2020 COIN QUEST UNDER WAY, AND COUNTERFEIT COIN IMPORTER JAILED

PCGS is now offering an exciting opportunity for collectors who seek 2020 coins for their collections. The 2019-W PCGS Quarter Quest was a great success with its prizes and limited-edition labels for early submissions of the five different “W” America The Beautiful Quarters struck at the West Point Mint. Now PCGS has rolled out Coin Quest 2020, offering a variety of incentives, special

labels, and cash prizes as high as $2,500. How does PCGS Coin Quest 2020 work and what coins should collectors be looking for? This fun and challenging program involves the search for high-grade early finds of Philadelphia- and Denver-minted 2020 Lincoln Cents, Jefferson Nickels, and Roosevelt Dimes. The goal is to find the best examples of 2020-P and 2020-D cents, nickels, and dimes before the elements of wear and time get to them, all while completing the highest-graded set of these coins possible. The earlier these coins are found, the better chance of finding a rare circulated high-grade example.

All collectors who complete PCGS Coin Quest 2020 by April 30, 2020 will be entered into a random drawing for a prize of $2,000. And those who have a particularly competitive edge have something else at stake – the collector with the highest-graded set will receive $2,500! Another special incentive offered with Coin Quest 2020 is the limited-time Early Find label, available for qualifying submissions of each of the three circulating coins from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints, cumulatively forming a set of six coins.

The qualifying period for receiving an Early Find label is 45 days from the time that the first example of each coin arrives at PCGS. For example, the first 2020 1 Cent Shield Early Find, RD, has been found and the Early Find label for this particular coin is available for coins postmarked and submitted to PCGS by Friday, April 10, 2020.

PCGS President Brett Charville explained, “After the success of the PCGS 2019-W Quarter Quest, which had endless numbers of new collectors discovering the coveted new West Point America The Beautiful Quarters, we were all excited to hit the drawing board to do more with these programs for 2020 and Coin Quest is just the start.”

PCGS is offering a special discounted submission price of just $20 per coin plus shipping and handling for all who wish to submit qualifying coins for PCGS Coin Quest 2020. That price includes authentication, grading, encapsulation, and the limited-edition Early Bird label.

For more information about Coin Quest 2020 visit www.PCGS.com/ coinquest or call PCGS Customer Service at (800) 447-8848.

COUNTERFEIT COINS IMPORTER SENTENCED TO 10½ YEARS IN PRISON

A federal court judge in Camden, New Jersey has sentenced admitted counterfeit coins importer, Johnathan A. Kirschner, 35, of Moorestown, New Jersey, to 10½ years in prison.

After being alerted by members of the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation (www.ACEFonline.org) about the sale of counterfeit coins to unsuspecting buyers, investigators discovered and confiscated at Kirschner’s home fake gold and silver coins and bogus ingots that would have been worth more than $46 million if they were genuine, according to ACEF.

Foundation experts also provided ongoing expert assistance to the U.S. Attorney’s office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during the investigation.

Kirschner’s sentencing was delayed nearly a year as U.S. District Court Judge Robert B. Kugler received and considered comments from victims, including a dozen sovereign mints, private mints, and grading services, according to Doug Davis, ACEF Director of Anti-Counterfeiting.

“The lengthy sentence is a major victory. I felt the judge was very thorough in reviewing the evidence and realized the possible high level of fraud that could occur,” stated Richard Weaver, a member of the ACEF Board of Directors, and President of the Professional Numismatists Guild (www.PNGdealers.org), who testified as an expert witness during the sentencing hearing on January 28, 2020. Weaver, president of Delaware Valley Rare Coins in Broomall, Pennsylvania, played a crucial role in the apprehension of Kirschner, also known under the alias of Jonathan Kratcher. Two of Kirschner’s victims visited Weaver in early 2017 seeking an evaluation of 49 Morgan dollars they purchased from Kirschner.

Weaver examined the coins and informed the couple that all of them