Slabbed Coin Regrets?

Has anyone here ever purchased a coin that was slabbed and then wish they hadn't? I'm currently working my way toward collecting an entire set of Lincoln Wheat's with all Philly being mint state and my D and S being XF-MS (depending upon year).

I recently came across a 1925 PCGS MS-64 red that was a good price (35) and a pretty coin. The problem is that this is not a rare coin and I am putting all non keys in a nice CAPS album where I can see all the coins together in capsules. I know many of you would simply break the fellow out and release him to the album but for some reason I just have a mental block with that, especially in the old holder. It's almost like I invalidate the coins grade, even though I changed absolutely nothing!

So now my dilemma is, what to do? Keep the slab and buy an new coin to display? Leave an empty hole and keep the 1925 among the 1909 S VDB and 1914 D slabbed coins I plan to purchase in the future? Kind of like parking a pinto in a garage with your BMW 7 Series. Sell the coin (pain in the rear). Or...ugh..crack the slab.

And I know this is much ado about not a lot of money but I hate waste! Has anyone else had this issue? Or feel the way I do about cracking a slab from a trusted grader?
As always I've attached a bad picture of the coin...not that I think the grade is in question.

 

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First off, DON'T CRACK THAT SLAB!! Had it been in a newer generation holder, I'd say crack it. But it's in an earlier generation PCGS "Rattler". If you like the coin but don't want it in the holder, then buy another example that is raw and either add the slabbed coin to your collection or sell it to someone that will appreciate it in it's current older holder.

Trying to sell that particular Lincoln Cent won't be too difficult as there are people who actively seek those old rattlers. I being one of them.

 

I'd break it out. I don't see the benefit in keeping it in that holder, except if you want to sell it to someone who collects slabs

It also appears be a RB coin, I don't think it would grade RD again today. And the price difference to MS65 is not really significant, and it wouldn't grade 66RD...



"I love it when a PCGS slab cracks"

 

I cracked this guy out of an ngc slab yesterday, they had it at ms61, i thought it would look nice in my set...

 

Agreed with JT, that slab is collectable on its own. Plenty of people would be happy to buy that one from you and there are plenty of other examples that will fit what you are looking for without destroying a rattler

 

Bad advice for this simple reason. That cute image of the nickel out of the holder will only have a buyer who does not like slabs or knows how to grade. Let's give @micbraun a really big IF and say that's 70% of the collectors in the world. If the coin were left in the slab then it would have the other 30% of buyers who cannot grade and those who like slabs added to those who cannot wait to crack it out for a cute image! 100% beats 70% all the time unless we are talking about death rates!

 

It'll be big news when the death rate drops below 100%...

 

I guess if it were me i'd ask one question, are you building the set for you, or to sell? if i were building a set for me, i'd crack it, if i were building a set to sell, i'd leave it in the slab.

 

More like 90% of the collectors in the world ;-) I agree the US market is not like the European market but we're talking $50 coins here, right? Does he want to keep the COIN or does he want to sell the SLAB?

 

I'm was thinking of people diagnosed with Cancer and then recover.

@micbraun The value of the coin does not matter. A slab is perceived as an added value to any coin in it (unless "detailed"). If "detailed", crack it out because from what I know for a fact: Most collectors and many dealers cannot tell a problem coin from a natural one unless it has a hole thru it.

 

Again my pictures really don't do the coin justice. @jtlee321 photos would have slab collectors salivating at the color/strike. This is undoubtedly a red coin and no way it would grade as RB. Actually the only reason I got the coin was it was in the OGH. I think it would go MS65 Red but that doesn't matter much.

Whatever I do, I think cracking it out is out of the question. I would agree with @Insider regarding reselling. And like I said, I just don't feel good about it...like throwing away a certificate of authenticity.

 

I don't want to argue but it doesn't look like a 65RD. See the nick on Lincoln's forehead? Color? I see a brownish red... also, if you bought the coin just because it was in the OGH then I really don't see the point in your question. Get another coin for your album and that's it...

CoA? Really? Don't be paranoid folks, it's not a trade dollar ;-)

 

All the more reason to keep it in the slab then. Having the Red label might help it sell although the knowledgeable collectors know better than to rely on the label. Still it can't hurt and could only help.

And then you also have the old rattler slab, which there are collectors of, as others have already mentioned.

Personally, I wouldn't crack it out of the slab regardless of whether the slab is old or new. I just think keeping it in the slab is the safest and nicest way to keep it. The only reason I would ever crack a coin out of a slab is if I think the label hurts the coin. Just my opinion.

 

I get it now, the SLAB is worth more than the COIN. OP - Don't break it ;-)

 

Let's think long term here. Every one of us will be dead sooner or later and slabbed coins are easier to sell than raw coins for whoever gets stuck with the job of disposing of your estate. If you hate your wife, brother, sister or that guy you appointed as executor, then crack all those slabs.

Buying coins: Sight unseen, I'd rather buy a verifiable slab versus a raw grade-it-yourself-from-my-purposely-misleading-picture sale. If I can hold it in my hand and see the condition and grade, I would be more comfortable buying unslabbed coins. Also, the Chinese fakes are getting so much better than they were just a few years ago, a verifiable slab starts looking so much better.

 

Any reason why we're making conclusive determinations of color and grade from one pair of small, underexposed images? No offense meant to you, MrOrange; the point is, there's insufficient information to be so sure of any of that.

I'd have bought it just for the slab.

 

One's heirs stand a good enough chance of getting ripped off selling a collection without adding raw coins to the mixture.

 

Before you sell it try this.
Lance.

 

First let met say lol @ikeigwin ! I was thinking the same thing, but I guess that's why it's called a rattler! As for color/strike @SuperDave I couldn't agree more regarding my pictures. Until I learn how to properly photograph coins...it's really a my word vs. the picture. I will say, imagine the color of the average 40's/50's red coin and you pretty much nail it.
Believe me, I actually prefer the amazing colors of a RB or Brown coin with luster, the blues/red/browns are beautiful! This is red...
JT is a fan of the rattlers...almost want to do a deal with him just to see the coin properly photographed!!!

 

Generally I'd say crack it, but it is an early slab as others have noticed and does harken to a time when PCGS was a bit more strict on grading.