Does anyone remember the debut of the slabbed coin?

relayer

After buying MS-65 coins only to sell them as MS-64's (sometimes back to the same dealer who sold them to me as MS-65 ) I was excited to hear about this new company that would grade a coin and encapsulate it in plastic with the grade on it!

Because these coins were graded by professionals, I didn't have to worry about about what the grade was since it was already established.

But some years later when I went to sell I found out that the coin dealers still had their own opinion about the grade.

Here is my first Accugrade coin which I still have. Back in 1985 they used to put their address on the insert. I guess they planned on staying there awhile.

I think this holder is the best designed - it's the perfect size with much less plastic then PCGS.

MastaHanky

Hey, it looks like it's actually graded correctly too!

cointagious

as i recall, all acg coins were sold thru telemarketers in the early years. virtually all of the coins had problems like harsh cleanings but there were many rare dates, too. i guess the whole purpose, as it is today, was to get the buyer to swallow. i can remember going thru many, many boxes of acg slabs that a telemarketer had planted a guy in in the late 80s. i couldn't find a single coin that would have crossed and there must have been at least a hundred pieces. he was one very disappointed guy.

darktone

I remember ANACS as the first one that became popular in the newspaper ads. They were going for much higher prices than a non-certified coin so I stayed away. A couple years later PCGS was the big dog and it was hard to find an ad for ANACS coins anywhere. mike

Conder101

ARRGGHH!!!! For two and a half years I have been trying to find any of the ACG slabs that came from the the California offices (Three different varieties at least) and so far all I have been able to get is one picture of the label out of a cracked slab from a variety later than this one. That slab would be from 1986 when Randy Camper was running the San Francisco office so slabs had already been around for two years when that one came out.

Relayer,

Is there any chance you could send me some high res scans of the front and back of that slab? Do you have any other ACG slabs from the California offices? (They had an office in Long Beach, and their later slab just says CALIFORNIA) Do you have any California ACG slabs you would like to part with? I just need one of each variety and I would prefer inexpensive coins. I'm chasing the holders not the coins. If you can send the scans please dont crop off the edges of the holder if possible. My email address in in my profile.

shirohniichan

The debut of slabs was like "the night they drove Ol' Dixie down."

flaminio

Wow, Accugrade used to be in San Francisco? I hope they had the place fumigated after they left...

-Bob (posting from about 20 miles south of the City, and finally realizing what that smell was...)

kieferscoins

Conder sent pm about a long beach slab.

Cameron Kiefer

dorkkarl

<< <i>...from 1986 when Randy Camper was running the San Francisco office... >>

randy camper is an extremely intelligent & knowledgeable fellow. he tried to being acg's standards more in line w/ ana standards, & got the door slammed on him for doing so, after submissions tailed off. he later tried to do the same for pci, same result. he's graded more coins than any of us'll probably ever see.

K S