Busted NGC slabs in the for sale section

The old practice, that many of us had in the olden younger days was to find that coin. Stick it in your album. I haven't done that in almost a year. Cracking slabs.
When was the last time you cracked a slab?
Unless I got the coin for a steal and not selling it, I am not cracking it.
I am afraid those days of snagging something on the cheap are gonna become far and few between.
@Randy Abercrombie nice seated PL

 

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I've cracked a few LCs out for my album but that's about it for crackouts

 

I cracked a few handfuls for a type set album several years ago. I also cracked a few that I thought could upgrade or do better in a PCGS holder (toned Morgans). This was also several years ago. Nothing has been cracked recently.

 

One thing that I have heard about recently is cracking slabbed silver bullion coins. Now that spot has increased, the slab brings no premium and the refineries don't take the slabs. So dealers are cracking.

 

Interesting how many 70's have been taken off the market toners etc, thanks.

 

I'd like to free 95% of my slabbed ancients. However, I'm a bit of a klutz and I'm fearful that I'll damage some of the coins in the jailbreak effort.

The slabs in these cases add nothing. They're all of the budget NGC variety, not having weights and other important information. It also makes photography even harder. But hey, there's a grade! *90% of which I also disagree with, not that stated grade's very important to ancient coin collectors. By today's overgrading standards there's nothing too outrageous, but their chVF is my F+, etc.

All were presents. I've never bought a slabbed coin. *Well, not one that I've received. The one slabbed coin I ever ordered in the mail disappeared.

 

I had a tough slab to get into from a company called NGS. I drilled a hole on the side and stuck a small screwdriver in it and after several tries, I cracked it open.

 

I haven't been able to re-find the video, but there was an amusing youtube video of Aaron Berk freeing a very expensive Brutus from its tomb. He used a hammer or a mallet, I believe.

That being said, I don't mind slabs as much with moderns. For ancients they add near zilch. I really value an ancient with a 100 year old collector tag. I've noticed that anything like that rarely (I've never seen it, at least) comes with a slabbed example.

 

Here's a freed example. The dealer had enough sense to free it from the tomb. The NGC grade was XF, and the equally useless strike and surface grades were both 3/5, respectively. The strike on day one was probably quite good. It's because the coin has some wear. How can one grade a strike for a non-MS coin, other than some egregious problem being present?

It's more handsome in hand than in the picture, being of a mahogany hue. I suspect that it's a pre-1950 find coin. It has that old collection look.

XF, my butt. It's a very pleasant VF, not that stated grade really matters too much anymore for ancients.

 

I’ve only cracked out one coin. I wanted to fill the last hole in my folder. It was graded AG-3 so not a big deal to me.

 

I would have to say that there is a nice circ look to that coin I would say that there are plenty of details left on that coin to call it Extra Fine.

 

I cracked out a Connecticut copper last week, much like ancients, colonials just don't belong in them! I have a 1640 counterstamped French douzain that I have to get around to cracking. Those worry me a little more, they are so thin they bend easily. Definitely extra care needed!

 

I cracked these out when I did my 7070,except the 1978-D SBA which was in a flip.

 

I've cracked slabs that came back not meeting my expectations. I be like, "Meh, what do they know?" You should see the pile of cracked slabs on the floor!

 

I detest slabs and crack them all, keep the labels with them in the album. I do appreciate the fact they have been authenticated though so most of what I buy over $200 is slabbed. But I've been told I'm not a serious collector, so probably just shows my ignorance.

 

Authentication is a big part of the appeal of slabbed coins.

And what makes a "serious collector", anyway? Never seen a definition and I wouldn't accept one that was presented. So, your interlocutor was just rudely presenting his own prejudices as if guidance from above.