PCGS recently released the details on their new Secure Plus program. Instead of summarizing it here, I’d suggest that your go to their website and play the video link that will explain their interpretation of the new program. I’d like to share with you some of my thoughts and feelings about it. You can essentially split this new program down the middle and look at it as two distinct facets. To me, the “Secure” aspect is a no-brainer.   
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If you’ve followed my blogs in the past few years you know that I’m a Coin Purtist. I tend to be particularly pure when it comes to “no grade” coins. Loosely defined, a “no grade” is a coin with a problem (or problems) that preclude it from getting into a regular PCGS or NGC holder. This can range from harsh cleaning to scratches to rim damage to a hole.   
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I’ve been asked a few times recently how I price the coins that appear for sale on my website. No, the answer does not involve dart boards, a small man behind a curtain or invoking the spirits of coin dealers past. I have a system that is partially observational/deductive and partially intuitive that allows me, I think, to price coins in a consistent, coherent fashion. Obviously, my cost basis is a factor in pricing.   
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Numismatics is, in many ways, the Land of the Anal Retentive and collectors (and dealers) sometimes make decisions that are based more on personal obsessiveness that on sound business principles. Let me illustrate what I mean. Yesterday, I was talking to a good client about a coin that I sent him on approval.   
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I’ve used this forum in the past as a venue to criticize the grading services. So, it’s only fair to give credit where credit is due and congratulate PCGS on their new hire as a grader, Charlie Browne. I’ve known Charlie for the better part of two decades. He was last employed by Certified Asset Management, a wholesale firm and market maker of high-end US coins.   
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You’re a serious coin collector. You’ve done all the “right” things. You’ve learned how to grade. You’ve become a knowledgeable specialist. You’ve worked exclusively with one or two exceptional dealers. Your collection is well on the way to being complete but you aren’t ready to sell it. What can you do in the interim to add value to it?   
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