of coins, banknotes, and the market, and PCGS offers […]

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It Took a Team of Sculptors to Produce the “Saint-Gaudens” Double Eagle

By Mark Ferguson for PCGS …… Popularly regarded as America’s most beautiful coin and affectionately known in numismatics as the “Saint”, the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle is attributed to one man, sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907). Unbeknownst to most people, it took a team of sculptors to produce the gold coin’s design. The obverse design, which is […]

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PCGS Adds Three Leading Experts, Promotes Another

As Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) closes a year of rapid growth, the world’s leading third-party coin and banknote grading service is making further expansions to its team of experts. Joining are Jamie Kiskis as PCGS parent company Collectors Universe Vice President of Product Development, Mark Ferguson as PCGS Senior Price Guide Consultant, and Peter […]

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Coin Profiles – Unique and Unusual Numismatic Items – Electrotype 1804 Dollar Certified by PCGS

By Mark Ferguson for CoinWeek ……… A new type of the 1804 Dollar, which is often referred to as “The King of American Coins,” was certified by PCGS at the 2011 American Numismatic Association (ANA) World’s Fair of Money in Chicago. This is an historic electrotype copy of the unique “Class II” specimen of the […]

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Auctions Remain Strong for CAC Coins Amid Pandemic

By Mark Ferguson – Publisher, CAC Market Values ….. As we cope with an uncertain future regarding the health, social and economic crisis the world is currently facing, it may be difficult for some collectors to know what to expect in the coin market. The best indicator we have in deciding how to deal with […]

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Auctions Remain Strong for CAC Coins Amid Pandemic

By Mark Ferguson – Publisher, CAC Market Values ……   As we cope with an uncertain future regarding the health, social and economic crisis the world is currently facing, it may be difficult for some collectors to know what to expect in the coin market. The best indicator we have in deciding how to deal […]

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Auctions Remain Strong for CAC Coins Amid Pandemic

By Mark Ferguson – Publisher, CAC Market Values ……   As we cope with an uncertain future regarding the health, social and economic crisis the world is currently facing, it may be difficult for some collectors to know what to expect in the coin market. The best indicator we have in deciding how to deal […]

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Price Records Emerge for Finest CAC Commemorative Half Dollars

By Mark Ferguson – Publisher, CAC Market Values ….. While prices for many classic commemorative half dollars are at historic lows, some high-end commems are trading at record high prices. A great example is the sale of a 1936 York County, Maine Tercentenary half dollar that sold at last August’s Stack’s Bowers Galleries American Numismatic […]

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Demand for CAC Coins Continues to Grow – Supporting Values

By Mark Ferguson for CoinWeek on the Rare Coin Market – MFrarecoins.com …… If you collect CAC coins, you’re in good company and your ranks are growing. This is mostly good news if you own CAC coins and plan to purchase more. It means price support and liquidity are strengthening even more, as is their […]

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Collecting Early American Coins for Profit

By Mark Ferguson – www.MFrarecoins.com ……… While dealing in coins for more than forty years, I’ve observed that the most experienced and sophisticated collector/investors are drawn to collecting early American coins – the very first coins produced by our country.  These are the coins minted between 1793, the first year of regular issue United States […]

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Primary Differences Between Investing in Bullion Coins and Collector Coins

By Mark Ferguson for CoinWeek – MFRareCoins.com Let’s begin by looking at what money really is, using the settling of the United States by the European colonists as an example.  When European settlers came to America during the 1600s, they traded useful goods with the Native Americans who had lived here first.  The settlers traded […]

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Origins of the 1921 “Zerbe Proof” Morgan Silver Dollars are Uncertain

By Mark Ferguson for CoinWeek – MFRareCoins.com I’ve been selling a collection for an old friend and collector who purchased a 1921 Morgan silver dollar from a major coin auction in 1981 that was cataloged as a Zerbe Proof as follows: “1921 Very Select MS-64, Exquisite First Strike, apparently from proof (Zerbe coins) dies.  Mirrorlike […]

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What to Buy to Begin Investing In The Rare Coin Market and Building a Collection of Rare Coins

By Mark Ferguson for CoinWeek on the Rare Coin Market – MFrarecoins.com Last week I wrote about “Basic Tools for Buying Rare Coins in Today’s Rare Coin Market.” As I talked about in that article, once you’ve learned the basics of how the rare coin market works, you can start focusing on developing a plan […]

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CoinWeek IQ: Type Peace Dollar CAC Price Analysis

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek ….. It’s been awhile since we’ve dug into a bit of coin market analysis and we thought it might be interesting to introduce a new recurring feature on CoinWeek, where we break down price performance for type coins of the different collector series. Collecting type coins is […]

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Coin Collecting Strategy – Building a Type Set as a Rare Coin Investment

By Mark Ferguson for CoinWeek – MFrarecoins.com …….  In general, segments of the coin market appreciate together, rather than by specific coin issues that pull away from the rest of the pack – such as 1909-S VDB Lincoln cents, 1889-CC Morgan silver dollars or 1911-D $2.50 gold coins, for example.  Instead, during various time periods, […]

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Where Do Coin Price Guides Get Their Prices?

By Mark Ferguson for CoinWeek – MFRareCoins.com….   First of all, I want to point out that coin price guides are just that… GUIDES! For convenience, they list just one price for a given grade of a coin. It’s important to note that different coins of the same issue and grade often trade for higher and lower […]

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CAC Begins Eighth Year of Brand Recognition and Market Influence

By Mark Ferguson for CoinWeek – www.MFrarecoins.com November 1st marks the beginning of Certified Acceptance Corporation’s eighth year endorsing PCGS and NGC graded and encapsulated coins that meet CAC’s strict standards for coins it deems to be solid for the grade and above average for the grade. Recognizing that coins barely making a grade were […]

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Central States Numismatic Society Convention Show Report: Part 1

by Charles Morgan for CoinWeek….. The Central States Numismatic Society Convention is always a big show, but this year is special. 2014 marks the 75th anniversary of the CSNS, and the convention is going on right now at the Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. More than 200 dealers and industry figures were […]

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These New 1804 Dollar Discoveries and More will be Revealed at CSNS Convention

By Mark Ferguson – www.1804Dollar.com At 6:00 pm Central time on Thursday, April 24th I will be releasing my new book, The Dollar of 1804 – The U.S. Mint’s Hidden Secret, at the Central States Numismatic Society convention in Schaumburg, IL. CoinWeek will be posting a video after my presentation which will reveal major new discoveries […]

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