Looking at some ANA slabbed coins. Anyone know the years that these coins were slabbed before they went to ANACS slabs and any opinions on the how these coins were graded? Were they graded more tightly then say coins graded by NGC, PCGS or ANACS today or about the same or less? Are ANA slabbed coins well respected by most? Thanks in advance for anyones opinions.
The ANA first started grading coins in 1972, but they didn't use slabs until about 1991. So are asking about slabs only ?
Correct. I didn't realize it wasn't until 1991 when they started slabbing the coins. From what I understand the ANA slabs were basically the pre ANACS slabs. From the few ANA slabs I have seem the grading looks to be conserative which is good. In your opinion how does an ANA slabbed coin stand up to say the present day NGC, PCGS, ANACS? Thanks.
Had my date wrong, it was 1990. According to Conder's book ANA slabs are few and far between and were only used for 1 and perhaps 2 years. Most coins graded by the ANA have certificates, not slabs. As a general rule, the ANA has stricter grading standards than any of the TPG's. But the certificates presented a problem, it was just a piece of paper. And because of that the coin could be switched, thus rendering the grading opinion on the paper worthless.
Thanks for the great research. That would explain why you don't see a ANA slab very often on Ebay. Glad to hear standards were strict. Purchased an ANA MS63 Morgan today and paid better than a MS63 price since the coin had very nice eye appeal and it just looked like (from the pictures I had to go own) a MS64 or higher coin. Thanks again.
Since the ANA slabs were short lived, wouldn't that be a collectable in-of-itself? They would be somewhat a rarity and thus, would make them collectable and thus, coins slabbed in a ANA slab could bring a higher price. Just a thought. :hatch: Ribbit
Ask DJ, he just moved a slew of ANA graded Morgans.....he likes them and seems to always be able to find them. They were nice coins IMO.
As a general rule, I find them to be equally as consistent and tight as modern day PCGS and NGC, perhaps a little more so. On a sight-unseen basis I would trust ANA slabbed coins just as much as the top 2 (not that I buy sight-unseen). Most collectors are aware that they are pre-ANACS slabs, but every so often I get a comment about my "selling self-slabber crap". I then have to explain the background/history of the slab and that it's actually ANACS. So far I've crossed 4 ANA slabbed morgans to NGC and I'm about to send in another (the 1880-S MS65PL pictured below). 1 of the coins I've sent in upgraded a point (see the first image below) and the other 3 crossed at the same grade. I've also bought and sold quite a few. I really enjoy these old holders for their history and the simple elegance of the way they display coins. Not to mention I've yet to find one that hasn't been completely rim toned.
DJCoinz, I'm familiar with those slabs. My 1901S Quarter is in one of them. Unfortunately, I can't provide a picture as I gave my collection to my son who lives some 600 miles away. Thanks to all the greed in the hobby today, I quit collecting about a year ago. Many feel that the ANA slabs were conservatively graded, however it has been my experience that a few were overgraded, most were graded properly and a few were undergraded. Perhaps the primary difference is that those old slabs weren't prone to submitter bias as is the case today.
BTW, to my knowledge, they didn't keep population reports, but don't bet the farm on that information.
Yep. I've encountered a few that were overgraded. But the vast majority were conservatively graded or right on, with a few undergraded.
