Has anyone noticed you can crack the new ANACS slabs with your hands?

MajorDuty

Just grab the top and bottom and give a good twist. Good news for those who bust their coins out....of ANACS holders anyway.

thecointrader

Yes. There is also a thread on the eBay Board about this. As a side note, has anyone noticed whether the market grading standards have changed any at ANACS, since the move to the new slab and with the change in ANACS management?

thecointrader

ms70

How cleanly does it crack? Can some dirtbag put it back together with a lesser coin than the label says?

Cladiator

<< <i>How cleanly does it crack? Can some dirtbag put it back together with a lesser coin than the label says? >>

It's possible with NGC slabs.

MajorDuty

<< <i>Can some dirtbag put it back together with a lesser coin than the label says? >>



I suppose it is possible.

MajorDuty

A bit of an update: my slab did not crack cleanly down the seam so it might not be too easy to switch coins.

On another note, I'm surprised the topic got virtually no comments. I suspect that is because it is ANACS I'm talking about here. If PCGS slabs were utterly cheap and flimsy like these new ANACS slabs are, there would be a freaking mutiny around here.

deansmint

I just recieved an order back from ANANCS with the new slabs and was amazed at the lack of quality control. One of the new slabs litterally was already half way seperated at the top and the others felt very flimsy, If I had wanted to I feel that I could have easily seperated the slab with both sides intact. Also the the ink on just about every one was smeared and there was lint and other crap that polluted the inside of the slabs, ever the old ones. Definitely a rush job and I cant imagine sending more coins there at the moment, just imagine how they are handling the coins in this inviroment. I also believe that there will be another total redesign of the holders, if maybe with just a stronger pastic that isnt as prone to bending.

DennisH

The new ANACS holders are not at all very damage-resistant.

Baley

wow, this combined with the ransom note fonts on the label, sounds like ANACS is trying to run itself into the ground.

thats a shame.

BlindedByEgo

Notes to self:

1) Light a candle for ANACS - I hope that they'll get their act together.

2) Cancel that planned submission 'til further notice.

Cladiator

<< <i>ransom note fonts on the label >>

mozin

Sounds like ANACS has a long ways to go to satisfy most of us.

flaminio

<< <i>Sounds like ANACS has a long ways to go to satisfy most of us. >>

Just unwind the whole thing back to about September of 2005 and I'll be satisfied.

MrBreeze

You do not even have to twist the holders. I ran my fingernail down the seam and put a bit of pressure and it opened pretty easily. I was not being careful, as I did not care for the holder after getting out my coins, but, it was intact with a very small crack in one corner. If you took the time, you could crack it intact and put it back together. The one thing I did notice is that the bar code was ruined when I opened up the slab. If you are looking at the new slabs, and have a question about the coins, look at the barcode. Any discrepancies there should be a red flag.

WTCG

I thought I was the first one to notice that.

INXS

Sounds like chaos in Happyville. This is not good if these slabs can be opened with little or no resistance. They sound like Coin World slabs.

ER

It's amazing, with all the fancy schmancy hoopla, they forgot probably the most important aspect of the slab design: making it child-proof.

deansmint

q]The one thing I did notice is that the bar code was ruined when I opened up the slab. If you are looking at the new slabs, and have a question about the coins, look at the barcode. Any discrepancies there should be a red flag. >>



Curious what you mean by 'Ruined'. Half the slabs I got back had smeared barcodes and looked as if the ink wasnt dry before someone handled them.

Just tried opening one and was very surprised how easily it just popped open with both pieces intact, also noticed the slight cracking on the bottom corner but this is not noticeable when the slab is put back together. A little bit of glue and you can easily replace the coins inside. Not good, not good at all.

MajorDuty

<< <i>....A little bit of glue and you can easily replace the coins inside. Not good, not good at all. >>



Just don't use cyanoacrylate because it will fog the plastic. <----Nooo people, I didn't try to swap a coin in one of these - experience from model building. ;-)

Bochiman

Any irony in the fact that the best bit of advice for ANACS is coming from the PCGS forum?

* Customer Service sucks - Tracy, you have your hands full when you start
* The slabs have funky fonts
* The slabs are too easy to crack (lose ability to sonically seal them???)

MrBreeze

<< <i>smeared barcodes and looked as if the ink wasnt dry >>



That is what I meant by "ruined." That is what it looks like when they are opened and put back together - there goes the tell-tale heart. If yours looked like that from the beginning, we all better pay close attention to the coin and not the holder. Hey, that sounds like a novel approach.

ScarsdaleCoin

I believe they have already begun to develop an upgrade.... guess ANACS is a work in progress.... difference is that they are working to improve and not shutting out ideas for improvement....

ER

Should they issue a slab recall, you know, like Ford and GM?

Bochiman

<< <i>I believe they have already begun to develop an upgrade.... guess ANACS is a work in progress.... difference is that they are working to improve and not shutting out ideas for improvement.... >>



Which is good, but, this type of problem should NEVER have gotten through. If they have this bad of an issue, then what else is terribly wrong?

ScarsdaleCoin

agreed but things can always go wrong....think ANACS has a lot on their plate ....new graders, big move, as mentioned big promotion so they have a lot of coins....but the question will be how they react and what they do as time goes on.....if they burry the head in the sand then they have no future....but they seem to be reacting and willing to work out the kinks.......who knows maybe the crack out artists asked them for an easy to open slab....only joking on the last line!

Barry

How many variations of slabs has PCGS had over the years, including some that were counterfeited?

Why is ANACS expected to have the ultimate-slab-never-to-be-improved-upon™ ?

majorbigtime

What happens if the slab is accidently dropped on a hard floor?

Cameonut

Thats exactly what I was thinking. My bet is that pieces can fly everywhere.

Ill wait before submitting anything (not that I was even close to sending something)

BECOKA

<< <i>Any irony in the fact that the best bit of advice for ANACS is coming from the PCGS forum?

* Customer Service sucks - Tracy, you have your hands full when you start
* The slabs have funky fonts
* The slabs are too easy to crack (lose ability to sonically seal them???) >>



I'm sure that ANACS has someone looking through the PCGS and NGC forums for useful feedback.

SUPERCARCOINS

Anacs ?? i could care less...........PCGS RULES

TwoSides2aCoin

I thought ANACS was for problem coins, not problem slabs.

koynekwest

"As a side note, has anyone noticed whether the market grading standards have changed any at ANACS, since the move to the new slab and with the change in ANACS management?"

I certainly hope they hire some competent attributors down there in Texas. I know they've lost a number of people. I have had a very bad time with proper attribution with the advent of the "new" ANACS. And the same smeared ink problem, too.

Baley

Why is ANACS expected to have the ultimate-slab-never-to-be-improved-upon™ ?

I don't think anyone expects perfection. I also don't think anyone expects "ugly-busy-looking-slab-that-falls-apart-in-your-hands™", either

UncleWiggly

<< <i>Why is ANACS expected to have the ultimate-slab-never-to-be-improved-upon™ ?

I don't think anyone expects perfection. I also don't think anyone expects "ugly-busy-looking-slab-that-falls-apart-in-your-hands™", either >>




There is one and only one slab that cannot be improved upon. SEGS.



Jerry

Barry

<< <i>There is one and only one slab that cannot be improved upon. SEGS. >>


If you ignore the grading part.

koynekwest

I think SEGS grades about as competently as anyone else-certainly as good as the "Number two" service. I just had over 20 coins cross and even a few upgrade (after being cracked out to avoid any built-in bias.)

ziggy29

<< <i>Anacs ?? i could care less...........PCGS RULES >>

Man, that Kool-Aid is good stuff!

ziggy29

<< <i>I certainly hope they hire some competent attributors down there in Texas. I know they've lost a number of people. I have had a very bad time with proper attribution with the advent of the "new" ANACS. And the same smeared ink problem, too. >>

Well, we'll have a second home in the hills just above Austin within a few weeks. I wouldn't mind a second career in the coin business and a chance to live up there and escape Houston permanently! Are you listening, Mr. Taylor?

jamesfsm

I have the same query as others. SEGS has a wonderful slab. Why doesn't somebody try to license it rather than reinvent the wheel?

Russellhome

I have been buying 2005 Bison & Ocean View 5c DDOs (ANACS slabbed and raw) and I have several grades MS64 to MS69 -- all in the new slabs. Since they all have the same Obverse, it makes an easy comparison in terms of judging the quality of the grade. For the most part, I've been satisfied. They seem to fall within what I would find acceptable for the grade. If you examine the coins in grade order, they appear to follow a steady progression as the grade improves (as they should) Of course, there are always judgement calls (e.g. the difference between an MS67 and MS68 can be pretty slim).

About the new slabs... I hate to be the party-pooper here, but I have had no problems with them. None of the ones I own have smeared ink, and I like the look, the size, design and the label better than the prior version of the ANACS slab. They may be easy to crack open -- I have not tried as I intend to keep them in the slabs. For all those who like to crack out coins, I'd think this 'feature' would be a plus.

I like the new 'see through' look better than the all white -- but only if the slabs are clean and scratch free. They show finger prints, dust, and smudges more clearly -- but the coin presents better when they are clean as new. Dropping it would be a bad idea - as much for how bad the scratches would show as for the risk of breaking it. I think the new 'slim design' is alright, too. It makes more fit into a storage box of the same size -- and this probably accounts for why they twist so easily and have a flimsy feel. So it seems that it is a trade off.

ANACS attributes varieties more than any other. That is why I use their service over PCGS and NGC. The new slabs are fine with me - but like anything else, there is room for improvement. I don't think they are complete junk as some indicate here.

PerryHall

<< <i>

<< <i>Anacs ?? i could care less...........PCGS RULES >>

Man, that Kool-Aid is good stuff! >>

messydesk

<< <i>I have the same query as others. SEGS has a wonderful slab. Why doesn't somebody try to license it rather than reinvent the wheel? >>


Grading services that are perceived as "better" than SEGS don't want to appear to becoming like SEGS by licensing their slab, regardless of how superior it is to any other one out there.

MrBreeze

Russellhome,

I also like the new slabs. I was just mentioning the fact that they are easy to crack open with little or no damage. I would gladly buy more as long as I completely agreed with the grade and there were no signs of tampering.