I was just reading the thread on cracking coins out of TPG slabs and was wondering if anyone has any stories of coins being damaged in an attempt to remove them from a slab. So, if there are any stories, please feel free to share.
Only the time I used an arc welder to melt away the plastic. For some reason the coin melted also. :goofer: Actually never damage any coins yet. Almost lost one though. Ever notice how sometimes when you drop something it actually vanishes completely. I have a theory about that where the object goes into another dimension and you don't find it until something from that dimension pushes it back. The first slab I tried to open was in a vise and I simply cut the ends off with a saber saw. The slab fell open and the coin vanished somewhere. I looked for a long time and just gave up, went into the house ranting and raving. Next day went into the garage and there the coin was on the floor under the vise. I know it wasn't there before then.
I was demonstrating to my fiance how flimsy the new anacs holders are. I decided to break out the coin without using snips, by twisting the holder. I didn't use all that much force, the holder basically shattered, and the coin flew onto the carpet, making that nice silver ring sound. Fortunately, it was an AU barber quarter, and was not damaged from what I could tell.
It was wooden carpet. I once slipped while levering open an slab and sliced my hand, I did keep the presence of mind to let the blood drip on the carpet and not the coin though, wife wasn't too happy, but hey
I almost missed that. What kind of ringing does Silver make on carpeting. Sure would be fun watching that stuff being vacuumed.
The force of the plastic colliding with the coin let out the ring. I didn't hear anything when it hit the carpet, only when I shattered the slab.
I had to mention this to you.... I cleaned the fish tank today and wiping the hinged lid, I heard a snap, then the piece fall as it bounced off the glass. I was kneeling on a light grey carpet at the time, the piece was black and about 1/4" big. Hubby and I looked and looked and looked for it. It was then that I related your story to him as the piece seemed to have simply vanished. A few minutes later I looked down and noticed the 'piece' was on the carpet, right in front of where I was kneeling. "How is that possible" hubby asked. We had both scoured the carpet, under furniture etc. I then quoted you saying "it went to another dimension and came back"..lmao
Not first hand, but a dealer friend of mine related a story of when he sold a coin to another dealer in his hotel room prior to a show in the late 80's. Since slabs were relatively new the dealers were still experimenting with what they could stick to the slabs that would come off easily, but this particular coin had some gummy glue residue on it after the pricing sticker was removed so the new owner took it to the sink to try to scrub the gumminess off with soap and water. As he was working on the slab it slipped and fell into the sink and cracked, but not broken open and when he picked it back up water and soap had gotten inside the holder and were against the coin! The new owner lost it when he saw this and started swearing and yelling, "does any one have a cracker!" (language cleaned up for a family audience) and when the original owner said "no" he ran out of the hotel room and began banging the slab on a metal pole outside of the hotel room trying to get it to crack the rest of the way open, all the while continuing his colorful language. Until my friend (the original owner of the coin) heard a crack and then the brilliant ring of the coin as it bounced a couple of times on the concrete and rolled down the sidewalk as it's new owner swore while he chased his coin! The coin had been in a 67 holder and the new owner thought it might up grade, but it downgraded after it's exciting ride. By the way, did I mention it was a proof Trade dollar...
That's enough to make me want to cry, lol. I probably would have to, lol. Any idea what the new grade was? Phoenix
