What a relief. It was like getting a cast removed from my arm. I had to crack open a Franklin slab to fill my Dansco. It's awesome looking at a MS65 FBL half without all that plastic. I saved the tag and put it in my album. I'm going to crack open all my slabs.
I never had a coin graded myself, and I never will. If I can find a slabbed coin on ebay for the right price I'm going to crack it open. At least I can look at coins with confidence knowing the grade is accurate instead of relying on a dealer to guesstimate the grade. I'm not planning on selling my Franklin set, but I am planning on upgrading it.
I'm just putting it out there for you and anybody else to read. Odds are that you'll regret cracking them at some point. Good luck with the set, sounds like it'll be amazing to behold.
I've cracked a few slabs to complete my 7070 album. I wouldn't probably crack A LOT of slabs to complete an album, though. I'd rather focus on coins at a grade where I can get most of the coins raw. My 7070 is a VF or better set for the most part and I cracked 4 coins to complete it - one of the Seated Dollars, the Trade Dollar, the Twenty Cent piece, and a Washington Quarter (that I got for a steal). Sometimes cracking a slab is the best way to fill certain slots. It is good to realize that it does not come without it's downside - think twice is good advice.
I must say that I always liked having my coins in albums or 2x2's but as I started to spend larger and larger amount of money for just one coin and I realized that having the coin graded by NGC or PCGS would be the safest way of going because it pretty much ensure that the coin has no problems in the future if I decide to sell. I have seen and learned alot in the past 40 years of collecting that there are to many dealers and people that would either over grade or doctor a coin to make it look more desirable, Which means that you are getting riped off ,,,,I wouldn't want to spend thousands on a coin to only find out that the coin is only worth a hundred because someone cleaned it a few years ago... so for me its slabs all the way. I can live with the plastic...Plus it makes the coin look real important....:thumb:
I buy the Franklin slabs because I want the best I can buy. The Franklin set has always been my one and only goal. I buy other coins, but I have no desire to complete another set. The Franklin set will be handed down after I'm gone. I don't mind cracking the Franklins. If I get another, better slabbed coin than what's in the dansco, maybe I'll leave it in the slab. Maybe I'll start another set. I haven't crossed that bridge yet.
Pilkenton: You will likely only decrease the grade of the coins for the purpose of putting them in some less than protective Dansco album, which is bound to harm the 'best you can buy'-- be that harm from the album itself over time, from dust, environmental/atmospheric effects, your own handling of the album and those bare coins plus any accidents that may ensue as they again become exposed outside of their protective slabs. What you now consider to be the best you can buy, may quickly become less than that as you currently perceive them to be. It's a foolhardy way to handle/spend money when you might well learn more if YOU learn to grade coins rather than buy the grade on the slab, thus trusting a TPGs own subjective grade (no different than a dealers subjective grade OR your own) and only buy the best raw coins you can buy to create such a set. I urge you to learn to grade for yourself and leave the currently slabbed coins alone, preserved for others down the road and generations in the future yet to enter the hobby. Learn to do this and you may well save money enabling you to buy even better coins than what you now think are the best you can buy but which you perceive only come in TPG slabs.
I personally wouldn't crack a PCGS/ NGC slab ( unless trying for an upgrade), esp. to put in into an album. I don't like the idea of the slides on a MS-65 or so coin....and you can't guarantee it will re-grade. Leave the high-end stuff slabbed. I'm OK with putting something like a VF Indian head cent together in an album since most pieces aren't worth slabbing. Albums don't fit in safe deposit boxes well, so a #7070 type set in MS is best left in slabs, IMO.
About as perfect an explanation as you can get. Pilkenton, there is almost always some cracker's remorse when slabs are cracked out at a high volume. One or two is alright if you have a definitive purpose and reason but cracking all of them out that you buy? It sounds crazy. Then again they are your coins. Just take the precautionary measures to protect them after they are cracked out.
I tend to lean on the side of those who urge folks to not open that encapsulated coin. However, it's your money and your coin to do with as you see fit. As T$ suggests, be sure to take all the precautionary steps to protect the collection from any environmental damages . When you complete the set, some pictures would be nice to see.
