Are all ANACS Slabs "Worthless"?

Besides their error/variety attributions which ANACS is known for, I've heard a lot of discussion saying that coins certified in ANACS slabs are not worth a high premium over raw coins b/c ANACS no longer grades "accurately", (whatever that means). Are any of their older slabs worth more than their newer slabs (sort of like the PCGS OGHs), such as the small 2x3 slabs that they used to have? I have a couple of coins slabbed by ANACS in those small ones which I'm considering of cross-grading, but want to know if they're fine in their ANACS "old" slab.

Thanks,
-CB

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Most dealers respect the older soap bar slabs of theirs. Its about the time they went to the blue slabs that they lost alot of respect. Their yellow label slabs seem to be mixed. I myself dont mind them.

Majority here will say dealers treat the yellow labels are as raw coins.

 

I agree with Mat. I actually see a value in the blue and yellow holders. If nothing else, it's easy to store and protected in a nice holder. When the day comes to sell, I'll decide if it's worth trying to cross them over.

 

I'm keeping all of my small, white slabs. There are some people who think they're undergraded, and more and more of them get cracked out. It really doesn't matter if the inserts are white, blue or yellow, buy the coin, not the holder. For someone with a good eye, I'm sure there are good values to be found in any of these slabs.

Chris

 

Agreed. I have a couple newer slabs of various denomination.. Some are overgraded in my opinion, and some are probably right. The only old small slab I have is an Oregon Trail commem which is a 64 but I swear is a 66 with killer toning. I got it for like $120...so with patience you can get a good deal. It is true though, they seemed to have much more stringent standards back in the day.

 

What he said. :thumb:

 

Worthless? Absolutely not as there are excellent coins residing in both new and old ANACS plastic. I've often felt that the view of ANACS being a bottom feeder comes more from certain people simply repeating what they hear as opposed to having an experienced opinion. Yes.. standards went to pot and there are lots of head-shakers in ANACS holders, but there are properly (and even undergraded) coins in their holders too. The fact and problem is that many coins in new-ANACS plastic are leniently graded and is an example of bad apples spoiling the bunch. There are many who automatically dismiss ANACS and this can be used to your benefit if you know what you're doing. Old ANACS is generally better than new, but as with any TPG, there is both good and bad. Just because you have a few old holders, this does not mean they will cross - all depends on the coin inside.

Many like the old holders, so unless something that really should reside in top TPG plastic, you might as well leave them as-is.

 

Not at all worthless. As was said previously by several posters, older ANACS slabs have some really nice coins in them. As of recent, the grading consistency has dropped off (out of top tier reliability), but the older ones are quite competitive in terms of the quality of the coins therein, and the grading accuracy. The only area in which they fall down is with respect to resale--PCGS and NGC coins consistently bring more money for equivalently graded coins.

 

It has been a while since I have, but today I agree with Doug

 

Thanks for all the responses. I guess I'll have to check my old "soap bar" slabs to see if any look good enough to be upgraded/cross-graded. I'll proabably post one or two of mine in the What's It Worth sub-forum

 

I'll always buy a coin in the old white holder, if the coin is correct for it's grade. Since ANACS is the only company ( I think) that will slab Dan Carrs over struck coins, I do send them there for the protection of the coin

 

Great subject actually. EVERY TPG had and seems to continue to have...well....grading issues. Take a look at the "Omaha Hoard"...there are a couple of accurately graded coins of various denominations, but overall, definitely overgraded as a lot. Ever look at some of the coins graded and sold for the variety of TV coin shows? Junk...and overpriced junk.

 

So does this mean that you would not buy a new-ANACS coin, even if you believe it "correct for it's grade"? Honest question.

 

I've seen misgraded coins in every TPG's slabs. Always BUY THE COIN.

 

Not if you are concerned with resale. Then, only PCGS and NGC slabs make sense.

 

I concur.
The old small slabs are graded as least as well as PCGS/NGC and sometimes even more conservatively.
I have several coins in the old style slabs, mostly Roosevelt varieties.
The blue slabs are problematic and have to be approached on a case-by-case basis since I've seen LOTS of overgraded coins in them.
The yellow slabs seem to have reversed the trend that started with the blue ones but are still suspect by many collectors.
As always, buy the coin, not the slab.
Bargains can be had in ANACS slabs if you know what you're doing!
As Doug advised, for more expensive coins in ANACS slabs, it may be advisable to get them recertified by NGC/PCGS to get the best selling price.
For cheaper coins, it probably isn't worth the expense.

 

I completely agree with you. However, unfortuantely the vass majority (or at least a large amount) or coin buyers are not "informed", and rely on the slab to speak volumes. Especially when selling online (feebay/Heritage/etc.), you can't view the coin in hand so many simply buy based on the grade/grading company.

I'm mainly asking this for resale -- there's an old soap bar slabbed coin I am planning to eventually sell, and would like to get its max $$ out of it. Of course, if I was buying a coin for keeps...it wouldn't matter what slab it was in! Heck, it could be a raw coin for all its worth!

Thanks for all the help!