I have never physically held a graded note in my hand before. I just acquired a PCGS graded note and was disappointed when it arrived. It is in a large flimsy vinyl holder. I assumed graded notes would be in a thick/rigid plastic slab. I could fold this thing in half if I wanted to. Is this standard grading practice for currency?
I'm pretty sure the slab would crack or crease something fierce it you were to get a note to fold while slabbed. However I also got my first ever graded slab when I bought an error note last week (I know - right? I just don't like the premiums attached to these slabs) and I was also surprised how thin it was. My sleeves I use have more girth? I also expected the label to be on the inside, and not on the surface? Anyhow, I'm sure they will evolve if more of use complain. Heck I already wined about not having them Neon filled with RFID chips! Oh and they're also unnecessarily wide! ...END OF RANT... ...END OF LINE...
Over the years PCGS has used different slabbing practices. With this being said....you will find different variations of their slabs from the thin as you have to a more rigid type. If I am not mistaken, the one you have is also quite long/longer than what they currently put out. I have been out of the loop for some time and someone else may come along that can provide you with additional information. FYI..PMG is the TPG of choice for me...PCGS and PMG are the top 2 IMHO. Do not be discouraged, you can always send it back and ask for it to be slabbed with the current method.
This thing is pathetic. I did see that I could have it reholdered for a nominal fee. I have also seen different variations within this grader. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be sending it back to end up with the same thing.
i always thought that they were slabbed. kind of a bummer. I wanted to get my repeater graded but now i am really thinking about if i want to go through the trouble of sending it just to have it in a thin plastic sleeve
The way PCGS now slabs is very similar to the PMG Holder as far as size and rigidity...take a look at a PMG holder and see for yourself. No need to be bummed out. What you have was 2nd or 3rd Gen anyway's. The main difference between PMG and PCGS Holders currently is that PMG is sealed 100% and PCGS is has ~ 3/16" of the Mylar-D slab open at the top of the holder from the end of the label to the end of the holder so air can get in. The mass feels ~ the same to me...do not have a scale nor am I interested in its mass. If you do not like the one you have then get it re-slabbed to the newer one....or cut it out...or leave it as it is.
Consider this... This first story is a year old news now, but still relevant for this thread I believe: PMG Announces Second-Generation Holder "The next generation PMG label and holder is scheduled for release on Jan. 3, 2011" "PMG will begin use of a new generation holder on January 3, 2011. All notes encapsulated after that date by PMG will automatically be placed in the new holder. This holder marks the first design iteration of the PMG holder since the company launched in 2005. The second-generation PMG holder is made from the same high-quality inert materials and is very similar in shape and overall aesthetics; however, it features new, highly sophisticated anti-counterfeiting and tampering-prevention technologies." (more) As Rick mentioned, with these newer PMG holders, "there are no openings or perforations, it guards against environmental hazards and contaminants." Note also that PMG places the note itself in an internal clear sleeve before, encapsulating in the outer sleeve for added layers of protection to notes. There's more detailed info on the specifics of the newer PMG holders, just follow the links to the articles. Now for PCGS Currency, I think this story is worth taking notice of as did Coin Link for publishing the story: PCGS Currency Holders “Take the Heat” This story from CoinLink.com 12/08/2008 "With only a dozen exceptions, all the paper items in a Florida collector’s home safe were destroyed or damaged by intense heat during a house fire. The only papers that survived unscathed were 12 bank notes inside PCGS Currency holders, including two 1907 $10 Gold Certificates." “There were eleven large size and one small size PCGS Currency-certified notes recovered from the fire earlier this year. The holders were sooty and some had blisters and discoloration on their surface, but the notes inside all survived without damage,” said Laura A. Kessler, Vice President of PCGS Currency, a division of Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT). All other paper items in the five-foot tall gun safe at the anonymous collector’s central Florida home were destroyed or damaged from the extreme heat, including family documents, photographs and bank notes not housed in PCGS Currency holders. Hundreds of encapsulated coins survived the fire, although their holders partially melted and were deformed." “The house had a metal roof and was built on stilts that collapsed during the fire. The safe had a one-hour rating, but it took about four hours until the fire was put out. The Fire Department said the metal roof made it like an oven (under the collapsed building),” the collector said. “When he submitted the notes he asked us to re-holder them, but at first glance I thought there’d be a change in grades because of the apparent damage to the outside of the holders. I didn’t know what we’d find when we carefully removed the notes from the holders, but they all survived with no damage. It was fantastic,” said Kessler. “The top-grade materials that are used for our holders undoubtedly saved the notes. They’re made from DuPont Mylar-D®, the safest and best archival material for long-term storage of bank notes. This material is the same used by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. for storage of important historical documents. It has a higher melting temperature, and thus is safer than other currency holders in the marketplace.” (more) Follow the link for the rest of the story and a full list of the recovered notes. I know and understand some people's perspective that the currency holders may not give the same impression as a coin holder does, but read and remember these two stories and consider that the strength of a birds egg is able to support the weight of its parent without being crushed in the nest, but it can be cracked open with little effort too. :thumb:
