Slab damaged during shipping

VicPortland

I shipped a PCGS slabbed coin to a buyer across the country. He received the coin but says the slab was broken in half and the coin may have been damaged.

Our plan is to have him send the coin and broken slab to PCGS for re-slabbing. If it comes back the same grade all is well. If it downgrades, then we have a problem on our hands.

Has anyone else gone through this? If the coin is downgraded, do I file a claim for the full insurance value or for the difference in 'value' between the original grade and the new one???

hookedoncoins

May I ask how you mailed the coin. I really can only think of one way a coin would be damaged in shipping, and that is if you sent it in a normal business envelope. The machine envelopes are sent through tends to crack slabs.

-Jarrett Roberts

braddick

I think the liability is on you, unfortunutely as it is easily (correctly or not) blamed on you for poor packaging/shipping.

rwhite

I've had it happen only once. 2 coins sent to me in a bubble envelope... both cracked in the same place. it can happen, but not very often.

Ryan

VicPortland

I did send it in a business envelope but secured in a PCGS slab bubble wrap envelope. I figured they know how to ship coins...

hookedoncoins

The envelopes go through a machine that spits envelopes out pretty fast, and through a narrow slot. This machine is most likely what cracked the slabs. Even a little bubble wrap doesn't help with this. If you put the slabs in a padded envelope (not business envelope) they don't get ran through the same machine.

Hopefully the coin will reslab, or even upgrade. Wouldn't that be a nice surprise.

-Jarrett Roberts

P.S. - I am not sure what a PCGS bubble envelope is (to know how the PO treats them in the mail), however I wouldn't always expect every postmaster to know what PCGS is or that coins can be as expensive as they can. I suspect their are many who are oblivious to high dollar gem coins.

VicPortland

I'm learning a lot these days. Like that it may be easier to just collect nice coin images (cyber coin collecting) instead of the hassle of buying/selling/shipping the real thing!

hookedoncoins

I know what you mean. One could have quite a collection that way. Just look at what happend as an educational experience. I am SO glad that I didn't buy coins more than $30 for the first 3 or so years of collecting, because I learned QUITE A BIT of things the hard way, however I gained a lot of cheap experience.

-Jarrett Roberts

DCAMFranklin

I had a '59 proof Franklin come to me in a bubblewrap padded envelope and the slab was broken diagonally. Pretty much clean through, though the coin & gasket stayed mostly in the dangling slab. I sure wasn't willing to risk what your buyer may be willing to do.

I don't think there is a prayer's chance in heck the Post Office will accept your claim after the coin goes to PCGS. I showed my situation to my most helpful postal clerk and she insisted I submit the coin with the shipping envelope, along with the completed postal insurance claim form. The envelope had some black rubber skid marks on the outside, either from the rubber gaskets of the sorting machine or I believe from a truck tire.

Anyway, I got the seller to complete his portion of the claim form and send it to me. I completed my section and took it, along with the coin and shipping envelope, to the Post Office. It didn't take but about 20 days to receive my claim check.

I believe your suggestion will put you at risk for the entire value of the coin if it doesn't holder at the same grade. Good luck!

VicPortland

Good inputs. Thanks.

I think the complication here is that the coin in question is a matte proof Lincoln PR64 RD. The buyer likes the coin and doesn't want to just get his money back (I think).

He contacted PCGS, and they advised him to file a claim with the Post office, then mail the coin and broken slab to PCGS for re-slabbing. He was led to believe if the coin was downgraded, he could then complete the claim.

Otherwise, if we file a claim with the Post office, we have to give the coin, the slab, everything to them. right?

sinin1

That little white styrofoam shipping container from PCGS is only part of their package - they also had bigger padded envelope.

When you start getting coins worth more than $700, go registered - it is cheaper for insurance and under lock and key.

I use Jiffy Padded mailers myself - business envelopes or no padding are too easy for someone to tell what is in envelope - I should have got a nice silver dollar once and just got a envelope that someone in the postal service slit the end open and pulled the 2x2 out of - it is rather easy to tell what is in a envelope with no padding and a silver dollar in a 2x2.

The postal service is automated - zip sort machines take regular business envelopes and bend them around corners - slabs usually crack under the rollers in these machines.

DCAMFranklin

Yes, he would have to give up the coin.

I'm trying to protect you, not him. I think if that coin goes to PCGS and downgrades, YOU will have all the risk. If I were in your shoes, I would insist upon what I suggested earlier. If you choose to take his suggested path, then I would insist on some kind of sharing of the risk between both parties. If the Post Office pays on the claim, and I believe they will refuse the claim, then the Post Office reimbursement would be his settlement. However, if they refuse the claim, then he has a downgraded coin and will be insisting upon additional funds, unless you find common ground today. Good luck!

VicPortland

I think you are right. I will contact the buyer and suggest that we just go ahead with the claim now OR if he wants to try re-slabbing, the risk is all his.

jdimmick

No matter what method you decide to ship a coin, you can allways have it hand canceled vs running through the machine rollers.

That must be one "h" of a lot of force to bust a PCGS slab in half as you described.

nwcs

When I joined the collector's club last year the quarter they sent me snapped in half. They didn't give me a hard time about it. But I think it ultimately is the seller's issue to handle.

littlewicher

I received a proof state quarter last year in a bubble mailer that was smashed. It doesn't happen too often. If the package was insured, the USPS will reimburse you for the damage I believe.

AbesNeighbor

This happened to me with a coin shipped from a very reputable dealer. It was packaged seemingly ok. It was broken in half just as you said yours was. we asked PCGS to RE-holder the coin and they did.

The dealer and I split the cost. It wasn't his fault and, it wasn't mine.

Dan

CarlWohlforth

When I started I used those safe-t-mailer self stick carboard in a business envelope. After about 20 successes one broke. I switched to safe-t-mailers in the bubble padded envelopes and have about 300 successes with no failures.

However I just recieved a coin mailed in the safe-t-mailer in business envelope and it was cracked in half!!

The folks at the PO said the bubble padded envelopes are handled by hand while the envelopes (even fat ones) go through sorting machines.

NoGvmnt

When I mail a single slab (high ticket) I place it in a folded over piece of cereal box cardboard then slip it in a 3M bubble Cushioned Mailer, I then stamp it "Fragile, Electronic Equipment", have never had a problem(knock wood).
Jim