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Is slab collecting still in it's infancy? PCGS and NGC specifically.
Coin Finder
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No price guides exist. We all know that NGC black slabs are rare and valuable. But after that we don't hear much. Just curious what you guys and gals know.
Are the rarer slabs worth more?
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I think it is a bit past it’s infancy. Conder101 wrote an excellent guide to slabs and graders, so that moved us forward a bit, but since it was written a while ago it needs some updating. Still an excellent reference. As to sample slabs, a rather major subset of slab collectors, there is David Schwager’s book Sample Slabs which is also a great catalog, though with sample slabs they are issued so frequently that a comprehensive catalog at any given time is nearly impossible. Between these two books, I think the field has been advanced beyond its infancy.
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2021 Young Numismatist of the Year
I think a price guide is still missing.
There's quite a bit of interest in black slabs, doily slabs, regency slabs, sample slabs and others, but it seems hard to get visibility into pricing and demand.
People do pay more for the scarcer slabs.
I'm not sure the pricing of such items is predictable or uniform, however, making a price guide rather difficult.
This is an issue that fails to interest me. I have been collecting a long time... have different slabs... and I just do not care about the slab at all. For me, it is the coin... in or out of a slab, and only the coin. Cheers, RickO
Surprised the PCGS white rattler hasn't been mentioned.
ricko - with samples and luncheon slabs, the coin is of low value and uninteresting, usually. It's like filling a hole in an album but with a different holder, not a coin.
Prices are easy to establish for the common pieces. With the rarer pieces, it's tougher. There are certain slabs I'd pay crazy money for, other rare slabs I'd pass on (unless they are priced cheap) since I already have one. Lucky is the seller that has 2 or more people that need it and know it's available.
Up to date resources?? Easiest is an on line resource rather than a book that's obsolete on the day of publication. Anybody know of one??
Slab and sticker collecting to some becomes more important that the coin itself. Crazy world we live in. Semper Fi!
A few days ago there was a thread about a rare first generation black NGC slab with a Morgan dollar being auctioned. Does anyone know what that slab brought?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
People also collect old coin albums and old price guides. People collect old coin balances as well. In those cases, t's not about the COIN, it's about collecting the history of coins.
I guess if the slab is more interesting than the coin in it then...That's something.
I buy all my coins from pictures and in slab pics are rarely as good a TV.
So if your coin isn't TV'ed, I'm very suspicious & will probably pass.
My Saint Set
There is quite a groundswell of interest. I would like to think we are at that stage of slab collecting where the intense slab collectors are starting to get a bit 'closed-mouthed' (typical as very short supplies are hunted by those with knowledge) and the newer, interested collectors are clamoring for information. Much has been written here . . . just do a search. There will be continued interest, continued price advancements for the better (Black, Rattler-White, 2.1, 2.0), continued inclusion of the Doily as a "matter-of-fact" issue for any PCGS set . . . and of course Regencies, etc. will do well always.
I derive some satisfaction from the part I played/paid for a while with the Doilies. It was fun . . . and despite the random few thoughts of "collect the coin, not the plastic" I received, it is quite obvious the naysayers are quieting . . .and the slab collectors are reaping huge profits which will grow larger still. (There were once 120 Doilies known . . . .I had 88 of them at that time.)
We are at a phase now where the additions to the various Census (who would have thought???) will be random when someone goes to Grandad's safety box and pulls out an NGC Black from 30 years ago. Slabs are a fad??? Try finding an NGC White on a bourse floor anywhere in the United States. Please. I dare you.
You are looking at history. It is a history that changed numismatics forever. Minimizing that change of history is fine if you insist on being a purist or coin snob, but the plastic, the rarity as companies learned in those initial days and weeks, and the surviving samples will not be denied.
I teach, lecture, study, and immerse myself in the nuances of the 'coin' . . . . . . . but I will never be close-minded enough to ignore the obvious history that I am witnessing in person.
Drunner
(The Original . . . . . . Doily Slut)
Anyone had a census of only NGC 2.0 slabs? These are the embossed gold logo on the white lable ngc right after the black slabs..
I combined all three into mine.
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/842362/the-official-ngc-1-0-2-0-and-2-1-slab-population-census-135-2-1s-listed/p1
A few types of slabs are collectors' items, such as black NGC slabs and PCGS doilies. I would not pay anything extra for them, but some people do.
As for the slab business in general, I'd say that it's in its mature phase in the product life cycle. A lot of the gradable old coins have been graded. It's very dependent now on crack-outs and new issues.
When I sold some coins last year, some in supposedly better slabs, the slabs brought no premium at all. PCGS and NCG slabs brought more but the slab variety seemed to make no difference. I tried to get a bit extra for some of them but was turned down flat. Be wary when paying premiums for things like scarce/rare slab types. They may be hyped on this board but demand in the overall marketplace is what really counts.
Slabs like the original NCG black slabs will bring a premium as will the PCGS Regency slabs (especially if they have the bag they came in) but those are actually scarce, unlike most of the other types. Needless to say, I didn't have any of those.
Frankly, I have zero interest in any specific slabs.
I knew it would happen.
I don't know if they are worth anything more, but I really do find it a fun way to collect.
I am trying to put together a set of proof coins, 1936 to 1964 in rattlers (I'm sure you've all seen my thread on the subject).
This is a difficult and challenging endeavor and after almost 5 years I'm nearing 90% completion. And that's what makes this hobby fun for me, a challenge.
Anyone with a credit card and an ebay account can compete this set tonight in modern holders. But since I've posted my progress on this set here, I've met a few stirling people that also collect rattlers who have helped me.
And on a side note, the search for these have lead me into all sorts of cool oddball tangents. My bill for the Goldberg auction tonight will be scary, and I only went there for a single upgrade.
Well stated @DRUNNER! I have focused my slab collecting to NGC 2.0 and 2.1. Crazy what the prices can realize. It is also crazy to see what the prices don't realize because people are unaware or what they have. I have been slow to the keyboard and have lost out on some good deals.
I'm keeping all of my old slabs intact both PCGS and NGC.
Because I like them and I anticipate them becoming scarcer and more valuable.
Also, the coins inside are stable and not fooled with.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
I think it was just under $4k
Collector, occasional seller
...I watched Demolition Man last night (Great Movie) and it had me thinking what if Eliasberg was frozen alive and then got defrosted only to find his entire collection trapped in sealed plastic tombs?..lol, I think I also rolled one too many and plus I downed a full pound of individually wrapped Rolo’s and then fell asleep in the La-Z-Boy recliner...life is good
The Eliasberg collection was sealed in plastic. His coins were stored in large multi-coin Capitol Plastics 3-piece holders and each screw was covered by a wax seal so that any tampering could be detected.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
That’s a great bad flick! Yes life is good.
NGC Black rules them all by quite a bit as far as I can tell. It’s The One.
I saw a common date Morgan listed for about $1200 ($50-$60 retail) in the old green Regency holder someplace recently.
Yes, it will become a thing. Holders are now an integral part of the hobby, collecting holders from different eras will and does have appeal IMO.
I have sold off most of my coin collection. One of the few coins I kept was a nicely toned with great luster Morgan dollar...in an old rattler. Otherwise, I couldn't have cared less about the coin.
Hey Drunner - is this one of any interest??
I love the coin and the holder. It's really an error coin from misaligned dies - massive grade difference between left to right that PCGS just decided to give a low-ball "average" to.
I expect it is. I expect to see numerous security enhancements, given the current counterfeit slab/coin situation. There isn’t really any other choice. They need to stay two steps ahead, or we’re all toast. I have no doubt PCGS will rise to the occasion.
Dave
The importance of slabbing shouldn't be understated.
And there is a perception among many coin collectors that older top tier TPG slabs have at least some extra value.
But astute dealers and collectors have known for many years now that "cracking out" obviously (or even potentially) undergraded vintage slabbed coins and resubmitting them in hopes of receiving a higher grade can mean huge profits. HUGE.
It's simple economics, and we have an especially mercenary hobby: If you can pay $100 for a coin graded MS63, crack it out, resubmit, and receive a 65 grade worth $700 or $1000, who would keep the coin in the original slab? Odds are very high that coin is going to be cracked out and submitted at some point. The reverse is also true: Who would bother cracking out an obvious MS63 from an MS63-graded vintage slab, and spend shipping, insurance, and slabbing fees, on a coin that is almost certain to come back MS63? Especially when they can sell that vintage slabbed MS63 at "MS63 plus" prices to someone who feels vintage slabs have extra value? Odds are that coin is staying right where it is.
"Weiss's Corollary" necessarily follows: **The further we get away from the dawn of top tier third party grading, the fewer truly high-quality, undergraded coins remain in those early slabs. **
I'm not saying that all of the good coins have already been cracked and resubmitted. And I'm not saying that all of the coins remaining in early top tier TPG slabs are crap. But that equilibrium is approaching.
The history of early slabs may add a little premium. But big premiums are based on the pipe dream that your coin is undergraded by at least a couple of points. And that possibility is becoming much less certain every single day.
I think this is one area where CAC can play an important role in preserving slab history. As long as premiums for gold CAC'd coins stay at least 1 point higher than the grade indicated on the slab (and they seem to run well north of that), the chance of that slab being destroyed is reduced--at least a little.
--Severian the Lame