Submitting coins for certification - Registered Mail isn't what it used to be.

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I am thinking of submitting some coins to one of the grading services they both request Registered Mail for submissions and returns.

I was talking to my neighbor who is a Postal Carrier and asked him about Registered Mail. He said it is no longer different from Priority Mail, he said it used to be tracked at every step but now they just toss it in his bag, it is still sold to the public as secure and tracked but he said the reality is that while they do "sort of track" it really isn't tracked much different than Priority.

 

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[lairmo]

True except that they won't leave it at your box without a signature...always have to go to the local P.O. to pick mine up...and they leave cards telling you they missed you, (because) you weren't standing by your box...lol

 

[enamel7]

If I might ask, what coins are you sending in?

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

That is true, you have to get it if you aren't there to get it, but it is not really secure in it's travels anymore.

I think I will sign up for a free FedEx account

 

[Simon1]

I know a supervisor with the Postal Service. It is correct that "Registered" will require a signature while Priority does not. But both are handled pretty securely. The main problem was in how the coins were packaged for shipment. Some coins just tossed in an envelope and eventually wore the side of the envelope out, ( from sliding back and forth ) and the coin fell out. Envelope arrives in good condition except the small slit in the side of it. I was told, ( and have pictures somewhere ), of a shipment that was received one night that was being sent to the Lost and damaged facility in Atlanta, Georgia. It must have been some postal facility doing some house cleaning. There was hundreds of loose coins, coins in the small approx. 2" x 2" square with plastic window or sleeves, and even a few approx. 40# canvass bags with a lead seal fastened around the neck. These were considered "Lost" as the packaging they were in was not strong enough for the coins inside. Once they arrive at the Atlanta, Georgia facility, They were assigned someone to try and locate the sender or receiver. If nobody could be found then they go to a general Postal auction ? So just remember, pack these with care and make sure the boxes are strong enough. ( This will help reduce a loss, but not guarantee it as every facility has some dumb @&& that doesn't give a crap (unfortunately).

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

What you say is true especially about packing. The certification sites give good advice on how to wrap the coins after they are in the flips, bubble wrap so they fill the package but don't make them impossible to open.

I think the point I was trying to make is that Registered really isn't treated any different than Priority anymore, that is what my friend was saying. It used to be "walked" the entire way and not left lying around and now that is not always the case. The other thing is the high cost of registered is still way up there!

 

[smokeythecat]

You can send it priority express, the overnight service and demand a signature. Or us Fedex or UPS. But unless you pay for insurance, the carrier won't reimburse you anyway.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

One other point and I have heard horror stories about this, the insurance on the PO can be, well as my friend said "good luck collecting it"

Before I send I will compare the total costs between PO Register, PO Priority with paying for insurance, and FedEx paying for insurance and see where we stand. I am thinking of signing up for either a personal or business account at FedEx, I have a tax ID for my "business" displaying Boston Police Guns at local gun shows so am technically a business...

 

[Diver_Down]

To circle back to what enamel asked, what coins are you looking to submit? With the added costs of shipping/insurance for each coin, it is likely cheaper to submit them in person at a coin show. Also, the grading costs are cheaper as they typically have a "show discount". If you are in a hurry and need it graded that day, they offer that service at the larger shows but it will cost you.

I personally hold off any coins that I need graded until the annual FUN show. The coins are in my possession and I get the show discount. They will also send them all back at once instead of paying the shipping/insurance on each coin being delivered.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

The nearest show that the grading services, NGC or PCGS attend in in New York City and that is 5 hours away and the cost of a hotel in NYC is huge, I could fly to FUN and back for the cost of a night at a NY hotel, also I hate NYC and don't want to be mugged.

I attend local shows in MA and NH there is a big annual show in March, the Bay State Show but even the biggest show in New England doesn't attract the services to my experience.

 

[huntsman53]

The nearest show that the grading services, NGC or PCGS attend in in New York City and that is 5 hours away and the cost of a hotel in NYC is huge, I could fly to FUN and back for the cost of a night at a NY hotel, also I hate NYC and don't want to be mugged.

I attend local shows in MA and NH there is a big annual show in March, the Bay State Show but even the biggest show in New England doesn't attract the services to my experience.

Call PCGS and NGC to see if they will have representatives attending any Coin Shows nearby in the near future. Heck, quite a few TPGS attend the Coin Show in Dalton, Georgia, so why not Boston or another nearby big city!!?!!

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

NGC and PCGS both said the closest they come is downtown NYC. Oh well.

 

[huntsman53]

NGC and PCGS both said the closest they come is downtown NYC. Oh well.

The next choice is to take the coins to a trusted Coin Dealer and have him or her submit them for you and assume responsibility for their safe return.

 

[smokeythecat]

If you plan ahead, you can get a cheap flight to Baltimore BWI Airport. They have four Whitman shows a year there.

 

[huntsman53]

If you plan ahead, you can get a cheap flight to Baltimore BWI Airport. They have four Whitman shows a year there.

Yeah, PCGS and NGC never miss those Coin Shows! I was going to recommend Baltimore but the drive or flight costs combined with a Hotel stay and eats, might not be advantageous to Ben C.

 

[PetesPockets55]

Talk about protecting a package during shipment. I once received an empty package that was supposed to contain a roll of Lincoln cents I bought on Ebay. The seller did not run packing tape long ways around the roll and it popped out one end. I was pretty bummed because there was an 1877 EF seated dime on one end and a nice VDB on the other. I filled out the postal form thinking I was wasting my time. I forgot about it until about 4 weeks later when I got a call from the Atlanta facility. A lady in lost and found was asking me about other coins in the roll and I told her there was no way to know for sure except this seller usually had good rolls with multiple VDB's, teens, '20's and '30's with S & D Mint Marks making up about half the roll.

Turns out many rolls get sent there that fall out of packaging and she had the 1877 dime!! Because I had documentation from printing the Ebay auction and submitting it with the claim and description she was able to reconstruct a roll similar to others I had gotten from the seller in the past. When I received the roll I was able to determine it was the same dime (circulation wear and nicks) from the sellers image.
They had one amazed and happy postal customer on their hands.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Pete That is great!! I love to hear stories about that. There are many good people in every business

I got a package from B&H Photo, some camera parts, not worth much but what was interesting is when they put it in a manila envelope (10x14) they didn't close or seal the flap and there was nothing in it when I got it, B&H sent me another one but that one blew my mind!

 

[PetesPockets55]

Pete That is great!! I love to hear stories about that. There are many good people in every business

I got a package from B&H Photo, some camera parts, not worth much but what was interesting is when they put it in a manila envelope (10x14) they didn't close or seal the flap and there was nothing in it when I got it, B&H sent me another one but that one blew my mind!

Sorry the initial parts got lost but that's a good way to judge a company, how they respond when things go awry, which they will sometimes.
I'm with you about good people in all professions and glad to share a good outcome. Originally I contacted the local postmaster who offered guidance and insight on filing the claim. I feel fortunate that I stumbled onto that supervisor. BTW- That was only about 4 years ago.

 

[scott9050]

Yeah, PCGS and NGC never miss those Coin Shows! I was going to recommend Baltimore but the drive or flight costs combined with a Hotel stay and eats, might not be advantageous to Ben C.

Since I live 100 miles from Baltimore this will work for me. I have 5 Eisenhower Appreciation medals that I need to have slabbed but have been reluctant to send them in to NGC, especially the Portugal trip medal with a mintage of only 250.

 

[Megalodon]

Yeah, PCGS and NGC never miss those Coin Shows! I was going to recommend Baltimore but the drive or flight costs combined with a Hotel stay and eats, might not be advantageous to Ben C.

Just as with combining trips to pick-up and dump banks when CRHing, Ben, you could combine a trip to Camden Yards when the Sox are in town - for a fraction of the cost of tickets to Fenway. But that's months away.