New special PCGS slab for FUN show

The Professional Coin Grading Service plans to jump into the New Year with a special show label for slabbed 2018-W proof silver American Eagle coins.

The first day of the Florida United Numismatists convention on Jan. 4 will also be the first day of issue for the new proof silver Eagle from the United States Mint.

According to PCGS, the obverse of the firm's new label features a sunset cityscape showing the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla., the location of the convention.

Above the city skyline, the label reads, “January 2018 FUN Show” in all capital letters.

The date, mintmark, denomination, certification details and grade on a standard PCGS gradient blue field appears on the reverse.

All of the West Point silver proof Eagles submitted to PCGS during the show will be eligible to receive the special FUN Show label.

Don’t forget, the proof Eagle coin is also a First Strike during this period.

Will the new FUN label enhance the market for these special designations, or reduce interest in First Strikes?

I expect market players will sort this out.

Coin collectors have boundless interests.

Special labels have in recent years attracted much collector attention.

PCGS says that information about submission guidelines and fees for the special labels can be found online at www.pcgs.com/labels, and submission information and guidelines for First Strike designation labels is at www.pcgs.com/firststrike.

“These special PCGS labels for the 2018 FUN Show are only the first examples of the labels we have planned for 2018. There are a lot of exciting coins coming from the U.S. Mint again this year that we’ve got some great labels to reveal that help all these new coins stand out with our unique labeling combined with our ultra-secure coin holders,” said Mark Stephenson, vice president of PCGS.

But that’s not all, as advertisers are fond of telling us.

These 2018-W proof silver Eagles are also among the first coins eligible for PCGS’s new service.

This new service is called PCGS Gold Shield™.

PCGS Gold Shield™ will replace PCGS Secure™ on Jan. 1, 2018.

PCGS Gold Shield™ is the new standard in the coin industry for anti-counterfeiting technology, according to the firm.

I know that this is a lot of information to take in on the day after a long holiday weekend, but it is good to know that the numismatic industry is tirelessly working to create new products to attract new demand for coins.

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Buzz blogger Dave Harper won the Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog for the third time in 2017 . He is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."