Hi folks, I'm fairly new to the hobby and in my rush to find some good quality coins, I bought a few slabbed coins on eBay before I found out about third party slab scammers. I think the coins I bought are still worthy of a slab, although some might be cleaned, and I was thinking about submitting them to PCGS for a proper grading. My question is this: Should I remove the coins from the bogus slabs before I submit them, or send them intact? My big concern is potentially damaging the coins, or worse yet, potentially get the coin judged more harshly because it arrived in a bogus holder. Thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated!
If you can't tell if the coins you have are cleaned, then you shouldn't submit them to PCGS. Try ANACS which will slab a cleaned coin. If your coins are in meaningless slabs (NTC, ACG, SGS, etc) then there is no harm in removing them before submission or submitting them in the slab. The TPG won't care. I'd suggest in the slab to ANACS with the instructions "Cross at any grade".
Welcome to the forum. And, what 'brand x' slabs do you currently have? just to get an idea of potiential problems.
Who were they graded by? Sorry to hear you might have been cheated in some cases man. Your best bet is to take pics of them, and post them here on cointalk, and we can help you out with what might and might not grade. Best of luck man. :thumb: Phoenix
Thanks! I have 4 Morgans graded by NAC and 1 Franklin graded by OCC. They are quite brilliant, which is why I think they may be cleaned but I don't have much experience with that sort of thing yet.
I have 4 Morgans graded by NAC and 1 Franklin graded by OCC. To be honest, I didn't pay full grade price for them (I think a lot of people were scared off by the slab name) so I don't think I lost money on the deal unless of course they have been cleaned. I'll post some pics when I get home from work this evening.
Okay, now we await the pictures. Sorry, but odds are: 1) overgraded; 2) cleaned. In which case: just leave them alone.
If you supply us with some images we'll attempt to make an objective evaluation. After that, slabbing is up to you. My rule-of-thumb: The cost of slabbing should not be MORE than 10% of the estimated value.
Okay, here are the ebay pics for the four Morgans: http://www.krookedhouse.com/coins/morgan01.jpg http://www.krookedhouse.com/coins/morgan02.jpg http://www.krookedhouse.com/coins/morgan03.jpg http://www.krookedhouse.com/coins/morgan04.jpg And four pics of the one Franklin: http://www.krookedhouse.com/coins/frank01.jpg http://www.krookedhouse.com/coins/frank02.jpg http://www.krookedhouse.com/coins/frank03.jpg http://www.krookedhouse.com/coins/frank04.jpg Let me know if you think I need better pics...
I see no reason to send either of those into PCGS. I think the first would bag for cleaning/altered surfaces. The second might grade, but is looks to me like an AU coin, and even if low-MS it is still likely worth less than the grading costs if you factor in shipping. Just look at these as a (hopefully) cheap lesson in the harsh reality of the coin game. Live and learn...Mike
Well, I've been waiting to get my hands on these beauties anyway, so I think I'll crack the slabs and *gasp* touch them. Maybe I'll send them to Bonedigger and he can put them in his magic toning box for awhile.
If I were you, I wouldn't send any of them in. I would crack each one from it's holder and wrap it in a napkin or something similar and set it on a sunny window sill for about 6 months.
Sorry, but they will never get those grades. Save the slabbing fees for purchasing some nice coins. But------ Don't let this get you down. Please continue collecting.
Sorry man, but like said, none of those are worth slabbing. But like Frank said, don't let this discourage you. Learn all you can about coins, grading, differing cleaned from normal coins, etc. Learn all you can, and then try to buy coins again. Knowledge is power, and if used correctly, it can be a very good thing to use. :thumb: BTW, great pics of the Franklin half. :thumb: Phoenix
Heh, thanks guys... I wasn't expecting a very good review and I've learned a valuable lesson. Too bad it had to cost me $150.00! But I'm already back in the saddle and making better calls... like no more bogus slabs!
