Hi everyone just finished my forth sample slab article I hope you enjoy it Alan http://coinauctionshelp.com/Coin_He...-the-strange-are-sample-slabs-getting-scarce/
Hi zch67005 I am not sure I understand what you mean by identifiers? Most of the TPGs give out samples at big events. That is when they unveil there new slabs. Now some are only given to dealers, these would be samples like, the Morgan Silver Dollar. Thanks Alan
Sorry, I mean aside from the word sample is there a variance by TPG as to what is different about the slab? Like "PCGS.super scratch resistant anti glare.introduced at FUN 2007"
Alan, I enjoyed your article, especially seeing the "guitar" coin slab! I very much appreciate your taking the time to educate and inform us all!
Great Post! I just recieved my first sample coin at an ancient show in nyc this year. Its just a new cent, but the sample label makes it very cool. Not as cool as the guitar sample you have! Thats amazing.
I liked the article (Your articles are encouraging me to get back into the samples slabs more). The multi-coin Luncheon slab I would catalog more as a Presentation slab, but I would double reference it because it does say Sample on the label. I call it a Presentation slab because it wasn't intended so much to advertise the NGC multi-coin holder as to be a gift only presented to those people who attended the luncheon. A true sample would have been distributed to the public on the show floor. These never were. The Guitar slab I would catalog as an Advertising slab because it really isn't promoting the NGC product as is is advertising the 2006 FUN convention. There were only 500 of these slabs produced, but there are a lot more than 500 of the guitar coins. There were two different advertising slab for the FUN convention that year, the guitar coin, and one using the Florida state quarter. Many of the state quarter slabs are also signed by one of the FUN officers. Both of them have the bold orange labels common to the FUN convention. The guitar slabs were distributed to the first 100 people entering the show each of the five days that it ran. (There were several different guitars in the set produced by Somalia and it is possible that each day may have been a different guitar. I don't know for sure) They were handed out by the FUN staff not NGC, as were the state quarter pieces. The numbering was done that way so as to not imply that any one slab was better than the others. There is no first slab, second slab, third slab etc each of them is simply one of the 500 slabs made.
Hi coner101 Thanks for the kind words. Also the added info. You are correct the multi holder does fall into two category's. The guitar is an advertising slab, but it is just so cool I had to put it in. LOL I have the feeling that NGC only slabbed this one type of guitar, but I will do my best to find out. Alan
Hi zach67005 There is really no difference between one sample and the other when it comes to changing the slab itself. Samples are made for whatever reason the TPGs feel is necessary at the time. It could be a security change or something as simple as a new type of label.
Thanks everyone for the nice comments. I will do my best to continue to write interesting and informative articles. Alan
I know this is breaking new ground and all but is it worth it to snag a few up? I am currently bidding on one as we speak because I like the older holders, then read it was a sample after. No one seems to know what to price them at or if theu will be worth the effort...
Hi ThinnPikkins First of all is what worth it, if you are referring to my articles then yes they are. I spend many many hours, writing my articles and I think it is worth every minute of my time. and I am not sure what you mean by,"snag a few up". Samples slabs are becoming a very popular hobby, and if my articles help someone with the information they need then I have done what I started out to do. It is all about helping people. I know people who have collected hundreds of samples As fare as pricing goes, you are correct they are all over the place, but I am sure it will all come together eventually. All the Best Alan
That's because it is a relatively new field, and there are no comprehensive references. In fact there are almost no references at all. Think about this as an analogy, How would you price a group of Lincoln cents if there where no price guides, no information on mintage figures, and in fact not even any good information about what date and mintmark combinations even existed? That is the situation you have with the sample slab market.
I was finally able to get around to taking a pic of my ANACS sample slab. I have no attatchment to it so if anyone would be interested in purchasing it from me shoot me a PM and maybe we could work something out.
