Ventura County, California collector Mike Kittle is the winner of the coin grading competition sponsored by PCGS Photograde™ Online (www.pcgs.com/Photograde) recently conducted at the May – June 2012 Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo (www.LongBeachExpo.com).
He was awarded a $20 Saint-Gaudens gold coin graded PCGS Secure Plus MS65 valued at $2,000, according to PCGS President Don Willis.
Each adult participant had 20 minutes each to grade 20 U.S. coins of random denominations and dates that were previously certified by PCGS, but without their PCGS grade visible in the holder.
Patrick King, 14, of San Diego County, California, and Ben Mesko, 8, of Orange County, California, each received a PCGS-certified MS65 Morgan silver dollar for winning the young numismatist high school and pre-high school coin grading competition categories.
Collectors Universe President and PCGS Co-Founder David Hall was on hand to congratulate the winners on their outstanding achievements.
Due to the popularity of the coin grading competition, it will now become a permanent feature of the three-times-a-year Long Beach Expo.
The next grading competition will be held during the Long Beach Expo, September 6 – 8, 2012. The adult competition will be open to current members of the PCGS Collectors Club and active PCGS Set RegistrySM members.
Additional information and complete rules will be available in the coming months on the PCGS web site at www.pcgs.com/gradingcontest.html.
