slabs

[Rob 3,000]

It will always be a case of personal preference. Even I have a handful of slabs in the bank which means of storage is another bone of contention. But that's because they are only type examples and they happened to come in CGS 90 slabs, so may as well leave them not being part of a research project or the main collection. Although I can't speak for everyone, I think for most objectors the dislike arises from the third party opinion tail wagging the collector dog, particularly in the US where many buy the plastic and not the coin.

[Colin G. 147]

I think for most objectors the dislike arises from the third party opinion tail wagging the collector dog, particularly in the US where many buy the plastic and not the coin.

And I could not agree more

[Peter 615]

I have bought a few slabbed coins and have kept them in their coffins.I do not have the need to send raw coins to be graded when I can do it myself.I have a couple of MS65's(PCGS) and they are top coins.I only bought them after seeing images.Watch out for edge damage that can be covered by a slab.I saw a Vickie farthing graded CGS82 when it had a big lump out of it....sold at auction for £90...slabbed and £150 price tag.

Part of my pleasure is carefully handling coins...not the white gloves but washed hands and edges only.

Tom(Richard...Dick) has the right idea in collecting coins that have been around the block a few times.I must say I do like my hammered as well especially if it has been lying in soil for 1000 years.

[Rob 3,000]

Tom(Richard...Dick) has the right idea in collecting coins that have been around the block a few times.I must say I do like my hammered as well especially if it has been lying in soil for 1000 years.

[Boomstick 0]

For what I collect, they aren't all that useful. My coins have all been handled and most are toned, some more nicely than others, but touching them isn't going to make a perceptable difference.

I don't buy coins by grade, so someone else telling me a coin is VF or whatever is irrelevant. I'll make up my own mind by comparing the coin to previous examples I've seen, what I think is the condition of the average example that can be bought and, most importantly, how much I like it.

I can see that for milled copper or bronze, where you don't want finger marks ruining the lustre, some sort of protection is sensible. But there are alternatives to slabs for that. You can get nice plastic flips that sandwich a coin away from sticky fingers for a few quid.

The most worrying thng for me is if people stop making up their own minds about a coin and just go by what's on the label. I think learning about the different conditions coins turn up in, about how they commonly wear and how to recognise a particularly good example is part of the hobby. I also think that learning all the various varieties, types and so on is essential. If you just rely on a TPG to tell you your penny is BP1880af, what have you learned?

I couldn't agree more! What you have said captures the whole spirit of it all.

When I was 18 I bought an old Jaguar 420G for pennies and stripped the whole thing to pieces in my parents' back garden...lovingly dealing with every aspect of the rebuild was the thing that made that car special. I could afford one now, that is far better condition, and maybe even concours, but I wouldn't have anything like the same love and interest in owning something that has been grafted on by someone else...but many are the flashy classical car owners who go out and buy the best and don't even know what waxoyl is! They're classic car equivalents of the slab collectors, but there is no denying they are out there!

Hanging around forums like this, making a few mistakes, battling out the details of a grade, is what makes it so fascinating for me!

Restoring a classic car has always been a dream of mine (I even took a welding course a few years back). Unfortunately, the realities of owning a house with a garage in the south east puts it beyond my price range at the moment (that and babies, work, long commute etc.). Maybe one day!

Regarding slabbing, boo! I think Toy Story 2 sums up the pros and cons of preservation vs. recreation in my humble opinion!

[Colin G. 147]

Regarding slabbing, boo! I think Toy Story 2 sums up the pros and cons of preservation vs. recreation in my humble opinion!

It depends on what type of coins and why you are collecting. For average circulation coins even higher grade examples the risks are minimal, but in terms of an object of art I am only a temporary custodian like those who coveted the coins in my collection before me. There is nothing I hate more than seeing what would have been a stunning coin with an unsightly thumb print, a scratch or an edge knock, some of which have inevitably occured at the hands of a clumsy dealer/collector. You only have to go to a coin fair to see what I mean...

How many coins do we see on ebay or similar that a relative who has inherited a collection has polished/cleaned to get rid of that dirty tone and make the coins look all shiny again. By all means handle and enjoy the object, but I am just saying that in certain circumstances a bit of protection does not go amiss

[Debbie 58]

For me it’s a bit like looking at a toy wrapped in its original packaging – yes highly desirable by some collectors, but makes me feel a little sad that it has never (and might not ever) forfill its original purpose…

[Rob 3,000]

For me it’s a bit like looking at a toy wrapped in its original packaging – yes highly desirable by some collectors, but makes me feel a little sad that it has never (and might not ever) forfill its original purpose…

You can always break them out.

[Debbie 58]

Exactly - and I bet it feels good to release them! (not ever having bought a slabbed coin you understand).

[Colin G. 147]

Exactly - and I bet it feels good to release them! (not ever having bought a slabbed coin you understand).

There is usually a bit of an adrenaline rush but I think that is more to do with not trashing the coin with your hammer, pliers or chisel (whichever tool you prefer)

[Gollum 2]

Exactly - and I bet it feels good to release them! (not ever having bought a slabbed coin you understand).

There is usually a bit of an adrenaline rush but I think that is more to do with not trashing the coin with your hammer, pliers or chisel (whichever tool you prefer)

Kango gun

[argentumandcoins 70]

I hates them I does, then again thats not news to most on here.

The only point I would like to make is that it is not known what the long term result of storage in slabs will be (as was raised in one of our other debates on the subject), leading to one US slabbing company hastily arranging a simulation to find out if it is indeed safe storage........ Don't forget that there used to be adverts telling people that "WOODBINES ARE GOOD FOR YOU" before the effects of cigarette smoke was studied.

[azda 973]

I have a slabbed coin on its way, i shall be using mostly a hacksaw at work that day

[Colin G. 147]

I have a slabbed coin on its way, i shall be using mostly a hacksaw at work that day

Do you lot not care for the environment, all that waste plastic

[Peter 615]

I have a slabbed coin on its way, i shall be using mostly a hacksaw at work that day

Don't break it out.It costed about £20 to get it slabbed.Why?

I retain all slabbed coins but....

[moneyer12 0]

looking at the ngc web site it is laughable to see the main photo in the "grading room" where the "grader is holding a coin in his hands with no sign of gloves etc, with all the best will in the world acids from human skin will pass on to the coin regardless of how clean the hands are.

[moneyer12 0]

this is the actual photo from the ngc site.............

[Coinery 926]

4. It may help my nearest and dearest if the unexpected were to occur and the collection needs to be be dispersed (although there are other ways of dealing with this).

This is a fantastic point, maybe one we should all consider! It occurred to me, following the birth of my son, how I have boxes of our hard-won family assets, all tied up in nameless copper, silver, and gold 'discs', the true value of which could never be realised if I was to make a hasty departure from this existence!

Think of any specialised artefacts being resold by a distraught and trusting loved one? Where would they go to, who would they communicate with?

It had me thinking...what about a board of trustees, or a trusted individual, who would agree to being named and charged with the responsibility of selling a deceased's collection in the correct circles, achieving the right prices, and taking nothing other than a 5% commission on net sales.

Has anyone ever set up any such safeguards?

[moneyer12 0]

i have a detailed catalogue of all my collection, including possible market price, it took me over 12 months to compile it but it cost nothing apart from time. i have it saved on a memory stick clearly labelled coins and banknotes. the list includes a detailed description of each item along with a photograph.

[Peter 615]

4. It may help my nearest and dearest if the unexpected were to occur and the collection needs to be be dispersed (although there are other ways of dealing with this).

This is a fantastic point, maybe one we should all consider! It occurred to me, following the birth of my son, how I have boxes of our hard-won family assets, all tied up in nameless copper, silver, and gold 'discs', the true value of which could never be realised if I was to make a hasty departure from this existence!

Think of any specialised artefacts being resold by a distraught and trusting loved one? Where would they go to, who would they communicate with?

It had me thinking...what about a board of trustees, or a trusted individual, who would agree to being named and charged with the responsibility of selling a deceased's collection in the correct circles, achieving the right prices, and taking nothing other than a 5% commission on net sales.

Has anyone ever set up any such safeguards?

I have recorded all my coins on an excell spreadsheet with further ID in the trays.My wife and kids know a few of the dates...1717 dump issue,1698 etc.If I pop my cloggs the girls have enough wit about them to sell on.I did a collection of 1d's for both girls and they know what a KN/H & ME is although an open 3 1903 is in doubt.The gold,silver and hammered are clearly detailed but my 1859 1/4d's with or withour shamrock attached are more difficult...a close TT 1915 would be beyond them.

I bought a R/E 1856 farthing from a dealer for a few £ he didn't know what it was and a large date/small date 1875....obviously a "dead" collectors spoils.

My eldest daughter helps me sell on Ebay and I do the description...she is learning.

She can look in Spink or CCGB and have a rough idea.I tell my wife and kids rather than pee it all up the wall I buy coins(I do like a pee aswell )Just do a good job in cataloging.

Edited February 2, 2012 by Peter

[Rob 3,000]

For what it is worth, every coin in my collection has a separate file with pictures of it and any associated tickets together with acquisition details, price, reference varieties, weight, rarity etc. Every coin has a ticket(s) too with details of the complete provenance so far established written on the back. I've already warned them about potential dropped b****cks between silver and nickel issues that look the same and other important differences so that they don't sell a £1K coin for a tenner.

[Peter 615]

Spot on Rob

But when do you want to sell them?

I'm down grading now and enjoying the fruits of some coins I'm not bothered about.

Look at some of the sales (Workman collection etc)How can anyone collect and dispose of the lot.

I will hone my collection to about 1000 coins still about 9000 to sell.

There is so much history in my coins from Irish gunmetal shillings,Woods farthings,to some nice hammered...hopefully I will have a grandson/daughter to pass these onto(who doesn't smoke crack).

I love quality rather than designer.

I still fancy a 12 month around the world cruise and then return to the nice places.

[Rob 3,000]

Spot on Rob

But when do you want to sell them?

I'm down grading now and enjoying the fruits of some coins I'm not bothered about.

Look at some of the sales (Workman collection etc)How can anyone collect and dispose of the lot.

I will hone my collection to about 1000 coins still about 9000 to sell.

There is so much history in my coins from Irish gunmetal shillings,Woods farthings,to some nice hammered...hopefully I will have a grandson/daughter to pass these onto(who doesn't smoke crack).

I love quality rather than designer.

I still fancy a 12 month around the world cruise and then return to the nice places.

I have no intention to sell and am on a roughly 30 year project assuming I last that long. I keep the family informed of where the collection is going and of new additions so that hopefully there will be a collective reasonable understanding of what's present if I'm not here to oversee it. It also raises the possibility of passing on the collection to someone who has an understanding and appreciation of it. history is littered with examples where the father or grandfather assembled most of the collection before being sold a generation or two later.

[Peter 615]

Both my grandfathers encouraged me.My mums dad shot a starling when I showed him my new air rifle at 14.A little bit whoo and whay.He also only liked dead Germans.They also encouraged my interest in coins and history.Mums dad made everything...he was a cabinet maker.

I miss the buggers.

[Colin G. 147]

looking at the ngc web site it is laughable to see the main photo in the "grading room" where the "grader is holding a coin in his hands with no sign of gloves etc, with all the best will in the world acids from human skin will pass on to the coin regardless of how clean the hands are.

I understand the concerns and believe me I am not singing the praises of slabs as a solution for teh collecting world that should be adopted by everyone, but they work for me personally with some of my coins. I do not take the view of hating them for the sake of it, but try to see the benefits where they apply to me.

Show me one dealer at a coin fair that will put his gloves on when looking at a coin

If slabs don't work for you or they are not your thing then fine, and I agree with many of the comments made and some of the concerns and issues are valid, but some people just seem hell bent on berating them as some evil force set out to ruin the hobby.....breath deeply and relax