Has anyone cracked a coin from it’s holder to put in an album?

Tuck70

I am one coin from completing my 1916-1947 Walking liberty album. Of course it is a 1921 D, I bought a VG10 and am 99.9% sure I will crack it open and have a nice complete album, just wondering if anyone else had this same predicament

seanq

@Tuck70 said:

I’m trying to show you the empty spot in my album that is now filled and complete

That coin looks right at home in that album, nice job. Tape the insert from the cracked holder onto the back cover and enjoy looking at that nice full page.

Sean Reynolds

Twobitcollector

Yes, when I was doing my 7070

Twobitcollector

OAKSTAR

No. 🤣 😂

jesbroken

Getting ready to do exact same move. 1921D Walker. I have cracked out coins for albums many times. I use a band saw. A breeze with no damage to the coin and label safe from tearing.
Jim

Tuck70

Thanks for your response guys and gals
I think I’ll try that, thanks jesbroken
“Crack ‘em open!”

Manifest_Destiny

My seated quarter set used to be in an album. I started certifying it last year.

Cougar1978

No

But many buy problem (details) slabbed coins (per problem coin dealer) for that purpose.

OAKSTAR

Band Saw? Did someone say band saw? That's not Crack ‘em open, that's cutt 'em open! 🤣 😂

ndeagles

Yep, all the time. Most expensive crackout yet was my 1909S vdb cent in xF45. I'm an album collector who also collects slabs, but I don't leave empty holes in my albums.

OAKSTAR

@ndeagles said:
Yep, all the time. Most expensive crackout yet was my 1909S vdb cent in xF45. I'm an album collector who also collects slabs, but I don't leave empty holes in my albums.

Now that one takes guts! I just don't have the kahunas to do that one, the 16-D or the 55DDO.

Tuck70

I know, the 21D cost me a pretty good penny even in VG10 grade but the album looks awesome with no holes!! And I figure I can always get it graded again
Thanks again for all the responses, it’s great hearing what others with the same “coin bug” have to say

jesbroken

You know what is said about coin posts w/o pics! Let's see them.
Jim

OAKSTAR

@jesbroken said:
Getting ready to do exact same move. 1921D Walker. I have cracked out coins for albums many times. I use a band saw. A breeze with no damage to the coin and label safe from tearing.
Jim

I just use my bench vise to slowly crack them open.

BillJones

Yes, I'm getting ready to do it now.

I went to my local dealer, the Lakeland show and the FUN show to build a BU short set of Walking Liberty Half Dollars, 1941 to '47. I found all but three of them raw. Those three are in holders, and I intend on cracking them. It will lower their value, but I'd like to have raw sets of the World War II area cents, nickels, Mercury Dimes and Walking Liberty Half Dollars.

BillJones

@ndeagles said:
Yep, all the time. Most expensive crackout yet was my 1909S vdb cent in xF45. I'm an album collector who also collects slabs, but I don't leave empty holes in my albums.

I'm not quite that brave. I'm working on a most raw set of Indian Cents in EF to AU. I found "the right" 1877 at the FUN show in an EF-40 holder. That one will have to stay where it is.

NeophyteNumismatist

I am about to be a CHEATER and crack a 1922 "weak D" (Die 3) and put it in my 1922 "Plain" hole of my Dansco (ANACS F12). It was an impulse buy at a local auction, and really doesn't fit anywhere else in my collection. So, it will go downstairs to the workbench as soon as I get it.

Besides - it will be much more fun in an album!

willy

I did on my BU Washington quarter set. I will never get that money back but I like the set.

Also I am going to crack a 21-D to finish my Walking Liberty set.

lkenefic

I cracked more than a few for my 7070...
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1089350/my-completed-dansco-7070-type-set#latest

Jacques_Loungecoque

@OAKSTAR said:

@jesbroken said:
Getting ready to do exact same move. 1921D Walker. I have cracked out coins for albums many times. I use a band saw. A breeze with no damage to the coin and label safe from tearing.
Jim

I just use my bench vise to slowly crack them open.

THIS is the way.

OAKSTAR

@Jacques_Loungecoque said:

@OAKSTAR said:

@jesbroken said:
Getting ready to do exact same move. 1921D Walker. I have cracked out coins for albums many times. I use a band saw. A breeze with no damage to the coin and label safe from tearing.
Jim

I just use my bench vise to slowly crack them open.

THIS is the way.

Don't tell me, tell @jesbroken. 🤣 😂 😉

PerryHall

If you use a vice to crack out a coin, suggest that you wrap the slab in a small towel to prevent flying plastic shards.

Atcarroll

I just cracked out an ANACS AU55 1932 D for my Washington quarter set.

Jacques_Loungecoque

@PerryHall said:
If you use a vice to crack out a coin, suggest that you wrap the slab in a small towel to prevent flying plastic shards.

Absolutely right! I always like to use one of those smaller microfiber towels. Also, if anyone does employ this method, make sure you crack it along the long edge. And turn the vice very slowly and methodically. Be prepared to repeatedly check the status of the cracking as you go along. Don’t just go for broke.

You don’t need to crack the whole slab 360 degrees. Usually if you get a good separation started to can finish with a flat screwdriver, working around the perimeter.

OAKSTAR

@PerryHall said:
If you use a vice to crack out a coin, suggest that you wrap the slab in a small towel to prevent flying plastic shards.

JWP

seanq

Yes, for both my 7070 and my Lincoln date set. In a couple of cases where I could not bring myself to crack a coin, I sold the one in the holder and bought another example in a lower grade that weas already raw or not as big a financial risk to liberate.

Sean REynolds

jesbroken

Best luck with however you decide to crack open your slab. I would AdVise first timers to truly be careful, especially with expensive coins. Cracking the slab can possibly leave a nice resultant scratch that looks just like the crack. I did it many times and had a few close calls and I SAW a better method.
Jim

PapiNE

Yes and recently. PCGS MS66 51-S Roosevelt. Could not find a raw gem and won an auction for this one at half its retail value. Label is pasted to the inside cover as a reference for those that inherit.

Coinscratch

Before I got bored with and sold it, I cracked out all of my MS67 (misses) for this album.

Edit: zincs at 67 and coppers at 66.

Glen2022

I generally leave them in the holder and put a different coin of the same denomination in the space with the reverse showing. This tells me that I have the coin in the slab and fills the hole. If the coin is labelled details, I might, but not necessarily always crack it out.

braddick

@Coinscratch said:
Before I got bored with and sold it, I cracked out all of my MS67 (misses) for this album.

Edit: zincs at 67 and coppers at 66.

I ended up purchasing that album when you offered it on eBay.
I was always wondering why you would crack such expensive coins when raw ones were available.

TheGoonies1985

Yes many but I keep my better graded coins in numerical AU or higher in their holders same for key date coins. The rest I break out I enjoy way more that way.

I have no intention of selling any coins I own so I do not care if most are raw. For me they are to be enjoyed. The better coins I own are in my banks vault and they never come out and I will continue to put the better coins I buy there. I have images of those coins and I am fine looking at those.

Coinscratch

@braddick said:

@Coinscratch said:
Before I got bored with and sold it, I cracked out all of my MS67 (misses) for this album.

Edit: zincs at 67 and coppers at 66.

I ended up purchasing that album when you offered it on eBay.
I was always wondering why you would crack such expensive coins when raw ones were available.

The initial idea was to have the best of both worlds in one plus they might’ve toned and popped to a plus one day.

They mostly came from bankrolls so really not that expensive aside from tuition costs. Then I had an epiphany one day and decided to sell everything and focus on building a set of Kennedys in MS67 and up.

So now I’m buying tons of mint sets, and the funny thing is the Lincoln‘s in these sets are never as good as what I found in bank rolls even circulated rolls.

pmh1nic

Most of the coins in my Capital holder of Franklin's were cracked out.

ajaan

@Tuck70 said:
I am one coin from completing my 1916-1947 Walking liberty album. Of course it is a 1921 D, I bought a VG10 and am 99.9% sure I will crack it open and have a nice complete album, just wondering if anyone else had this same predicament

Hope it isn't in a SEGS slab.

oilers99

I cracked open a 1909-S VDB (XF40) and 1922 no D (VF35) from PCGS holders to finish my Lincoln Dansco album - no regrets!

anablep

Yes, I recently cracked out an NGC 1914-D cent & placed it into my Lincoln cent album with no regrets.

Morgan13

Cracked from an ANACS UDM MS64 holder.
It's in my Morgan album. It looks just like a proof.

Allentram

I'm in the same situation as a couple of other posters. I'm 3 coins shy of completing my Walking Liberty Half album, and the 1921-D is in a PCGS G4 holder. For now I plan to just keep it in the holder, but it is tempting to crack/cut it out and fill the album hole.

Ronsanderson

I especially appreciate cracking out my 09-S VDB. The holder was all scuffed, and with that removed I can appreciated that the coin is actually very nice. I cracked out quite a few coins for my Lincoln set and my 7070.

Before

After

Tuck70

Well I did it, thanks to all who responded and gave me the balls (I was going to anyway) to do it. Here’s some pictures, I tried but the pictures will get better. Now I’m thinking of starting a Dansco 7070 or Barbers and Roosevelts , not sure yet

Tuck70

Tuck70

I’m trying to show you the empty spot in my album that is now filled and complete

OAKSTAR

Good job but this scares me!

Tuck70

I was apprehensive but if you have the snips in the right place it cracks nicely, this was my 2nd time, I also cracked out a 1919 S Walker but that one I used a hammer, it worked but I like the snips way - much better

OldeTowneCoinShoppe

No predicament here... I would estimate conservatively that I've cracked out 300+ coins over the years to put into albums. That includes some valued at several thousand dollars.

OAKSTAR

@OldeTowneCoinShoppe said:
No predicament here... I would estimate conservatively that I've cracked out 300+ coins over the years to put into albums. That includes some valued at several thousand dollars.

Do you take pictures of the coins in the slabs before you break them out or save the bar code labels?

bramn8r

Crack em out with pliers or a vise.

DelawareDoons

Snips are how the pros remove PCGS coins. Good work.

WaterSport

About 50% of these...