Holders that damage coins.
CaptHenway
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Many years ago I saw a high-quality U.S. coin collection that had been in dead storage for 40 years in brown Wayte Raymond albums. The silver had fabulous toning, while the Bronze and Copper-Nickel coins were covered in ugly "fly specks." Not sure if humidity was an issue. The albums had been stored in a steamer trunk in a bank vault in Upstate NY from about 1941 to 1982 or so.
Besides this, what other old holders are known to have caused damage to coins? I know about the albums with PVC slides. What about slide marks caused by the cut ends of album slides scraping across the high points of coins?
Has it ever been proven that any TPG's slabs have damaged any coins? Not alleged, proven. The only ones I know of are California fractional gold pieces bent while being forced into slabs. Have any slabs caused copper coins to tone or otherwise discolor?
Were all 1971-1974-S Proof silver Ikes discolored by the inserts, or just certain years? If so, which years.
Thanks. Asking for a friend.
TD
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White metal and NGC prongs, I dont think I would have personally seen that coming but it has happened. And I like both TPG's so thats not bagging on NGC.
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PCI slabs toned ASE's. Some actually like it. Personally I like @ricko ASE's.
10 minutes in "coal country" will have similar effects, except the copper will have black lung.
Thumbs are also holders than damage coins....
Not just PCI but the very early ANA and ANACS white holders toned coins as well. The look I've seen on silver is orange and purple on the rims, eventually turning gray and black.
I also have a Lincoln cent that was cracked from one of the small white ANA holders that has very strange rainbow toning, it almost looks oily. The holder said MS65RD, so I am quite certain the coin turned in the holder, what I don't know is if the holder was the cause.
Sean Reynolds
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Interesting information, thanks for sharing !!!
Agree with this. I had a few in the small ANACS holders that I KNOW toned from the day I bought them. (Unfortunately, I have no "before and after" photos to prove it.)
The tell-tale sign, often, is that the toning starts at the upper obverse/lower reverse since I'm pretty sure the label was the source. I've seen coins in PCGS slabs that I would bet were cross-overs from ANACS holders, based on this.
I had a beautiful fully red 1942 Newfoundland Cent that NGC called MS65 RD. Unfortunately, it had one of their employee's fingerprints in the middle of it. So, there is proof that NGC holderING will damage a coin. I asked them which of their employees it belonged to, but they said it was on there before. Nope. I have never seen a copper coin with a finger print w/o a RB designation.
I will never send a copper coin to NGC ever again!
Actually, unless you cleaned it before submission, it could have been there. The finest oils are often invisible until they tone.
Plastic cases with foam on the bottom will destroy coins when the foam breaks down....and I do mean destroy.
How about egg cartons?
I have a proof Lincoln with a knife edge that may have been damaged while holdering in NGC prong holder. I cannot supply proof of this but has anyone else ever heard of this ? It is hardly noticeable but can be seen on a razor sharp obverse knife edge that appears to be interrupted.
The TPGs have people making minimum wage (or close to it) that know nothing about coins, or how to hold them, other than the training they get at work. It is a wonder there aren't more coins damaged by them than are.
Here's a 65RD that PCGS asserted still deserved 65RD after a grade guarantee submission.
Lance.
I'm sorry if this makes anyone shed more tears.... The below comparison photo was copied from reddit.
We need a "SAD" button like Facebook has.
The first generation rattlers used hard plastic prongs (an integral part of the slab) to hold the coins in place. The coins would still rotate. On $2 1/2 and $5 Indians (no rim to protect the fields, which are the high point) the design flaw became apparent eventually. Looking at a proof $5 Indian with a circular ring of scuffing from rotation was not a happy experience. It was corrected with gaskets quickly once the phenomenon was discovered.
I've seen at least a couple of splashers that were damaged by slabs. It should have been expected. Not smart to put pressure on the sides of a soft thin fragile piece.
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That's just crazy!
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It was a thumb print right over the face of George VI, and dark brown on new surfaces. It wasn't there when it was sent. I had had it for 5 years. Their response was, "We don't guarantee copper." I just asked if I could match up the finger print with the people that insert the coins into slabs.
beware of HARCO COINMASTER albums which were first issued in the early 1970ies. These are handsome looking brown vynl albums that contain PVC loaded plastic inserts that slide out for each row. After being on the market for many years a lot of sets were damaged while the coins were supposedly safely in storage in these albums. Harco later replaced the offending slides with replacement slides that contained no PVC but the damage had long since been done. If you have one of these albums with coins in them, better get em out and into some other storage medium
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I've seen coins that damage the reputation of the holder.
.....and vice versa. A nice coin in the wrong holder can have its value diminished.
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