What are the odds of damaging a coin if you crack it out?

byergo

Are the odds better or worse in PCGS/NGC/ANACS/ICG holders? What is the most expensive crackout damage you have caused?

coinlieutenant

1 in 76.55

I have a steady hand and a hard hammer... no damage!!!

keets

if you excercise minimum common sense, the odds of damage should be almost nil. on the other hand, if you're doing it out in the shed with the holder gripped in a vice, or smacking it with a hammer, or any other number of ways, the odds go up.

al h.

Bikingnut

If you are careful about it, no risk at all.

jbsteven

<< <i>I have a steady hand and a hard hammer >>



almost sounds like a line from a porno.

Placid

WaterSport

I put a screw driver across the obverse of a 1935 s Lincoln once. The good news is that I was cracking an ACG holder, the bad is that some one still bougt it on Ebay.

WS

Stuart

<< <i>What are the odds of damaging a coin if you crack it out? >>

A much higher probability than if you leave the coin in it's existing holder

mozeppa

i cut mine out with a band saw....no cracking or hammering

bushmaster8

I wrecked one in about 500-600, it was carelessness.

410a

I had one in an NGC holder. 1916s Buff 5c pretty coin. I have a straight thru miter box with arm saw. Smooth and clean. Except I let
go of the trigger one day too soon and caught the holder
soft plastic insert which winged the whole deal in a knot
flying through the garage. My God what a heart beat I had and
hope against all odds there was no damage. A few days later, I managed to find the coin.
Now, mind you one of the numismatic geniuses talked about
this method of opening the coin holders and I needed the coin
for a display of twentieth century type consisting of a bit better
dates 32d quarter etc.....
Oh, yeah the good news was my heart had settled down. The
bad news is I have one heck of nice Buffalo nickel in MS 63 with
a serious 1/16 inch ding on the indians large feather.
I don't crack too often and usually only with really good reason
and I never had a problem with a light tapping by a 16 oz ball
pean hammer about the edges and the holder gives up the goods just fine. Regards, Michael

Baley

I'm sure it happens every once in a while. Probably a slip of the screwdriver did this

RYK

My favorite personal crackout story is of an ICG MS-63 1907 Saint that I bought in late 2002 on ebay. It was one of my first (of about a half-dozen) crackouts. As I was trying to pry the coin out of the holder, it flew up in the air and dropped into the garbage can. I would swear that there was a new mark in the right obverse field. Nonetheless, I packed it up with my three other Collector Club submissions and sent it to PCGS. It graded MS-64, which is a significant price jump from the 63. I ended up selling the coin in a Scotsman auction and made about $300 on it.

rainbowroosie

Keets has nailed it.

relayer

1 in 58

poorguy

I only cracked out 2 coins and they are at PCGS now for my free submissions. They were my first attempt at cracking. One was a $20 gold liberty 1899 NGC graded MS62 but it has to be at least an MS63 and the other was an old generation NGC 1881-S MS65 that I hope will grade MS67PL. Fingers crossed. I didn't have any vices or hammer but I did have a large plumber's wrench. I put the tip of the pinchers on the edge of the holders and squeezed real hard till I heard it crack. I did this along 3 sides of the holder and it opened like a book for both of them. The old NGC holders crack real easy. With the new ones, I had to pry open with a screwdriver because they kind of mushed in instead of cracking. I had to crack off a corner and slide a flat-head screwdriver into it and twist it along all the edges. When I got close to the $20 liberty, I got really nervous. I never touched it thouh.

The only accident I have had with these 2 experiences is a piece of the Old NGC holder flying toward my face and hitting me in the eye. I never had my eye bleed before. It hurt like hell but I am fine now. WEAR SAFETY GOGGLES!!

haletj

I've safely cracked out about 10 coins now. I learned from a local dealer. He said he once cut right into the rim of some really tough date high grade MS Morgan Dollar with wire snips.

jacktheknife

Think about the force it takes to crack that slab and then read my post-"How does this happen"

Franklin

I sent a 1953 PCGS PR68 Franklin to PCI. The reason for doing so, was that PCGS did not grade the coin as a cameo, as it most definitely was. When the coin was returned to me as a PR68DCAM from PCI, I was delighted until I noticed that they somehow caused a sizeable nick on the obverse side, directly below Franklin. I sent them photographs of the coin in its original PCGS holder and they agreed that they were responsible. They ended up buying the coin from me at the full price that I had paid for it on eBay.