Anyone else have any experience cracking the new PCGS slabs? One of the things that started my collecting journey when I was a wee lad was one of those old Whitman thumb-busters. My Grandpa gave me a set of Lincoln folders (wheaties up through the present) which he had seeded with 10 or 12 pennies of varying dates. Over the years, I've been filling it in, a couple of pieces a year. Its gotten down to where the only holes remaining are the key dates. So the other day, I was on Ebay and saw a 1913D in PCGS AU-58 for a reasonable price, so I picked it up. It came and it was time to put it in the album.... but cracking out was nearly impossible! These new slabs are tough! I finally demolished the slab, but in the process I had to break it into about a million sharp slivers. If this was a higher grade, uncirculated coin I would have been very nervous. I finally managed to get it out and into the album without any damage.
The ones I've had either just fall apart or I will crack them by using my safe door. With a few of the dollar slabs that I've cracked I hit the slab on the corner hard about 5 times (i was doing a test) & the plastic broke diagonally across the face of the coin. I've actually had more trouble with NGC slabs recently. Their plastic seems softer than in past years IMO but my safe door still does the job fast.
I use a vice. Put the slab in the vice facing up so sides are what are touching the jaws of the vice. Then slowly squeeze until you hear a crack and it should just fall apart. I've opened anacs, ntc, sgs, and one pcgs slab this way. Im sure ngc is no different. Wear eye protection just in case though
At the PCGS lunch at ANA last week, Don Willis showed test results of various plastics that were tested for slabs. There were several characteristics, each scored 1 (bad) to 10 (good). One of the characteristics they wanted was a slab could be cracked open, but with the slab becoming unusable after doing so. One of the plastics scored 1 for cracking, as it was virtually indestructible. It was deemed impractical for everyday use, where said use included cracking out coins.
everybody pays for grading in some fashion weither its included in the premuium for the coin or if you paid more then a penny forit you paided for grading if its slabbed
Just... nope. I paid the same (less, really) than if I had found it raw in a 2x2 in a dealers album. Somebody paid for the grading, and somebody took a loss on it. But it wasn't me.
