Capital Holder Restoration - The After Results Are Done
OAKSTAR
Posts: 7,437 ✭✭✭✭✭
@Meltdown There's been some talk lately about scratched slabs. It's not a slab but a holder that needs some TLC.
I won this mess at a coin club auction recently for a little under melt. I always liked these capital holders. It looks a little vintage. Don't know when they were manufactured or produced. Maybe shortly after these coins were minted in 64.
I bid on it just to see if I can improve the holder. I know this plastic holder is much different from the TPG'ers holders. It's worth a shot. It's a mess! I couldn't make it any worse. The eyelet screws are really beat up! I could replace them, we'll see.
I'll post the results in a day or two when I'm finished with it.
Here are the before pictures:
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
Comments
Cool, I look forward to seeing your results. I have some similar ones with that same problem.
Mr_Spud
The screws for sure can be easily replaced.
Forgot to mention. I'll be using this:
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
I look forward to seeing results as well. What I have always done with bad capital plastic covers is get a new one, as many are interchangeable.
I saw your post and thinking to myself, you know....he's light. This holder is probable standard. So for the heck of it, I went looking on the Capital Plastics website. I haven't seen one yet but I'm still going to restore the one I have.
I went on eBay and saw this one. It looks almost as bad as the one I have.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/226393200882?_skw=Kennedy+half+dollar+in+capital+holder&itmmeta=01JFK04J3KP6MPN3P18B95XHBS&hash=item34b61618f2:g:eX0AAOSw7D5nB8xn&itmprp=enc:AQAJAAABAHoV3kP08IDx+KZ9MfhVJKlcpFMjUyl+qO6WtZ4rg3LgnX4USVbNyWYf1Esq/o8fuzu/8m3Z9GtMcEC4r8VgPEYSuOSAzTbqC1F7Ev3tHSW9QmRGuRWiSCql1pIF/Y6KSB/M0was+tK7eFiYYM9R9azGq9s+VgcqIcSQFevOun9Tzmb7JFp0PLGOznnTRTMBQcp795tzb3M4qXGYkBUZL6NjJuYib/L3u3Ag/7eV36wEyVJA3yEGA49i3CKpkBli3Hk6ySCAN2KzMbXPLNQ4IzAPn0P2JjqGB5hxDw8+EOFo0cUvVepirLruQdSmKPA/MGye1chESCpriKwN/QjGJ0Q=|tkp:Bk9SR_ShkuD8ZA
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
I have tried to restore older beat up Capital holders with little success. Over the years, I have acquired new or newer ones. Have not tried the headlight cleaning system - you have me curious.
I wish you good results.
tried some auto polishes with some improvement
Scratch doctor works on small imperfections!
Hey! Good luck, that one is beat to hell.
I went back to work on my NGC slab... I'll keep you posted as well.
Click on this link to see my ebay listings.
You are looking for the wrong thing. Look for a Capital Comet holder - the insides do not matter, like this one ->
https://ebay.com/itm/385428272537?_skw=capital+comet&itmmeta=01JFK3BKPX7WGS2FFD8PJ2HXR6&hash=item59bd50b599:g:ibcAAOSw-aNj8kyG&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwHoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKmDQsZtyPLXqfgBQlTzqbC5NgOGaoS%2Bp%2FvkonxYRduI1YVTBG5Pr0RjOPo3Db6dKUUqdX8uMsG2WfEQ80aDDnymae%2FEbduR%2FPY0GepfoTr6ALNHxXN00EuMrVXUOG8P33qIA1dTbHOCT1bclKXzcDIqNnG4MOLgnSMSYrHwuHOgQo7I6sZuorwCWzQp1T5USZZ00clR66PrXs6s46T6xZ9iA6fkx1kZN3FCrwxYAfygmA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8a7ruP8ZA
@davewesen - I'm not really looking, I'm just comparing. So what you're saying, the cardboard insert in my Capital holder will fit inside the Comet holder you linked too?
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
yes, comes apart and cardboard inserts can be changed.
It's not 100% better but it's better. Still a few minimal scratches. It might have been cheaper and less work to just buy a new one. The practice was worth the effort. New plastic screws and posts wouldn't hunt. I can see the coin now! 🤣 🤣
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
Looks nice! Now are you going to get some new screws for it?
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Thanks John. I thought I had some of those screws around here somewhere. Still looking.
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
Quite a nice job! Looks really good.
Nice improvement, much better.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
There are several vendors that have them for sale on eBay. You can buy the clear plastic screws or the aluminum screws which cost a little more.
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
@PerryHall - I'm wondering what aluminum would look like.
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
They aren't shiny but more of a subdued matte finish. Check eBay and there's some for sale with pics.
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
very nice - is that improvement permanent or just until added stuff dries?
Say again?
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
I can put an oil on my plastic and scratches are lessened or disappear. But the oil does not stay. I was wondering if your plastic will look the same in weeks as it does now? It did a great job and I will probably get some and try it on slabs when needed.
davewesen, yes, if you use a polishing kit and compound as OAKSTAR did, the improvement will be permanent. There are a variety of plastic polishing kits on the market, and they can all do a nice job of restoration. There's headlight polishing kits and the like -- I really like the Novus polishes -- there's Novus #1 and #2, and Novus #3 for tackling deeper scuffs.
Overall, any of them will show a dramatic improvement -- about the only thing un-fixable is a flaw that goes well beyond the surface of the plastic -- i.e. a deep gouge or crack going all the way through. Otherwise, a good polishing compound treatment can really surprise you!
Great job - thx for sharing.
Even if you could have bought a new case for a reasonable amount it was still worth the effort because Capitol made lots of custom cases that can't be replaced, so it's good practice.
Replacement screws are east to get online, so you can easily replace those yellowed (and probably brittle) ones if you wanted to.
Don't dunk your plastic holders in hydrogen peroxide as Adam Savage is doing here (he's trying to lessen yellowing) but, do observe how he applies and buffs off the novus polishing compound -- it will do a nice job! You don't have to use a powered polisher per se, just elbow grease for a small coin holder, but it might help. Also a note about coin holders -- I like to cover crevices and the edges with painters tape or the like when using polishing compound -- keep liquids and excess polish out of those areas to begin with.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=-Jk1MrTpJOk
True enough (except when you have the old higher-end holders that had finished edges and went together only one way, matching them up with the matchmaker's mark line on one of the edges.) Those are worth preserving and polishing them back to how they appeared when new (or close as you can to that!)
Oil? No, I don't want to hide the scratches, I want them removed.
Yes, what I did will/should be permanent. What @originalisbest said.
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
Interesting video, thanks!
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
Impressive job @OAKSTAR.
Wayne
Kennedys are my quest...
Thanks Wayne!
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
They wouldn't turn yellow like the plastic ones do.
You can usually find them for sale on fleaBay. Any paired acrylic screws of approx. the right size will work. I know I bought some a while back to replace a missing screw.
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
Is there a mechanical means of polishing PCGS & NGC slabs that works?
I've never actually had the need to restore or polish a PCGS or NGC slab before.
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
View the Adam Savage video above (he's using the Novus polishing system and a powered polishing tool) but just polishing by hand works fine. You'll also notice he employs the big ol' bottles of novus, but it comes in smaller amounts as well. Sample ebay listing below!
https://ebay.com/itm/273896288997?_skw=novus+plastic+polish+kit&itmmeta=01JFRZ32KN587TFAHDE49YJ9PZ&hash=item3fc57db2e5:g:2~EAAOSwJRhk57Qg&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKkShX68vn2i7Kr4vq65RZvS0xabnmKk7dYG5Suq7NQwFez4cpH1QU%2BLm4zB%2FWWGu30tuNN4r3tqc3iJhN8q0UN%2Fetf%2FA3MEoA%2B0ZNnarozye6RpETcCSDyfDRhVEwQefPrjjZ6xY3p9KMZsy2KNcmN%2FLjLwnTUtzzpLTTgRw37ZBEJxjJLapSIuvZK72x6yGyeMoTzbTy3I8sUkwQjG7FgS9%2BgoWgnsyzN30pQWx9G9h4pPLMh6POHW9Q%2BETW1JZDyrxFaUwjUwLYrEYbPOtPY2XiYZwNE7DHhIsjGtzP2rXA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBM-KmMn_5k
Adam isn't polishing coin slabs. It could different plastic - I don't know anything about plastics and which ones can be restored using which techniques. I'm not going to assume that what works for a record player works for a coin slab.
I have polishing compounds and microfiber rags and they work OK. I just don't know if I need to be a maniac and rub till my arm falls off or if I can use a polisher of some sort to get better results. My luck if I tried a polisher it would damage the slab and I'd have to get the coin reholdered. I'm trying to avoid that. I'm looking for first hand experience here and specifics about what mechanized means I can use to polish slabs, if any.
A coin slab is a pretty small surface area, so you probably do not need a powered polisher vs. doing it by hand. Most hard acrylic plastics will respond the same to the Novus polishing compounds. You should just experiment; find a junk slab, one with a crack in it already, anything you like -- and do some experimenting, before vs. after.
I could experiment, or perhaps someone in this community has already done that and can post their results...
Don't have any pictures handy to show you, but I can tell you from direct experience that novus and hand polishing works very well on old ANACS soapboxes, rattler PCGS, up to and including holders from present day.
@ProofCollection
Here is one I did about 1/2 hour ago. Before and after and what I used.
Meguiar's PlastX - Auto zone purchase
Microfiber cloth - Took from my daughter.
The photos aren't the greatest, but they are good enough to see the difference in the before and after of the slab (See Photos below). Note the scratch on the right side that goes from above the coin to below the coin.
It is completely gone after about 10 minutes of manual rubbing in a circular direction with the microfiber cloth and the Meguiar's PlastX. I applied a dab the size of a dime twice directly on the slab and rubbed with my index finger. I rotated the slab 90 degrees after a few minutes of rubbing. After a few minutes the solution seemed to be drying up so I applied some more. The last few minutes I used a clean area of the microfiber cloth until all the Meguiar's was gone and the slab was dry and clear, not hazy looking.
Hope this helps.
Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
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Here is a tutorial first posted nearly a decade ago by @BryceM-
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/947337/restoring-scratched-slabs-version-2-1-new-improved
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Thanks, that's what I have and what I do, but I've only done it for a minute or two. I will try for longer next time.
You're welcome!!!
Sometimes, I have done it as many as 3 or 4 times to remove scratches that are a bit deeper.
Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)