The 2011 PMG Registry Award Winners

Posted on 9/30/2011

We congratulate everyone on their individual accomplishments in each and every set.

The results of the second annual PMG Registry Awards have been tallied and six sets in a range of categories along with an overall achievement award are being recognized. Each of the PMG graders sat on the judging panel and after much consideration reached consensus on this year’s winners.

The Registry is a tool that allows collectors to showcase their currency collections online. Currently, there are 2,611 individual sets in the PMG Registry. Each note in a Competitive Set is assigned a Registry score, a measure of its scarcity, grade and desirability. The Set Score is the sum of the notes’ scores. Five of this year’s winning sets are the top ranked set in their respective category, although this alone is not a requirement for award consideration. Instead, winning sets must be mostly complete and show the preferences and goals of the collectors who assemble them. They must be the product of considerable focus and diligence. And they must be difficult to replicate.

This year’s best world set comes from a Signature Set category that is not scored. Instead, when building Signature Sets, collectors can define their own sets, choosing notes according to their own collecting path. The freedom and flexibility allows collectors to invent creative and diverse sets. For a Signature Set to win, collecting parameters must be clearly defined and the set must be mostly complete.

This year we added an overall achievement award given to the collector who has been fluent in the registry. Competitive in several sets, this collector has strived for excellence throughout the registry and has been frequently active in doing so.

The year’s final award was given in the best presented category, bestowed to the set that has the best set description, images and individual note descriptions. The winning set in this category may come from either the Competitive or Signature divisions, and need not be particularly high grade or high ranking. Instead, the individual preferences and motivations of the collector must be made apparent by the descriptions provided. Candidates for this award are sets that are enjoyable to look at, as well as informative about their area of focus. Better than other sets, they demonstrate the passion that drives every collector who participates in the PMG Registry.

And the winners are…

Best Colonial Currency Set

Boiler 78
Boiler Continentals
Judges' Comments: This set is participating in the Continental Currency Denomination Set category, which includes an example of each denomination authorized by the Continental Congress to finance the American Revolution. Boiler78’s outstanding set is 100% complete, and all of the notes are either AU or Uncirculated grade. Of particular note to the PMG judges, 15 of the 23 notes in this set (65%) were designated Exceptional Paper Quality (EPQ). Colonial notes are less commonly found with original paper – less than 40% of all the Continental Currency notes graded by PMG are designated EPQ. The overall balance of grade and quality of this collection are indeed outstanding and deserve recognition.

Best Large Size Set

DrPete
Pete'sTwo's
Judges' Comments: The judges debated extensively before reaching a decision for this category. This set is 90% complete, missing just one of the required 11 notes for 100% completion. An excellent quality of this set is that it is scored at 43,070 points and includes just 11 notes. It is a type set of each of the Large Size $2 designs issued between 1862 and 1918. Each of the notes included grades with EPQ, and nine out of ten notes in the set graded Choice Uncirculated or better! The PMG judges were mesmerized by this collection’s quality, and went on to describe the set as “extraordinarily superb”.

Best Small Size Set

Backas
Backas Master Set
Judges' Comments: 5 68s, 1 69 — This compilation of Silver Certificates is a vast and high quality collection well deserving of this year's Best Small Size Set award. This set is exceptional because 34 out of 35 notes include EPQ and just one note is missing for 100% completion. As if that is not enough, 33 out of Backas' 35 notes graded Choice Uncirculated or better with 27% currently at the top of the population including five 68s and one 69! The judges were astounded at the high quality this set possesses giving it an appeal that is undeniable.

Best World Set

BJG-Cuba
Banco Nacional de Cuba (1949-1960 issues)
Judges' Comments: This set comes from the Signature Set category and like the other award winning sets is an ambitious undertaking. BJG-Cuba is working to complete a full set of Banco Nacional de Cuba notes issued from 1949-1960. This outstanding set includes 92 notes with images, and BJG-Cuba is nearing 100% completion with just 20 notes to go. 89% of this set is graded Uncirculated or better with 87% including the EPQ designation. Considering many Banco Nacional de Cuba issues have been mounted, this is an impressive achievement. This set is also extraordinary due to its wide variety of proofs, specimens and printers essays along with regular and commemorative issues from Thomas de la Rue and the American Bank Note Company. BJG-Cuba has added a wonderful Signature Set, and we would only expect this trend to continue as world bank notes become exceedingly popular with Cuba nearing the top of the list.

Best Presented Set

Malleabledan
MPC
Judges' Comments: Selected as an exceedingly exceptional example of the use of the Registry to the fullest extent, this set quickly captured the attention of the graders and was unyielding once they had fallen victim to the collection's outstanding quality, breadth, and presentation. Single-handedly accounting for 84.5% of the total points awarded to all participants in the category, this set is deserving of praise for its incredible brilliance in terms of grade and near completion alone – with only 5 notes missing from the total. This set was not, however, chosen merely on the superb quality of the notes in the collection alone. As a beacon of the possibilities available to all participants in the Registry, Malleabledan's collection of MPCs have been regularly updated and are available for all to see through the imaging of every note listed in the set. Perhaps like no other set currently in the Registry, this collection stands above the rest as an illustration of the significant opportunity all numismatic enthusiasts have to mobilize the Registry in new and creative ways while sharing their passion for collecting in an ever-expanding community of exceptional collectors and professionals.

Best Overall Set

Mike's Notes
Educational
Judges' Comments: Every once in a very long while a collection of banknotes is compiled that simply defies comprehension. One such set is this complete set of Large-Size Educational Series Silver Certificates. Chosen for its sheer overwhelming quality and rarity, every note is graded in at least Gem Uncirculated – many of the notes actually landing in the extremely rarified landscape of the Superb Gem Uncirculated grade – as well as the EPQ designation. Leading the category by an astonishing 32,190 points, it is unlikely that this set will be surpassed in the near (or distant) future. Beyond the awe-inspiring quality of this set the judges noted that the highest graded notes in the collection are – in fact – the scarcer varieties of the collection with the Fr. 268, 269, and 270 grading 67 EPQ, 68 EPQ, and 67 EPQ respectively. Indeed, the Fr. 269 & 270 from this collection represent the very pinnacle of numismatic excellence – standing alone atop PMG's Population Report for their particular varieties. With the recent extraordinary results of the Bass Collection Educational notes in the recent Stacks & Bowers auction at the ANA's World Fair of Money in Chicago, it is only fitting that this set receive the recognition it deserves as a simply stunning collection of numismatic history and superiority that is more than able to stand firmly with some of the most outstanding paper money collections in the world.

Overall Achievement Award

Jack Ackerman
This year's award goes to Jack Ackerman, who has been extensively active in PMG's registry. Nearing the top of several categories, he has placed himself as a leader among leaders in the registry. Recognizing his excellence in collecting, Jack carries a high completion rate in most sets. He also carries a high percentage of uncirculated grades accommodated with the EPQ designation. The challenges of collecting are made to look easy when viewing Jack Ackerman's sets, and because of his commitment to several avenues in the registry, Jack is well deserving of the first Overall Achievement Award.
Jack Ackerman's homepage

Conclusion

The judges would like to commend this year's Registry Award winners for their commitment to numismatics as well as their willingness to share their truly extraordinary collections with us all to enjoy. While these sets represent the very top of their respective categories in the Registry, there were a number of sets that brought the acclaim of the judges and absolutely deserve recognition now. Receiving an honorable mention in this year's Registry Awards are the following collectors: Maui Bob, TheRock, Aspen RCT, Inc., Paragon Collection and Bseiso Collection. Please join the staff at PMG in celebrating the achievements of this group of outstanding collectors.


Stay Informed

Want news like this delivered to your inbox once a month? Subscribe to the free PMG eNewsletter today!

Thanks!

You've been subscribed to the PMG eNewsletter.

Unable to subscribe to our eNewsletter. Please try again later.

Articles List