Opened: a 40 year old 'slab'

I ran across a coin on eBay that I really wanted but it came in packaging that was probably worth as much as the coin to most people in the hobby. However, I could not see it well let alone photograph it so I had to set it free. In this case, that meant removing a rusty staple that both attached and closed the half flip that had contained the coin since 10 Dec 1976. The text on the certificate identified the coin and explained it quite accurately. It was signed by the expert then charging 40 pence for his services (this one had no photo so it did not cost a whole pound for the upgrade service). A previous owner had blacked out the estimated value of the coin; I blacked the owners name on this photo.
Why was I a bit sad to open up a stapled proto-slab signed by some expert? Read below.


The expert was David R. Sear. You may have heard of him.

The coin is exactly as described (no surprise - Mr. Sear is known for knowing these things). I'm not David Sear so it took me a few minutes to confirm what he had said and expand the ID just a bit. The coin is a 21.5mm bronze of Magnentius weighing 2.63g (my scales, Mr. Sear did not weigh it). As stated, it was the two Victories with shield type and the Cohen 68 reference given is correct. LRBC 58 may be but my edition of Late Roman Bronze Coins is a 1978 so he was using an older copy. We will forgive the lack of an RIC number since it was still five years in the future when this certificate was issued.

It was "overstruck on a reduced follis of Constantine II Caesar" but 40d did not get you 'which' follis. My photo shows the coin right side up for the Magnentius strike above a second pair right side up for the Constantine II strike. The top photo shows Magnentius' nose is messed up. The one below shows that the reason was the undertype of a diagonal staff running under a T in the field. To the left is a clear strike of .PRINCIPI making the undertype RIC 144 page 175 or something similar. The one below is from acsearch making it much more clear than words alone could do.
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=2544913

The type was also issued for Crispus but any hopes of catching Mr. Sear in a forty year old error were dashed by a weak trace LCON (large inset and yellow arrow) from he name FLCLCONSTANTINVS. Crispus would have had LCRI here. If you can recognize the back of Constantine's head under the Magnentius reverse, more power to you.

I mentioned forgiving Mr. Sear's not giving an RIC number but I can not cut myself similar slack. I'd like to say that the coin is RIC 310 page 162. RIC allows this coin a weight of 2.00g which is as close to my 2.63g as allowed on a coin with A behind the bust as seen here. RIC 316A has no A but is given 2.60g. 316A also lacks the shoert column supporting the shield but this area of the coin is flat making this a judgement call. We also suffer from the lack of the CAE or CAES at the end of the reverse legend which will separate a few of the minor variations listed in RIC. Such things are easier to see on mint state coins not struck on older coins.

Current Sear Certificates are no longer 40p so I am spared the desire to send in the coin an see if he matches the quality of this 1976 paper. Even though I cracked out the coin, I will be saving this paper. I suspect I reduced the value of the item when I pried out that staple but I'm one of those guys that like to lay hands on my coins without intervening plastic.

I know a couple of you have similar old Sear certificates. Post 'em.

 

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interesting , i have not seen these certificates in quite some time.. it is a old style of certifying something .. its a good thing to keep , i would remove the coin from the flip and send it in to ngc or pcgs , then frame everything in one shadow box picture frame

 

it is beautiful.. by all means , is sear still alive?? it would be nice to get a confirmation letter from him proving this certificate

 

Very cool. I'll post mine when they arrive

 

There is no way I would send this to a TPG. What more are they going to tell you? The Sheldon/TPG grading system is nearly worthless for ancients, and there is a reasonable chance that they would make a mistake. Why spend/waste the money?

 

That is pretty cool Doug. Nice find! I'll post mine when I get it too.

 

Great find Doug!

 

@dougsmit An excellent write-up with just a tad of name dropping.

 

Because it's David Sear.

 

Preservation of the coin

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Could you expand a little on your reply?

Preservation in what way? The coin is 1700 years old. I don't understand exactly what needs to be preserved -- it doesn't appear to have bronze disease, and I wasn't aware that slabs are useful in preserving ancient coins that have been touched and handled thousands of times.

What am I missing here?

 

I agree with preservation......of the document. Fortunately ancient coins are non perishable.
If I received it in the mail without knowing I would have done a double take. That's a great coin and certificate.

 

Hi Doug if that flip had PVC in it I dont think you really hurt the value by taking it out, its probably a long term good thing. even though it been in there a long time, I would have not kept it in there either. that cert is kinda like having David Sears rookie card

 

I know I'm in the minority on this--maybe a minority of one--but it makes me sad that this was opened. Intact it was a seriously cool piece of numismatic history; now, it's just another ancient coin. Yes, the fact that it's overstruck is interesting and noteworthy, but it could have been examined almost as effectively inside the sealed flip.

And yes, it's your coin Doug and you're free to pound nails through it if you choose to, but I wish you had left this as it was. How many intact flips/certificates like this have even survived? I've never seen one, and I've seen my share of ancient coins.

 

wow.. signed by the man himself!

 

I agree, also he could have sent it with the original certificate to have it slabbed with a sear name on label ... Or something like that

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That's really cool!

 

The day Doug sends a coin in to be slabbed I will probably stop collecting. This is the ancients forum. We don't send coins in for slabbing.

 

I'm not a ancient collector so I don't KNOW but I feel if it's important it should be slabbed and preserved just my sentiments

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I get it. You have bought into the silliness that means chasing coins in plastic tombs. You also seem to believe that this is both necessary and wise. I find this very sad as it means you have bought into a scheme devised to separate people from their money for no good reason. You also admit that you do not collect ancients and seem to assume that your opinion should have a weight equal to those who have much more experience collecting them.
Just my sentiments.