Using PCGS Spec Numbers

I’ve always been fascinated with coins! And for many who find themselves in possession of some coins, one’s interest is often centered around the monetary value, if any, these pieces might hold. Regardless of whether you own a coin or are trying to buy one, knowing how to use the PCGS information platforms to guide your decisions can provide you with an independent and unbiased source of free information.

One of the bare essentials in using PCGS online resources such as PCGS CoinFacts, PCGS Population Report, and PCGS Price Guide is to know what the PCGS spec number is for the coin you want to learn more about. In a Coin Market Fundamentals column I wrote about PCGS spec numbers, I explained the importance of the information available on a PCGS-graded coin. One of the most important numbers on a PCGS holder is the spec number!

The PCGS spec number designates individually each issue among all U.S. coins, as well as thousands of world coins, tokens, and medals. The 1921 Peace Dollar that is imaged above is categorized under PCGS spec number 7356. The PCGS spec number drives most of the PCGS information platforms.

PCGS coins are easy to identify, as they all have a spec number and are encapsulated in holders, each with their own unique serial number. Even coins that you may encounter unholdered can be researched using PCGS spec numbers. The information you will need to determine the PCGS spec number for your U.S. coin includes the denomination, date of issue, and the mint where the coin was struck, and the denomination. In some cases, other information like the metal content, design details, or variety features are also pertinent to arriving at the spec number.

For U.S. coins referencing the PCGS Population Report to locate the PCGS spec number is most efficient. The PCGS Population Report includes all the coins, tokens, and medals that PCGS has graded.

Although the 1921 Peace Dollar above is already PCGS graded, we can use the essential information on the coin to determine what the PCGS spec number is for this piece. I’ve purposely chosen this date of silver dollar to illustrate some of the differences you might encounter locating the PCGS spec number for your coin.

Now, some of the essential information already identifiable on the coin itself is:

• Date: 1921
• Design Type: ?
• Mintmark: ?
• Denomination: Dollar
• Country of Origin: United States

When we go to the PCGS Population Report, we will encounter the home page listing countries of origin for the many coins we grade. We’re focusing on U.S. coins today, so we will select the United States. A Denomination/Design Type drop down list will appear listed in denomination order. We’re looking for a 1921 Dollar…

Under “Dollars,” we will not only find a descriptive name of the denomination like “Morgan Dollar” or “Peace Dollar,” but also the date range the coin type was made. Under “1921,” we find that both Morgan Dollars and Peace Dollars were produced that year.

Which one do we have? There are several ways to go… Try inputting “1921 $1” in the search bar at the top of the denomination page. This will take us to 1921 Morgan Dollars and a picture of the specific date will appear. Does this match the coin we have? No – it’s a different design.

The 1921 Dollars were also made with the Peace Dollar motif. Let’s return to the roster and click on “Peace Dollars.” The first year listed in the date roster for Peace Dollars is 1921, which is designated as PCGS spec number 7356. Let’s confirm this is the coin we’re trying to find by using this PCGS spec number to navigate further to PCGS CoinFacts.

First, let’s make sure this is a 1921 Peace Dollar. From the PCGS Population Report, when we click on “7356,” the PCGS spec number will take us to PCGS CoinFacts. We can easily compare our image and the different images of 1921 Peace Dollars provided in PCGS CoinFacts to confirm our coin is indeed 7356. Incidentally, the mintmarks of different issues are explained including the mintmark location on the coin itself.

Using this 1921 Peace Dollar spec number 7356, you can access information on this specific date issue across the multitude of PCGS online platforms.