Switching to Slabs!

I'm all fairness, I would have an aneurysm if anyone tried to clean my Victoriatus. Once you get rid of the remaining dirt and hoard patina from 2,200 years in the soil, you are kind of killing it's character. Some coins really do deserve a reprieve from being all shinny.

Every time I see a modern collector freaking out over a milk spot on one of his modern coins, I'm kind of tempted to post a picture of my Victoriatus to see his reaction. Does that make me evil?

 

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Patina: the surface of an object grown beautiful through age and use.

 

I agree. This is a HOBBY. If you were an individual that was INVESTING, I sure-the-heck would NEVER invest in this industry! Ergo, future value and pricing growth mean nothing. If I were investing, it would be in more liquid commodities with a much better track record of return. If I am worried about returns in a HOBBY industry, ie coins, I would probably be making poor investment decisions.

 

Couldn't agree more.

Im the same with my world moderns. I can only afford the low/mid grade types, but I handle them like I do ancients.

Slabbing takes the fun out of collecting.

 

The Quick slabs might be useful for handing coins around in a presentation. I too will look into testing that. But I would not be inclined to use them for permanent storage. Too many coins and the slabs would be too bulky without good reason to tie up space that way.

 

Patina - you like it
Corrosion - you don't like it

 

Well I learned a lesson today. I was talked into, by my coin club friends, to send in my 1955 Double Die and 1972 Double Die for certification. Here's the results:



Everyone who saw the '55 was sure it was authentic, coin club members, dealers, and Lincoln Coin specialists. It was made from a die and the way NGC identified it as counterfeit was by die charactoristics. The moral buy certified or get the coin certified, if it has a high value, as soon as possible.

 

By the way, Dennis Tarrant of OC Rare Coin & Bullion, LLC was extremely helpful in helping me with the '55 and '72 Lincolns. He went above and beyond with his help and support.

 

The rims on the 1955 look wrong right away. I had a 1908-S indian that was fake. The color looked suspicious and the font seemed off. I haven't heard about fake 1972 DDO but 1955 is another story. I hope you didn't pay much for it.

 

Sorry for this. As an Ancients collector, I am on constant vigil for fakes. I wouldn't have thought it very prevalent for Moderns. Again, I am sorry that you have to endure this.

 

sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry

 

I just finished putting my coins in Quick Slabs. I like the way it looks and I love that I can open them and handle them any time I want to. It will also be helpful for when I pass them around in a classroom. Since I only have 45 coins, the process did not take very long and the slabs do not take up very much space. I also like that I get to choose what goes on the label. The labels are small but there is enough room for the basics. This is more than enough information for the majority of those non-collectors who will be handling the coins.

 

Way cool! Curious to see the results. I have been considering this approach to a few key coins. Although, I would just break them out to show folks.

 

@Alegandron

Here are the results. Forgive the bad photos I took them in a hurry.

 

Nice. What did you use to cut the foam?

 

Nice!

 

I did not have to cut the foam. They come pre cut for sizes from 14- at least 38mm. Ancient coins are not perfectly round of course and the size can vary between up and down and side to side measurements. You just have to choose the next size down depending on the maximum measurement of your coin. For example, if my coins' max diameter is 17.43 mm, I choose the size 17 mm. It works surprisingly well. All I did was to count up the numbers for each size I needed and then ordered them. They come in packs of 5.

 

The only good slab is a dead slab.

 

@Sallent

I have railed against slabs for some time and for the following reasons

1. You cannot touch the coin
2. you cannot open the slab
3. TPG slabs give the illusion of authenticity
4. TPGs are making millions from people's insecurities
5. You cannot always see the edges of the coin

IMHO these quick slabs love those problems, plus they add a layer of necessary protection. What I mean is that I want them protected when I hand them around in a classroom, people who have never handled an ancient coin before.

However, when I meet a TPG slab...