I just bought a Buffalo $50 that is NGC slabbed in the latest holder with 4 prongs. I don't have clue how they get the coin in there, but was wondering if anyone had ever encountered a case of a pure gold coin showing a scratch or dent from the holder? It seems to me the gold would have to scrape across the prongs to get in. Is the plastic prong some kind of real soft stuff?
if i remember right, it would leave EXTREMELY small scratches, that you'd have to use a microscope to see. plastic is softer than gold, so instead if anything, it's be the other way around. so your answer is yes, but they are so small, they aren't noticeable. but then again, i'm only a teenager, so let's get some of the other guys in here! and welcome to cointalk! Mizozuman2
The slab lays flat, the coin is placed on it and the other half is placed on top, blamo, you have a slabbed coin. No fuss no muss and definitely no scratches. I don't think there are any scratches, even ones you can't see.
Well, in most cases today the coin is first positioned in its gasket before being placed onto the bottom half of the slab and then sonic-sealed. The gasket is very soft and flexible and can easily be bent so the coin slips into without damage. Lance.
Don't think it would get damaged inside the slab. Besides being sonically sealed, the coin should not be able to move while in the slab.
I am hoping to own a gold slabbed coin one day when I can afford it. If that day ever comes, I will let you know.
Yes, they can bend gold coins. I had 3 come back graded and bent. They were odd sized world gold coins. They were bent badly and it had to be during the packaging since NGC will not grade a bent coin. And they were perfect when I sent them in.
I would think that in the long run gold coins that are slabbed are on a whole less prone to damage than those that are not. BTW that linked video does not really show how a coin is put into the NGC pronged holder which is the OP question. Is the four prong insert soft plastic or hard two part upper and lower parts?
NGC's white, four-prong holder/insert is one piece and made of the same flexible material as the old no-prong holder. I'm sure a ham-fisted employee could cause slight scuffs inserting soft .999 gold. PCGS's clear gaskets are softer and much more flexible. They're simply thin rings you could easily fold in half with two fingers. You couldn't do that with NGC's stiffer white insert. Lance.
I thought the same thing until I click one of the sub headings below the initial video titled "Your Coin’s Journey Through NGC". At the 2:59 mark, it clearly shows a $20 piece being put into the flexible "one piece" insert. The insert was bent over the coin laying flat on the table to allow the bottom to go in then the top of the coin was snapped into place. It looks as if the reverse of the coin came into direct contact with an unprotected forefinger. (Yikes!) PCGS showed folks mounting coin barehanded as well. You'd think a latex finger cot might be in order?
It's like eating at Denny's. You don't want to know what goes on in the kitchen, you just want to eat your pancakes.
