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What is the weight of a PCGS slab for nickels?

IkesTIkesT Posts: 2,605 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Q & A Forum

If you happen to have a nickel in a current generation PCGS-slab, would you please tell me what it weighs?

Thank you!

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    IkesTIkesT Posts: 2,605 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have a slabbed coin that is intermediate in diameter between a nickel and a quarter, and would like to estimate its weight without cracking it out of the slab.

    I know that a PCGS slab with a silver quarter in it weighs ~34 grams, meaning the slab itself weighs 27.75 grams. I'm guessing the nickel slab is very close in weight, but it would be nice to know for sure.

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    KliaoKliao Posts: 5,471 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have a Jefferson nickel in a 2016 luncheon sample that weighs 33.38g. Hope this helps :)

    Young Numismatist/collector
    75 Positive BST transactions buying and selling with 45 members and counting!
    instagram.com/klnumismatics

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    IkesTIkesT Posts: 2,605 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Kliao - Thanks very much!

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    mannie graymannie gray Posts: 7,259 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I weighed 2 coins (both proofs) that were 33.4 grams each.
    1972-S
    1969-S

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    IkesTIkesT Posts: 2,605 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @mannie gray - Thank you for the 2 examples - looks like a very consistent weight among all 3, which is helpful to know!

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    OldhoopsterOldhoopster Posts: 2,930 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I think it’s going to be tough to get a good level of accuracy. The slab shells and inserts will likely have some +/- tolerance depending on the mold cavity and other manufacturing factors. There may also have a +/- on the labels and stickers (but that’s probably minor). You would need to weigh multiple empty slabs with all the components and figure out the averages and standard deviations to determine the variability, then determine if that variability will allow you to get the results you want.

    It would be even worse if you weigh slabs with coins. Not only do you have the component variability, you also have the coin variability (nickels are 5.00 gms +/- 0.194 gms). If your only looking to be within +/- 0.5 – 0.6 gms, then maybe it will work (a very rough guess on my part), but if you need to a more accurate, then it’s not likely to work

    Member of the ANA since 1982
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    IkesTIkesT Posts: 2,605 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Oldhoopster - Good point. At the moment, I just want to get a ballpark estimate. If it becomes necessary to get an exact measurement, I'll just crack the coin out and weigh it.

    Weighing the coin & slab together, I suspect most of the variation in weight comes from the coin, rather than the holder or label. The plastic is pretty light, so there would have to be a relatively large change in the volume of plastic to change the measurement by much.

    Without the coin, the nickel slab should be slightly heavier than the quarter slab, because the aperture for the coin is smaller (and therefore, the gasket has more plastic in it). From my small samples, it looks like the nickel slab is ~0.65g heaver than the quarter slab.

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