Switching to Slabs!

Thanks! It's the gem of my collection. I actually bought it by accident. I bid on it on eBay without expecting to win. Sort of wishful thinking. Then I won and had to explain to my wife how I accidentally spend $400! That was almost 20 years ago. Now I'm glad I got it.

@IdesOfMarch01, that is a gorgeous collection! I love that first one! I haven't seen a piece like that in person yet. I'll probably hyperventilate and pass out when I do!

Anyone have any ideas for a nice storage box? I'm looking at wood or aluminum/glass boxes, boxes with trays, or aluminum 3-ring binders with sheets. I'd like to see pics of how other people have done it.

Thanks everyone!

 

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I have no knowledge of these quick slabs, but you may want to check to see what the inserts are made of. They could cause toning or corrosion or be moisture traps. They look like some sort of foam rubber which could be a problem long term. Maybe they are inert, maybe not, but I'd check before using them. The company that produces them should be able to provide details as to their composition and details if they've been tested.

Barry Murphy.

 

$6.95 for just 5 of these! Those with larger collections would really have to budget them in.

 

You know, part of the reason why I haven't switched to slabbed coins, other than storage space issues, bad grading system, fake hoard names on labels, no guarantee of authenticity, etc., is that if I were to send my 130+ coins to NGC for slabbing, my fees would be north of $3,285.00 (and that's not even including shipping and insurance costs). And believe me, when you buy slabbed dealers pass that cost on to you, so imagine how much more I would have paid for those.

Slabbing really only works in ancients for high end small collections, or maybe for a few limited high end coins in your collection. As we tend to amass collections of 100+ coins, slabbing all our coins just doesn't make sense.

For those $3,285.00 which I've saved (and probably more as dealers jack up slabbed coins higher than the cost of slabbing), I could probably buy myself two common Late Roman gold solidus coins or 6 or 7 Byzantine gold solidus.

 

I like the idea of such holders, seems extremely practical and solves a lot of problems. I'll likely check into these and try them myself, so thanks...

In the meantime, I'm a nostalgic kinda guy, and personally, I have taken to storing my coins in the pockets of certified genuine women's Levi's cut-off denim shorts that were worn in the year of issue of the coin itself. I am not ashamed in the least.

 

Dang. Sorry guys, I was being sarcastic. I thought the joke would be obvious. You know, most ancient collectors hate them, etc? Lots of photos showing them being broken out, etc. Me, I dont like them but understand why others do. Anyway, sorry my dumb humor didnt get through.

 

Thanks Barry. From their website:

"Capsules and inserts are chemically inert and free from PVC, acids, or chemical softeners."

 

I do like the concept of Gavin's "temporary plastic display units" and figured my collection would stack up to about 150 feet or short of 17 stacks floor to ceiling not allowing for the few coins too large or small to fit in a standard plastic unit. My collection is never in one place at one time since it outgrew the largest box my bank offered even using paper envelopes. You guys with a single $10,000 coin really have attractive options not available those of us with a thousand $10 slugs.

I do like the idea of being able to open and close holders. It is almost a good as the way I really wish I could store my stuff. The point is we each have to do what fits our style.


The desires to pay $6.95 for 5 (or $50 apiece) pale in my mind since I have photos of all of my coins and look at them many times for every actual touch. I guess that suggests the next step would be to sell the coins and just keep the photos. Somehow that would seem to ruin the fun of it all but I can see my coins better in the photos than I can in slabs, flips or paper hidden away in a bank box. Hmmmmm? No wonder guys like David Sear don't collect coins. They found a better answer.

 

Ken, it's a tough audience. Don't let it get to you, nor let it drag you down the way it did Lenny Bruce, who was also always too hip for the room.

 

I use the Quickslab for my coins that don't need to be slabed. Helps keep them in order for sets and keeps my collection in a resonable fashion for storage. better more expensive coins I sitll use NGC and PCGS, or if I have a question of authentic origin. and I code the Quickslab for cross reference with my computer database for any additional information like where I got the piece, cost and any other information that would be pertinent.

 

I just recently transferred my entire Dollar Collection; Morgans, Peace, and Eisenhower to slabs because the card/mylar 2X2's didn't protect them very well and left no room to label them. Slabbing is expensive, but worth it at least for 38mm.

 

That's a beautiful presentation, Ides!

 

Great post, JGGonzalez!
I think your slabs look nice! I like to experiment with different ways to store and present my collection. Recently, Ive been using the square 2 x 2 inch capsules. If the coins are thick, they'll stay in the center of the capsule when the halves are pressed together lightly so that both sides of the coin are in contact with the inert acrylic case. If the coins are thin, I add a foam insert with a custom cut hole for the coin to sit within.

 

VERY nice...

 

That's why they call it pocket change.

 

Also, Which i think is SO SO important, When you "slab" yourself,You can use the cotton gloves and mask ( which i always do ), Without worrying about "those" grading co's getting fingerprint(s) on your thousand(s) of dollars that you spent on your coin(s). I've been hearing a lot with the main grading co's. getting prints on your coins. They most likely won't show up for weeks months or possibly for years, BUT, They will show up. Hopefully you get good graders with skinny fingers that know what there doing. OGP is the best way to go. ( MY OPINION ONLY )..

 

Folks, please understand this is the ANCIENTS Forum... "Rules" for handling Ancients are much different than for Moderns. You can HANDLE ancient coins with your hands, it is encouraged. This helps in verifying an ancient coin and enables the owner to enjoy them.

This is exactly why I no longer collect Moderns. LOL, gloves, masks, plastic sealed tombs, etc. have taken the collector far away from the original Hobby. People have collected coins for THOUSANDS of years. It has only been in the last 30 years that we have "sanitized" the Hobby by sealing up an item (coin) that was designed to be circulated and handled by people!

These are SELLER pics...











These are some of MY Pics:





BTW, thanks to @John Anthony for sacrificing his hand so that Coins can be enjoyed!

 

I agree, and in addition, it baffles me just how many people have bought into this forced sterility. The TPGs encourage this of course and they are laughing all the way to the bank.

 

These guys would have an aneurysm if they saw some of the chemicals and implements I've used or paid others to use to clean coins I purchased. Hard to see the point of wearing gloves and masks when a week ago some guy was cleaning it with dilute acid, ammonia and an xacto knife.

 

One of the things I found the most amusing was a thread, shortly before I switched collecting ancients, that dealt with the preservation of coins. One poster said he put his coins in plastic, pumped out the air with a vacuum, then added silica, then another layer of plastic also vacuum sealed, and finally closed everything in a box. That made me realize just how little modern collectors tend to enjoy their collections due to the obsession with grade and perfect preservation.

Since ancient coins no longer have the original surface intact due to burrial for thousands of years and cleaning when they are dug out, that is not a concern and you can actually enjoy holding them. That's one of the reasons I only collect ancients anymore. What's the point of collecting coins if you can't hold them and enjoy them, and you're constantly freaking out whether your coin was correctly graded MS-64, or if it is really an MS-63+, or God forbid an MS-63. Who cares? Enjoy the darn coins for what they are instead of treating them like stocks to be flipped for maximum profit, or some perishable commodity to be put away and never seen or held for fear of reducing the value of the "commodity."