Coin Holder Design
The PCGS holder is made of colorless plastic and is designed to be stackable. Anti-counterfeiting measures include a holographic emblem on the back, the design of which has changed over time. The current design depicts the name "PCGS" and a Saint Gaudens double eagle. On the front in pastel blue, the coin information provided includes its type, denomination, grade, and a unique serial number assigned to that particular coin, as well as a machine-readable barcode. Coins that are improperly cleaned, have altered surfaces, or are otherwise damaged will not be graded by PCGS but will still be certified as genuine; such coins are placed in holders that specify "Genuine" on the front label in place of a grade, and on the back below the holographic emblem will have the phrase "Genuine Not Gradable" printed.
Original first-generation PCGS coin holders are smaller and lack the raised stackable edges of later issues. The original label insert was printed on plain white paper. In some of these early holders, the coin on occasion will be loose enough to produce noise when the holder is handled, thus giving rise to the affectionate nickname of "rattler" to these holders by the coin-collecting community.
The appearance of counterfeit holders early-on led PCGS to introduce a redesigned holder with a holographic emblem next to their logo on the back. Improvements in technology gave rise to several minor redesigns since, including a transition from the original light green labels to blue ones. PCGS was at one point named the official grading service of the Professional Numismatic Guild; during that time, the PNG logo was included on the back as part of its holographic design. This feature was replaced with the current design when PNG switched their affiliation to NGC.
Read more about this topic: Professional Coin Grading Service
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