have you ever freed a coin from its slab?

THANK YOU! This is my philosophy as well!
:kewl:

 

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I popped out quite a few in my early days of collecting because I wanted them to fill my Morgan Dansco Album. Luckily I was paying very close attention and had no mishaps, but it wasn't easy.

 

Put them back in?? You can remove a coin from a slab and just put it back together when you feel like it? This is news to me.

 

I cracked a toned proof indian cent from a PCI slab ($50). Sold it raw on eBay ($130).

Can't think of a better reason to crack a coin out. People are afraid of non-top-tier third-party plastic.

 

as they should be.. most of them are scams.

 

Agreed, but if you "buy the coin, not the plastic" as I did, the occasional deal will present itself. This requires a great deal of confidence in one's grading ability and numismatic knowledge, though.

 

Agreed, a bogus TPG slab can be a great deal on occasion. As you said many people shy away from them and they go for less. So even though the grade is almost always less than what it's "slabbed", you can still do well... if you know what you are doing.

 

Nope, I don't buy slabbed coins.

 

Coin "cracking"

Thanks for the topic. First, I think the idea and the word must be a surprize to many coin collectors. "Crack" does not have a favorable connotation. I also think of the book "Cracking the Code"--which questions the 16th Amendment, whose adherants the Revenue Agents refer to as "crack heads". So maybe there is a better term, "liberator", reminds me of the abolition movement.

One of the first books I read on coin collecting was "How to Make Money With Coins Right Now", by Scott Travers. He spoke a lot about "upgrading" coins that show a substantial upside in the next grade. I had some successes, one $4000 "home run" play on a coin. Also, when I was in a "clueless" mood, took a bunch of nice gold coins out of their holders, dipped them like an idiot, and coins that were formerly in MS60 plus holders, all came back AU58! The graders see recently dipped coins coming afar off, and will at best give you punitive grades. I also took coins out, without properly packaging them and had them pick up marks that caused them to lose a point or more.

Lastly, I would say that were you to pose a question that went a step or two further, asking about dipping of coins, or other enhancement it would remind me of a high school class I subbed for. The teacher left an assignment for me to hand out asking them whether they thought Cannabis should be legalized. I don't think any of the students answered in the affirmative.

 

I once removed a 1911-S lincoln F-12 to put in my dansco, wonder why? at the time it was a $15 coin sitting in a PCI slab.