The first company to slab coins?

PTVETTER

I was told this is the first company to slab coins
Interesting!

Zoins

Nice set from the South African Gold Coin Exchange.

I like how the slabs come in different sizes.

I wouldn't be surprised as Kruggerands were popular and it's easy to see the desirability of slabbing them.

Smudge

Those look more like presentation holders than slabs as we think of them.

Zoins

@Smudge said:
Those look more like presentation holders than slabs as we think of them.

They seem to have all the requirements for slabs to me:

• sealed hard plastic shell
• cert number
• grade

That they are also used for presentation is extra, like the PCGS Regency Slabs.

ThreeCentSilverFL

Looks like they may 'rattle' a bit.

291fifth

They would have to pre-date the Paramount Redfield Morgan Dollar slabs. When do the South African Gold Coin Exchange date from?

Zoins

@291fifth said:
They would have to pre-date the Paramount Redfield Morgan Dollar slabs. When do the South African Gold Coin Exchange date from?

When were the Redfield pieces slabbed?

The SAGCE LinkedIn bio says they were founded in 1972, so that sets an earliest possible date.

Established in 1972, we have been the market leaders for over 40 years and the largest distributor of gold coins in South Africa. With more than 25 Scoin shops nationwide and Namibia, we are the only coin and medallion retail chain store in the world. We have close ties to various international mints, ensuring you have access to the latest and quality coins and medallions from around the world.

We are also the exclusive worldwide distributor of the Nobel Laureate medallions.

Links:

• Website: https://scoinshop.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-south-african-gold-coin-exchange/about/

Zoins

Here's a description of SAGCE from GovMint.com:

Known as the granddaddy of all coin grading services, the South African Gold Coin Exchange (SAGCE) was established in 1972. It was the forerunner to grading services such as PCGS and NGC. They were grading and certifying Proof Krugerrands long before their American counterparts even existed. A numeric point value scale ranging between 90–110 was used. Only the 1-oz and ½-oz coins were graded.

https://www.govmint.com/1989-south-africa-gold-krugerrand-4pc-set-proof

ricko

Very nice.... and the predecessor to all TPG's.... I am not a slab collector, but would like to have one of theirs just for historical purposes. Cheers, RickO

oih82w8

Does a "slab" have to have a grade assigned to it? If not, perhaps one of the world mints, whoever placed the coins in hard holders like the U.S. Mint did for the SMS starting in 1966? The 1965 SMS holder was a flexible Mylar I believe.

messydesk

I'm reminded of a proto-slab that @CoinRaritiesOnline sold a few years ago. It was wooden, with a typewritten label, and I can't remember what the coin was that was in it (Mass. copper, maybe?), and probably pre-dated anything else that resembles today's slab.

U1chicago

I believe these are (unofficially) considered the first slabs.
@BStrauss3

astrorat

SAGCE, like Paramount and Blanchard, was a "self-slabbing" company that graded and encapsulated its own coins.

To state "It was the forerunner to grading services such as PCGS and NGC." is just marketing hype to sell the coin sets.

PTVETTER

@oih82w8 said:
Does a "slab" have to have a grade assigned to it? If not, perhaps one of the world mints, whoever placed the coins in hard holders like the U.S. Mint did for the SMS starting in 1966? The 1965 SMS holder was a flexible Mylar I believe.

The one ounce and the half ounce are graded 97 and 96

BStrauss3

@astrorat I think SAGGS also slabbed for collectors. @Conder101 posted part of their manual a while back. It also called for the coin to be polished before encapsulation, so it was a bit of a dumpster fire.

astrorat

@BStrauss3 said:
@astrorat I think SAGGS also slabbed for collectors. @Conder101 posted part of their manual a while back. It also called for the coin to be polished before encapsulation, so it was a bit of a dumpster fire.

Okay ... thanks for the update.

ElKevvo

Neat stuff...thanks for posting! Always learning something new here

K

JBK

Interesting posts.

Also, if we think in terms of "encapsulation" instead of stabbing in hard plastic then the sealed flips of certain dealers are an early contender.

Then again, if availability to outside submitters rather than just being a self-slabber is the rule, then that changes things a bit.

CaptHenway

To the best of my recollection, the South African Gold Coin Exchange was not a grading service by any sense of the term. It was merely a marketing tool used by the South African Mint to sell more gold. You could not submit any coins to them for grading. They did offer to buy back certified coins, hence the word "Exchange" in the name, but I do not know if they bought them back at any premium..

The SAGCE was a one-man operation run by Eli Levine. I met him once when he visited the Coin World offices in the 1970's. As I understood the situation, the Mint delivered newly struck Proof coins to Levine who graded them himself and encapsulated them and sold them at various premiums depending upon the grade. (This all may or may not have taken place inside the Mint for security reasons and/or to guarantee that the Mint got paid for them; I do not know.)

IMHO these are not slabbed coins. They are merely coins that were holdered for marketing purposes.

TD

BStrauss3

And I look at the number of self-promotions, special labels, imaginary pedigree collections, and all the other dreck that show up on today's labels and I wonder about the big 4.

coinbuf

IMHO these are not slabbed coins. They are merely coins that were holdered for marketing purposes.

TD

How is that any different than a Hansen label of today?

Dan50

Well they DID grade them!!

PTVETTER

Only the one ounce and half ounce were graded!