Has the "RATTLER" bit anyone?

CoinKing1969

I have seen alot of "rattler" or first generation PCGS slabs offered on several internet auctions. To everyone experienced with this topic, what is the outcome of resubmitting them back to PCGS for upgrades? Are they graded higher,lower or about the same?

centmaster

<< <i>I have seen alot of "rattler" or first generation PCGS slabs offered on several internet auctions. To everyone experienced with this topic, what is the outcome of resubmitting them back to PCGS for upgrades? Are they graded higher,lower or about the same? >>



All of the above. Some were graded correcetly to begin with, some were not.

LindeDad

Hear that most that would of upgraded allready have. The ones you see in most cases now are the dogs. This is just what I have seen discussed about them.

roadrunner

If you send back the rattler intact for grading it cannot come back lower. The only 2 choices are the same or upgraded.

I've had some rattlers bite me but only because I didn't try more than once. For every rattler I've run across that I felt was upgradeable...either I sold it for most of the next grade or the next guy upgraded it. Guess that would say that none have really bit me. The last rattler I did very well on I sold for 1.5 pts higher than the MS64 label (a barber quarter). Ironically that was an ebay coin to boot.

I see nothing wrong with hand selecting rattlers and reprocessing them. My best one time submission with rattlers was from 3 MS65 seated halves I had purchased out of an auction. All 3 were sent back in the holders.....and all 3 came back in new MS66 holders.
I find this amusing in that I've never had an NGC seated coin yet cross (all were NGC65's or higher).

roadrunner

66RB

Yes, I have been bitten by the rattler one time when I first got back into collecting and started acquiring slabbed Lincolns off of eBay. I was pretty much buying whatever date I needed as long as it was slabbed 64RB or better, luckily I had somehow learned to stick with PCGS, NGC, and ANACS.

So I came to be in posession of a 1911-D Lincoln in a rattler holder graded MS64RB. Looking at the coin, it was very clean with no carbon spots and no scrapes, ticks or nicks. What I didn't realize was the luster was about average, and the strike was pretty weak.

I had also joined PCGS around that time and found the forums. I read about people cracking out their rattler holders and getting upgrades on them. I decided to give it a go with my only rattler, the 1911-D. So off went the newly liberated 1911-D Lincoln in my fourth submission.

Here is the result of that submission...line#2 1911-D 1c MS64BN



<< <i>Order #10200962 / Submission #9021585
Line # Item # Cert # PCGS No. CoinDate Denomination Variety Country Grade
1 1 21526397 2437 1910 1C US MS65RD
2 1 21526398 2444 1911-D 1C US MS64BN
3 1 21526399 2460 1913 1C US MS64RB
4 1 21526400 2487 1916 1C US MS65RB
5 1 21526401 2635 1934 1C US MS66RD
6 1 21526402 2668 1938 1C US MS66RD
7 1 21526403 2704 1942 1C US MS66RD
8 1 21526404 2917 1969-D 1C US MS66RD
9 1 21526405 9574 1980-P SBA$1 US MS66
10 1 21526406 9575 1980-D SBA$1 US MS66

Total Items: 10

Date Received: 3/15/2004


Date Shipped: 5/10/2004

Order Status: Shipped >>




So, it wasn't really all that bad, after all, it could have been BB'd! The experience taught me to look at all of the attributes of a coin, not just how 'clean' it is, but strike and luster as well. I have now actually become a big fan of a good strike.

I still have the 1911-D listed in my registry set, and I still have it listed with it's old certification # as a 64RB.

CoinKing1969

Nice coin 66RB! It has a nice deep strike and looks like very few marks. Should of at least gone MS65BR. I wonder if this coin had more red at the time of slabbing back in the mid 80's?

GoldenEyeNumismatics

I, personally, have never been bit, but I've seen people who have

66RB

CoinKing, I think that you would be right in that this coin had more red when it was originally slabbed. That was one of the things with the rattler holders, they were more prone to not being airtight, so the coins inside could more easily tone.

At any rate, the late die state of my 1911-D precludes a 65 grade, imo.

Shamika

Sure looks close to RB. I wonder if you resubmitted it, you might get a 64RB? I also agree the late die state and soft strike (look at O in ONE) preclude it from a 65.


Regarding other rattler's, I suspect 90%+ that would have upgraded have been cracked out/resubmitted already. Most of the rattlers out there are either correctly graded or overgraded in my opinion.