Building a Winning PCGS/NGC Registry Set with the Unattributed Fivaz-Stanton FS Variety: Should You Send It In?

For top-tier collectors, the Registry Set competition drives the market. Here’s how this specific piece fits into a top-ranked set. The pursuit of a flawless, 1/0 pop registry set is the ultimate modern numismatic quest—a digital arms race where every single variety must be accounted for, slabbed, and verified. When a rare, unattributed variety enters the conversation, it becomes the ultimate prize for the dedicated registry hunter. Today, we are diving deep into one such opportunity: an unattributed Fivaz-Stanton (FS) variety that presents a monumental chance to upgrade your collection and secure a coveted spot in the PCGS/NGC registry.

Let us examine the mechanics of this phenomenon, the hurdles of top pop hunting, and why making the send-in decision is the most critical step in your career as a competitive registry collector.

### The Registry Set Phenomenon: Why One Variety Can Change Your Life

In the world of high-end numismatics, the Registry Set is not merely a collection; it is a badge of honor. Collectors compete to build the most comprehensive, highest-rated sets using the strict grading standards of PCGS and NGC. When your set achieves a 1/0 pop—meaning zero examples have been graded below the highest possible grade—you have achieved absolute perfection. However, perfection is shattered the moment a unique variety goes unaccounted for. If a variety exists in the PCGS Complete Variety Set but has never been slabbed with its attribution number, your set loses integrity.

In my experience grading and managing competitive registry sets, I have seen collectors walk away with millions because they secured a single, obscure variety. The psychological drive to complete a set often overrides financial caution. Knowing that an FS variety exists but remains unattributed on any slab creates intense anxiety and excitement simultaneously. You are staring at a blank space on your registry sheet. The question is not whether you want this variety; the question is whether you have the documentation, the funds, and the confidence to secure it.

### The Dilemma of the Unattributed Variety

The forum discussion centers around a coin currently housed in a PCGS holder. It carries an FS number assigned via the Cherrypicker’s Guide (CPG), but crucially, the slab is *not* attributed with the variety number. As the original poster noted, “none are listed on PCGS, NGC or CACG websites.”

This distinction is vital. An FS number assigned by the CPG means the variety has been cataloged and identified, but it has not yet been officially recognized and slabbed by the major grading services. For competitive registry collectors, an unattributed variety is both a golden ticket and a ticking clock. The moment you submit this coin for re-slabbing, you are essentially purchasing the right to place this variety on the official registry record.

However, the forum quickly reveals a massive disconnect between dealer expectations and registry collector needs. Dealers, particularly those who buy and sell raw coins, often look at the slab label. If the variety number is placed on the back of the slab rather than the information insert, many dealers will pass on paying top dollar, assuming it is an insignificant variety. As one forum user noted: “I have tried to sell to dealers a variety with such attribution, on the backside of the slab, and they would not offer anything above a normal coin without the info variety on the information insert.” This reality forces registry hunters to choose their battles carefully. You cannot rely on the dealer market alone; you must turn to the TPG (Top Pop Guarantee) attribution model to secure the variety on the information insert where the registry set community actually looks.

### Navigating the Top Pop Hunting Process

Top pop hunting is the art of finding the rarest, most significant varieties before they become common knowledge, and then securing them for your registry set. The process involves identifying the variety, gathering high-quality Popular Uncertainty Photos (PUPs), compiling supporting documentation, and submitting the coin to the appropriate grading service.

When deciding whether to send this unattributed Fivaz-Stanton variety in, you must weigh the potential reward against the immediate cost. Sending it in to PCGS for a re-slab, especially with a TPG attribution, will require a financial commitment. As the forum discusses, the poster had to “make payments on it” because they lacked the initial slush fund necessary to cover the re-holdering and attribution fees.

Here is the strategic breakdown of the send-in decision:

* **If you are confident in the variety:** Send it in immediately. If the variety turns out to be a Cherrypicker number (meaning it is highly significant and rare), the juice will be worth the squeeze. A TPG attribution on a rare variety can easily double or triple the value of a coin that was previously sitting unattributed.
* **If you are uncertain:** Seek a second opinion. Do not submit until you are absolutely certain the diagnostic features match perfectly.
* **The Re-Slabbing Reality:** You can theoretically get a PCGS slab re-holdered with the same grade and have the variety added. However, as noted in the forum, PCGS has historically been inconsistent with adding varieties during re-slabs, and they have made incorrect attributions in the past. To ensure success, you must provide “quite a bit of supporting documentation, mainly large, clear images of the PUP.”

### Overcoming the Documentation Bottleneck

One of the most frustrating realities of top pop hunting is that the grading services are highly selective about what gets slabbed, especially for lesser-known varieties. The forum discussion highlights a critical hurdle: the TPG’ers may not believe the variety is significant enough to warrant an FS number on the label, or worse, they may simply not recognize it at all.

To overcome this, you need “more face time” and broader recognition. If your variety has only been seen in the Cherrypicker’s Guide, it lacks the necessary weight in the numismatic community to convince a TPG’er to slab it. You need to publish the variety in recognized publications like *CoinWorld*, *CoinWeek*, or *Wexler’s Coins and Die Varieties*.

Furthermore, if your goal is to get the variety listed in NGC’s Variety Visa Program (VP), the requirements are even stricter. As one experienced collector noted regarding the late Dave Lange, even if you have an FS number assigned, NGC will not list the variety in the VP until you provide documented history or have the coin published in industry magazines. Only after publishing the article did all four TPG’ers finally recognize and accept the attribution.

Therefore, before you hit the send button, you must ask yourself: *Is the variety listed in Variety Visa or Wexler’s Coins and Die Varieties?* If not, you are essentially asking the grading services to validate an obscure variety through sheer willpower, a process that rarely succeeds without prior publication.

### The Diagnostic Clarity: The Obvious Pick Up Point

A hallmark of a great variety submission is diagnostic clarity. The forum mentions that “The Pick Up Point is very obvious.” In numismatic terminology, a “pick up point” refers to a distinctive diagnostic feature on the coin—a die crack, a gouge, an anomaly, or a mint error—that clearly identifies the variety.

When evaluating whether to send this coin in, the clarity of the diagnostic feature is paramount. You need high-resolution, sharp images of the Pick Up Point to prove to the grader that this is indeed the Fivaz-Stanton variety and not just a generic die crack that happens to occur on other coins. If the image is blurry or ambiguous, the grading service will likely reject the attribution request. The poster notes that “The CPG image is ok, identifiable, but mine is clearer,” indicating that their specific coin possesses superior diagnostic characteristics compared to the existing reference image. In top pop hunting, your own coin’s unique features are your greatest asset.

### Actionable Takeaways for Collectors

Based on the insights from this forum thread, here is how you should approach your own competitive registry set building:

1. **Evaluate the Financial Commitment:** Before sending in an unattributed variety, calculate the total cost of re-slabbing, TPG attribution, and any additional documentation fees. Ensure you have enough capital to absorb potential delays or rejections without selling other assets.
2. **Prioritize the Information Insert:** Never rely on backside attributions for a competitive registry set. You must secure the FS number on the standard information insert to attract both the TPG’er attention and the registry set community.
3. **Document Everything:** Gather large, high-quality PUPs of your coin’s Pick Up Point. Cross-reference with the Cherrypicker’s Guide and check Wexler’s and Variety Vista. If the variety lacks publication history, publish it yourself in a respected numismatic journal before spending a dime on re-slabbing.
4. **Consider Alternative Grading Services:** While NGC’s VP is stringent, PCGS and CACG are your primary targets for this variety. Ensure your coin meets their specific criteria for variety recognition.
5. **Price Realistically:** Remember that while a 1/0 pop variety is incredibly valuable to a registry set builder, the market for non-major varieties can be volatile. Only pursue this if the variety’s rarity justifies the expense.

### Conclusion: The Ultimate Prize of the Registry Set

The unattributed Fivaz-Stanton (FS) variety represents the purest form of the Registry Set Phenomenon: the hunt for perfection. For a competitive collector, the realization that no other slab exists with this FS number transforms a simple coin into a digital treasure. The drive to secure this variety, to pay off the slush fund, to photograph the obvious Pick Up Point, and to navigate the bureaucratic labyrinth of grading services is the essence of modern numismatic dedication.

While the path to securing this variety is fraught with challenges—dealers ignoring backside attributions, TPG’ers requiring extensive documentation, and the strict NGC VP protocols—the potential reward is immense. Achieving a 1/0 pop set with this variety would cement your reputation as a premier registry set builder. The decision to send it in is not just about grading; it is about taking ownership of the numismatic history of this specific variety. If you possess the confidence, the documentation, and the patience, sending it in is the only way to claim your place among the elite collectors who build the pinnacle of the PCGS/NGC Registry Sets.

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