PCGS launches chip-embedded slabs

The U.S.-based Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) recently launched a partnership with HID Global to begin embedding near-field communication (NFC) chips in PCGS coin slabs beginning early this year.

The slabs embedded with NFC technology will allow any collector or dealer to verify the encapsulated coin was certified, graded and slabbed by PCGS using only a smartphone. The new NFC slabs will be identified as such.

While this encrypted anti-counterfeiting technology is already used in a variety of industries, including those involving luxury goods, it’s new to numismatics, according to PCGS.

“We will be the first in the numismatic industry and among the first in any of the collectibles fields to utilize this type of technology at scale,” said PCGS Chief Information Officer John Nelson.

Anyone with iPhone XS (or newer) or Android phones only need to place their phone near the chip, and it will automatically launch the “PCGS Cert Verification” app – if it’s installed on the phone – or open a web browser to show the coin’s information. Older iPhones users will need to install an NFC chip-reading app before using this feature.

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