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to complete your album, you have to break open the slab of a key date coin

1907Quarter1907Quarter Posts: 2,770
in U.S. Coin Forum
This must be a common dilemna I suppose, for we are all encouraged to buy key date coins from a reputable third party grading service. Once the coin is out of a slab there is the worry down the road to resubmit it(I guess one can't keep the shattered remnants of the old slab for proof-or can you!?!) if you want to sell it. What should one do before buying a key date for an album? Can we all chime in on this topic?
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Comments

  • BaleyBaley Posts: 22,663 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Carefully break the slab, keep the tag, throw away the plastic, put the coin in the album, enjoy!

    Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry

  • BillFBillF Posts: 229
    I've thought about it some myself, being another relative newbie, and here's my thoughts.

    Once it's cracked out of the slab, there's now way to "prove" that the label really belongs to that coin, Somebody could just as easily substitute a marginal coin with the label. It's kind of like the chain of custody issue the police face. Some trust has to exist, but in the coin hobby/business? I don't think so, not with the potential for a huge profit...
    Bill Ferguson
  • BaleyBaley Posts: 22,663 ✭✭✭✭✭
    before you go to sell the coin, have it professionally graded again.
    do not buy coins in the first place, that will not regrade at at least the same grade.

    Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry

  • LanLordLanLord Posts: 11,722 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I did it a couple times with various magnitudes of key.

    I did that with my circ Washingtons when I picked up a nice ef+ 32d.

    Then for my Barber quarters, I picked up a 01s.

    Both liberated from their slabs and happily reside in Dansco albums (And, loving it).

    I rarely sell coins and would only part with these post mortem (mine), so I'm not too weirded out about cracking them.

  • DHeathDHeath Posts: 8,472 ✭✭✭
    I just put a note in the album slot saying PCGS XXXX, or NGC XXXX, which is a perfect reminder that the coin is in the safe.
    Developing theory is what we are meant to do as academic researchers
    and it sets us apart from practitioners and consultants. Gregor
  • BaleyBaley Posts: 22,663 ✭✭✭✭✭
    <<I just put a note in the album slot saying PCGS XXXX, or NGC XXXX, which is a perfect reminder that the coin is in the safe.>>

    Aaahh, when the album full of those little notes... image

    Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry

  • paulheeppaulheep Posts: 184
    I sure can relate to this! I have complete set of early lincolns in a whitman folder with 2 holes open. The 09-SVDB and the 14-D are both in PCGS holders.

    Paul
  • JohnZJohnZ Posts: 1,732 ✭
    I have no issue cracking them out and putting them into albums. They're always coins that I will never part with anyway, and after I'm dead it'll be somebody elses problem.

    We ARE watching you.

    image
  • ShamikaShamika Posts: 18,785 ✭✭✭✭
    I've had to come to terms that I'll never crack my coins out of their slabs.

    image
    Buyer and seller of vintage coin boards!
  • constructconstruct Posts: 932
    I have only my gold coins in slabs. I suspect that I would treat my key dates the same way. I display my coins in 2x2s in plastic pocket-pages so the holes are only as obvious as I want to make them. Therefore, I would not have a problem keeping slabbed keys in the slabs. I've been looking (but not very hard) for a certified 1877 cent that appeals to me. I would have no problem keeping it in its slab.
    The strangest things seem suddenly routine.
  • JRoccoJRocco Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Slabs are nice, but a hole in an album needs a coin in it...
    Some coins are just plain "Interesting"
  • BarryBarry Posts: 10,100 ✭✭✭


    << <i>I just put a note in the album slot saying PCGS XXXX, or NGC XXXX, which is a perfect reminder that the coin is in the safe. >>


    That's what I do. If you're really anal about it, you can photograph the coin, size the photo just right, and put the little picture in your album image
  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 24,547 ✭✭✭✭✭
    For any coins of real value the days of the album are over. Keep you best coins in PCGS/NGC/ANACS slabs and don't even consider cracking them out. If your coins are in slabs that have good authentication but poor market acceptability (SEGS and ICG are examples) go ahead and crack them out and put them in your album. Be sure to have them slabbed when it comes time to sell them.
    All glory is fleeting.
  • dbldie55dbldie55 Posts: 7,739 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I would only buy key dates in certifed holders, but have no problem cracking them out to fill the hole in the album. Filling the album is what collecting is all about. To me an set is not done until the album has all of the holes filled.
    Collector and Researcher of Liberty Head Nickels. ANA LM-6053
  • SDCollectorSDCollector Posts: 886 ✭✭
    Even though I've yet to buy a slabbed coin, as a Morgan collector, the only coin I wouldn't crack out would be the 93-S. Only because it's a frequent counterfeit target and viewers of your collection may question whether or not you have a geniune coin. Otherwise I intend to crack out every slabbed coin I buy and put it in my album. An album filled with quality coins is a joy to behold.

    And as Baley said:


    << <i>do not buy coins in the first place, that will not regrade at at least the same grade. >>

    Bill
  • greghansengreghansen Posts: 4,301 ✭✭✭
    XF or lower coins get cracked right out to go in the album. Did it with the 16-D dime and '77 IHC. I wouldn't crack out a slabbed coin that had any significant surface luster remaining or whose surfaces might be damaged further by an inadvertent fingerprint or album slides. Doesn't bother me a lick to crack out lower grade circ coins.

    Greg Hansen, Melbourne, FL Click here for any current EBAY auctions Multiple "Circle of Trust" transactions over 14 years on forum

  • ClausUrchClausUrch Posts: 1,278 ✭
    Crack them and fill the holes!!!
  • coinlieutenantcoinlieutenant Posts: 9,318 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I cracked this one out of a PCGS F12 holder and put it in my dansco album...

    I had no issue with it. I know that it is a solid F12 and it looks better with its buddies!!

    image
    image

    siliconvalleycoins.com

  • seanqseanq Posts: 8,719 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I cracked a bunch of cents from ANACS holders, includinga circulated 1914-D and 1922 Plain, to put in my clipped cent album. To me there's just nothing quite like having the whole set there on the page - little notes or photos would never cut it.

    Should the time ever come to part with the coins, I have the inserts saved, along with pictures of each before I cracked them.


    Sean Reynolds
    Incomplete planchets wanted, especially Lincoln Cents & type coins.

    "Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
  • marmacmarmac Posts: 1,452 ✭✭✭
    Interesting question.......I am building an "S" mint dollar date set in a dansco.I use to sit at my desk
    and look at all my slabs and then look at all the empty slots in my dansco and back and forth,making notes
    about coins to buy raw ,coins to buy slabbed..........until one day I started cracking them and couldnt stop!!
    Anyway I feel much better now looking in my album at them rather than a box of slabs.All grading tabs
    are in the front of them album.As for resale in the future?Slim chance of that anytime soon.
    oh yeah I am in the market for a Slabbed 1888s dollar 63-64

    Scott
  • jdimmickjdimmick Posts: 9,745 ✭✭✭✭✭
    As far as my self I dont have to worry about this dilema, as My key-date collection stays in PCGS slabs.

    But I have seen many people who buy certitifed to begin with, then break the coins out and put them in the album. Some save the label as "proof" they were holderable to begin with others do not. I would not recommend holding on to any labes other than the big three, the off brand slabs are no better than the raw coin itself.

    But as for the future purchaser of the coins broken out: if someone showed me a full set of coins with the key-dates that were suposedly removed from PCGS holders " saved labels" I will still use extreme caution in buying these coins and look at them very carefully as if they were raw and try to determine if they are worthy of reholdering??


    jim
  • MyriadsMyriads Posts: 243
    I've been building a set of Liberty Nickles in MS60 on up to Proof in many cases. Most I find these days are slabbed.

    I own a custom Capitol Plastics holder for the series. (It looks oh so sharp!)

    Said holder has a custom frame and hangs on my wall. (Waves at Nickels on wall near computer)

    It's there for me to enjoy, and for guests to my home to also. Many great have conversations come from it.

    I crack the coins out of their slabs and put them into it as I get them. To me, they belong together, and I just can't enjoy them in their slabs. I know I'm destroying some of the value that I spent on them when I open the slabs up, but accept that. I plan to hold these for my life, so resale is not an issue in my mind.

    This is an issue where I feel each collector will find his own answer based on how they strike the balance between the collecting side and the investment side of things. No right answers. Just lots of right opinioins :-)

    But I'm happy to see that so many of you are willign to pop the slabs open. They have never felt right to me. And as a comic book retailer, I'm now faced by slabbed comics.... talk about sad. At least you can look at all of a slabbed coin.

    Myriads

  • mintlustermintluster Posts: 926
    Have you ever thought of getting all of the slabs lined up neatly in a few rows and proffesionally framed?
    You could still keep them all together and nice looking as a display AND remain slabbed.
    Just a thought, sounds like it would not matter anyway because you have cracked them all out.
    Hey, as long as you are happy with them.
  • mintlustermintluster Posts: 926
    You can also keep your coins slabbed and place them into a nice Eagle graded coin album.
    My morgans are all in an Eagle album in date order for my viewing pleasure.
    I would never even think of cracking them all out and putting them in a Dansco album.
    That seems so crazy to me. Especially since I have submitted several of them myself.
    But to each his own I guess.
  • 1946Hamm1946Hamm Posts: 789 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Most of my sets are in Capital plexiglass holders and any slabbed coins for the sets are cracked open and put in the set holder also. If there is room in the holder, I put the cert. tag in the holder also. Most of the Capital holders have enough room for 3 or 4 tags. I have a 1916 SLQ in the Capital set and the Cert. tag in it also. Since I don't plan on selling this set, the EF-45 1916 looks fine in the holder.

    Some would consider it stupid for me to crack that expensive a coin out of the slab. I think it looks nice in there. The 18/17s is in there also.

    I have many slabs but will not hesitate to crack them if I want to add them to a set in an attractive holder.

    Many would disagree with my choices but "to each his own" .

    Have a good day, Gary
  • mintlustermintluster Posts: 926
    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whatever makes each of us happy about our coins.

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