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ANACS

(American Numismatic Association Certification Service until 1991)

(ANACS 1991-Present)

www.anacs.com

ANACS was the first company to authenticate coins as a professional business. It was owned by the American Numismatic Association, from which it gets its name. In the early years they issued certificates that came with a picture of the coin. In 1989 they began using slabs as a means of guaranteeing grade. The labels were white with blue “Official ANA Grade” under printing until 1990 when ANACS was sold to Amos Press. The slab has basically been the same ever since with a few minor label changes, most noticeably the under printing changing to “ANACS” and a barcode added to the front.

ANACS 1

ANACS 1

This is the first sample with the ANA label. It was previously unknown until several months ago when a couple of them were found. ANACS does not have any records of how many were made and I doubt few survive today after 13 years. The coin is low enough of a value that many people may not have saved them. I believe they actually graded this one right and tried to grade each one individually from the few I have seen. No higher denomination than a dime is known in an ANACS holder from the ANA.

 

ANACS 1.1

ANACS 1.1

This sample suprised me when I saw it becuase of the larger coin inside. I was expecting a dime like ANACS 1, but this one has a Washington quarter inside. The label type and word placement is the same and seems to have been made about the same time period. Keep your eyes open for more of these as they seem rarer than the dime samples.


ANACS 2

ANACS 2

An identical slab to ANACS 1 but I gave this a separate number since this is the first one known with a Lincoln cent inside. It was from the same time period as ANACS 1 and possibly given out at the same show/shows. No one knows or can remember that far back, but they couldn’t have been made long since the company was sold within a year.


ANACS 3

ANACS 3

Now here is an interesting one. Issued during early 1990 or 1991 when Amos Press first owned the service, it has a yellow label and was kind of a spin off of PCI’s red label (problem coins). ANACS would certify the problem coin as “Genuine” but would only note the problem without a grade as seen here with this Steel cent. “Not Graded” but with a “Corroded” label. “ANACS” under printing is in green like usual, but the label is a bright yellow. It was meant to attract your eye and scream “problem!” to you. A really neat sample slab.


ANACS 4

ANACS 4

This slab is very similar to ANACS 1 or 2 but with several differences. It was produced between 1990 and 1991 when Amos Press first acquired ANACS, but before the barcode was added to the front. Amos Press followed closely in the steps of the former ANACS for the first few years so that change would not upset submitters, who would feel there was a difference in grading standards. The layout on the label is the same as ANACS 1 and even with the same denomination, date and mintmark coin but with the “ANACS” under printing in green ink.

 

ANACS 4.1

ANACS 4.1

This ANACS sample has a Mexican 5 centavos coin inside. It is not graded, and does not have the front barcode like ANACS 5. The lettering is smaller and the word "Sample" appears on the top line with "ANACS. The coin is Mint State, but not desingated as such or graded.


ANACS 5

ANACS 5

ANACS 5 is the most recent sample to come out of ANACS. They was given out at the 2003 Colorado Springs, CO coin show and has a Mint State Canadian 5 cent piece inside. The label has the barcode across the front but does not say sample anywhere on the label. It is still technically a sample since they were handed out at a show for free to all that wanted one. Three grades were present (MS63, MS64 and MS65) and ANACS graded each one individually.

 

ANACS 5.1

ANACS 5.1

This world coin was given out around the same time as ANACS 5, but does not say the word sample on the label.


ANACS 6

ANACS 6

This sample was given out at the 2003 ANA summer convention held in Baltimore, MD. It is very different from ANACS 4.1 and ANACS 5. This one is graded, "ANACS" is dropped and the serial number is added. The barcode is gone and the word "sample" does not appear. A description of the coin is added where the barcode should be.

 

ANACS 6.1

ANACS 6.1 ObverseANACS 6.1 Reverse

An ANACS sample slab from the 2003 FUN (Florida United Numismatists) show.

 

ANACS 6.2

ANACS 6.2

These were passed out at the ANACS table during the National Silver Dollar Rountable which is a coin show dedicated to just silver dollars. (ICG 21 and SEGS 5 also have the same pedigree to this show).


ANACS 7

ANACS 7

This label type has a description of the coin on the label like ANACS 6, but has the company's initials added before the grade. The serial number is removed, and it makes this piece even easier to identify as a sample slab.


ANACS 8

ANACS 8

This slab along with ANACS 8.1 was given out at the ANACS table during the FUN 2003 show. I wish ANACS would put the word "sample" on the label, but they haven't done so during the last few shows.

 

ANACS 8.1

ANACS 8.1

These two types came in different grades and I saw MS-64, MS-65 and MS-66 at the show.


ANACS 9

ANACS 9

The word “sample” is added back to the label along with the ANACS website. This is the first sample to have the ANACS website along with a pedigree to the show. The label has so much writing that they took off the barcode just to make room!


ANACS 10

ANACS 10

Brian Fanton’s “Intro to Numismatics” ANA Summer Seminar class were the first to get the new holder types sample slabs. 20 of them were made and all have the Ohio Quarter inside.


ANACS 11

ANACS 11

ANACS started making samples for shows around the same time ANACS 10 was produced, a good 6 months after the new holder was introduced. This type has the Ocean View Nickel inside and the words “Compliments of ANACS.” The font is smaller than ANACS 11 and can easily be seen when the two types are held together.

 

ANACS 11.1

ANACS 11.1

At the ANA Denver show in August, 2006, these larger font nickel samples were given out. The word “CHOICE” touches the outside border while ANACS 11 does not.


ANACS 12

ANACS 12

ANACS 12 was produced for the Denver ANA Pre-show held in the Denver Tech Center. 200 were made and given out.

 

ANACS 12.1

ANACS 12.1

This type was made in much larger quantities than the pre-show type and has the pedigree to the show on the label.

 

ANACS 12.2

ANACS 12.2

Like ANACS 14, this type has the “celebrating our move to Austin” on the label. A few hundred of this type were made and passed out at the Denver ANA show in 2006.


ANACS 13

ANACS 13

A different denomination that ANACS 12.1, this type was also made for the Denver ANA show and several hundred were produced of each type.


ANACS 14

ANACS 14

This type was also given out at the ANA show and other shows since. It has the Texas quarter inside and “celebrates our move to Austin, TX.”


ANACS 15

ANACS 15

This sample has a much smaller production than the previous ones. It was made for the 2006 Long Beach show and 80 of them were produced. They all contain a 1964 Lincoln cent and have “SAMPLE RED” where the grade would go.