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My First Real Slab - Severus Alexander Sestertius in NGC Plastic - VG "Polished"
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<p>[QUOTE="Marsyas Mike, post: 7455348, member: 85693"]Slabs are something I mostly ignore when cruising the depths of eBay - I have nothing against them in general, but they always are priced out of range of my budget, the plastic adding a premium I am not willing to pay. Also, I like handling the raw merchandise. </p><p><br /></p><p>Over the years I've gotten a few off-brand slabs on the cheap, but recently I came across an NGC slab with a $50 "buy it now" price and a coin that I thought was quite attractive. In hand, I was impressed - NGC's plastic is hefty, crystal-clear and attractive. Again, I understand the appeal. Since I believe the value of the coin is probably enhanced by the slab, I have no plans in breaking it out. </p><p><br /></p><p>Here it is, with the seller's excellent photo at bottom: </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1292367[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1292368[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Severus Alexander Æ Sestertius</b></p><p><b>(222-231 A.D.)</b></p><p><b>Rome Mint</b></p><p>IMP CAES M AVR SEV ALEXANDER AVG, laureate, draped bust right / PAX] AVGVSTI S-C, Pax running left, holding olive-branch and sceptre. </p><p>RIC 592c.</p><p>NGC registration 3989483-030</p><p>(57.32 grams (in slab) / 28 mm)</p><p><br /></p><p>In my opinion the VG grade is a bit too conservative - I'd go with "about Fine". This is one of the earlier ancient's slabs without the strike/surface grades, and this is the kind of coin that would benefit from that I think: full legends on a 3rd century sestertius is not all that common and the strike is nice and even, apparent despite the wear. </p><p><br /></p><p>I do not understand the "polished" designation at all - all ancients have been cleaned, and I have some stripped sestertii that are bright and brassy - they look far worse than this coin. There are some hairlines on the bust, so maybe that is where "polished" came from? </p><p><br /></p><p>I'd be interested to see other examples of NGC "polished" on an ancient slab. Any additional comments and opinions welcome too. Also, if somebody could tell me what the empty slab weighs, that'd be great - I'm curious about the raw coin's weight (again, these early slabs don't list the weight).[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Marsyas Mike, post: 7455348, member: 85693"]Slabs are something I mostly ignore when cruising the depths of eBay - I have nothing against them in general, but they always are priced out of range of my budget, the plastic adding a premium I am not willing to pay. Also, I like handling the raw merchandise. Over the years I've gotten a few off-brand slabs on the cheap, but recently I came across an NGC slab with a $50 "buy it now" price and a coin that I thought was quite attractive. In hand, I was impressed - NGC's plastic is hefty, crystal-clear and attractive. Again, I understand the appeal. Since I believe the value of the coin is probably enhanced by the slab, I have no plans in breaking it out. Here it is, with the seller's excellent photo at bottom: [ATTACH=full]1292367[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1292368[/ATTACH] [B]Severus Alexander Æ Sestertius (222-231 A.D.) Rome Mint[/B] IMP CAES M AVR SEV ALEXANDER AVG, laureate, draped bust right / PAX] AVGVSTI S-C, Pax running left, holding olive-branch and sceptre. RIC 592c. NGC registration 3989483-030 (57.32 grams (in slab) / 28 mm) In my opinion the VG grade is a bit too conservative - I'd go with "about Fine". This is one of the earlier ancient's slabs without the strike/surface grades, and this is the kind of coin that would benefit from that I think: full legends on a 3rd century sestertius is not all that common and the strike is nice and even, apparent despite the wear. I do not understand the "polished" designation at all - all ancients have been cleaned, and I have some stripped sestertii that are bright and brassy - they look far worse than this coin. There are some hairlines on the bust, so maybe that is where "polished" came from? I'd be interested to see other examples of NGC "polished" on an ancient slab. Any additional comments and opinions welcome too. Also, if somebody could tell me what the empty slab weighs, that'd be great - I'm curious about the raw coin's weight (again, these early slabs don't list the weight).[/QUOTE]
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My First Real Slab - Severus Alexander Sestertius in NGC Plastic - VG "Polished"
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