I recently bought a ASE proof in an old PCGS green holder. I have examined the coin and the 69 grade is correct but I was wondering if there is any market differences between the older slabs and the newer ones when it comes to proofs. I know some people prefer the older slabs while some like the look of moderns. I was wondering how you guys felt about it if given the choice between a modern slab or an older one with the same grade assigned for a proof. I never thought about it until now since I've never owned an older slab until now. Thoughts? Eric (always buys the coin and not the holder)
Well you already know the key answer. If you are buying sight unseen or from photographs, it used to be several years ago, that there was a better chance the old PCGS slap would contain a coin that tended more to being undergraded under current standards ( new slab). However, most of the old slabs on the market have already been checked carefully, so such difference has mainly disappeared, but I still think the coins in the older slabs are treasures to be checked carefully in hand at shows or shops. jim
Yeah, the older slabs bring a premium and it's not just with PCGS, ANACS are also nice to pick up as well as they were a highly respected company back in the day. All you gotta do to see how much some of them older slabs bring is get on ebay and enter (old green holder) and you'll see a bunch come up. I have an old rattler with a half dollar in it but I can't find that pic right now. I've been really lucky with my buys as some ppl don't know that the old green holders bring a premium and they sell them without even mentioning OGH. Here's a couple older slabs here! Oh, and mums the word!!
Does anyone know when PCGS began using the CAM & DCAM designations? Did that come before or after the OGH was introduced? Chris
Older I think they grade a bit more accurately and I will always buy the doily slab if I see it, they in themselves will bring a premium
Since most of the older slabs that had upgrade potential have already been cracked, the only real advantage th older slabs have for proofs is an assurance of stability. If you have a old holder with a proof coin in it and the coin is not showing any tendency to tone and not spots have developed then you can be pretty comfortable with the idea that the coin is not going to turn on you. The ASE is a good example of this with their tendency to develop milkspots. If you have a N(ew)GH (Most slabs being sold as Old Green Holders are actually new green holders. You don't see too many true OGH anymore.) with an ASE with no toning or spots you know it hasn't turned in over ten years and it isn't likely to. But if it is in a recent holder you don't know what might happen in the next year. And there is some anecdotal evidence that if milkspotting is going to occur, it seems to happen more quickly AFTER the ASE is slabbed. So a raw one that is perfectly fine may have bad spotting a year from now after it is slabbed.
With proof coins or business strikes, I'll especially pay a slight premium for copper coins that look nice in older slabs. The old slabe gives me some reassurance that the coin is more likely to be stable in appearance and is less likely to change colors and/or grow spots since I know the coin hasn't been touched and/or messed with for many years.