I wish people took better care of their slabs.

CoinBuyer12

Be aware, the price you pay for a slabbed coin is not always the final price. It may need re-holdered.

Out of the dozen slabbed coins I have recently purchased, 7 of them were deeply scratched, inhibiting a decent photograph.

I don't understand how these get damaged. One a slab comes back from PCGS, put it in your slab box, it will never get damaged unless your viewing it and you drop it on a rough surface.

Do dealers just throw the slabs around like Frisbees?

pocketpiececommems

I suspect that if you are a dealer and take the slabs to shows that everyone that looks at them has the potential to put a scratch on it and they add up.

SeattleSlammer

<< <i>Do dealers just throw the slabs around like Frisbees? >>




Just about yes!

Justacommeman

As reported in the past I have had problems with the new PCGS slabs scratching very easily. Others have reported the same.

MJ

stealer

<< <i>As reported in the past I have had problems with the new PCGS slabs scratching very easily. Others have reported the same.

MJ >>


Yep, after handling a pronged PCGS holder on a hardwood table for a few hours, it managed to acquire many deep lacerations to the plastic.

derryb

I don't like scratches either but a scratched slab has done its job of protecting the coin. I keep mine in TPG boxes but now I find myself looking for something to protect the boxes. Was going to open a slab grading service, but had trouble finding slabs to hold the graded slabs.

All joking aside, I agree that more care should be taken when handling slabs and they should be stored in slab boxes. On-line sellers should also disclose badly scratched slabs.

lkeigwin

<< <i>Be aware, the price you pay for a slabbed coin is not always the final price. It may need re-holdered.

Out of the dozen slabbed coins I have recently purchased, 7 of them were deeply scratched, inhibiting a decent photograph.

I don't understand how these get damaged. One a slab comes back from PCGS, put it in your slab box, it will never get damaged unless your viewing it and you drop it on a rough surface.

Do dealers just throw the slabs around like Frisbees? >>

Slabs get scuffed. It happens. Even newly holdered coins from PCGS sometimes have marks. Plastic polish takes care of it.

Seven of twelve, with deep scratches is very unusual. Bad luck.

I polish every slab, put it in a protective sleeve, and safely store it.
Lance.

illini420

A major cause of the scratched slab epidemic is the auction house. Just about all of the major auctions houses store slabs in boxes that do not prevent the slabs from banging up against one another. Figure that the coins are taken out of and put back into those boxes several hundred or even thousands of times for a single auction, each time banging into the adjacent slabs in the box, and it's no surprise that the slabs get quite banged up by the time they are in a dealer's case at a show.

Justacommeman

Hi Lance

what exact polish do you use and what type of cloth and rubbing method?

Thank you!

MJ

derryb

I store and deliver my sold slabs in these heavy duty 4 mil 3x4 ziplocks For online customers I always throw in an couple of extra bags, they're cheap if buying 1000.

I ship all my bagged slabs in these. Slab drops right in on its side and remander of bag wraps around it for added protection.

lkeigwin

<< <i>Hi Lance

what exact polish do you use and what type of cloth and rubbing method?

Thank you!

MJ >>

MJ, I've used Slab-Renew, PlastX and Novus. I like PlastX but they're all pretty good.

An old, soft undershirt works great. I prefer circular rubbing, with frequent fresh cloth. Mark G. recommends polishing along the lines of the lighting direction (not across, or perpendicular to the lighting). Good advice for the picture.

Scratches on the slab, or on the coin for that matter, that are perpendicular, stand out. Lighting highlights them.
Lance.

BAJJERFAN

Something of a poster boy for the scratched slab. An older 2.5 slab.

BryceM

For slabbing $50 or $100 dollar coins, the present slabs are great. I'm sure they're cheap to manufacture and slightly tamper-proof. Not that I have a prayer of owning any, but for 7-figure coins, they're very far from ideal. For very special coins I'm surpised there isn't an option for something nicer, at least over the central viewing portion of the slab. A small, scratch-resistant crystal or glass overlay would do the trick.

PerryHall

If a slab has been badly mishandled, I subtract the cost of reslabbing from my best offer.

1Mike1

It doesn't help that the slab's viewing area is level with the outer edges. Not very well thought out when created.

PerryHall

<< <i>It doesn't help that the slab's viewing area is level with the outer edges. Not very well thought out when created. >>



I thought the viewing surface was slightly recessed but that doesn't keep them from getting scuffed when dealers are throwing slabs around.

sniocsu

I agree. It feels like a lot of the slabs I look at have a problem or two

keyman64

I was at FUN and I asked to look at a MS68FB Merc in a PCGS holder. The obverse side of the slab was pretty scratched up but I could still look around the scratches and see the coin just fine. The reverse of the slab was so scratched up that half the coin could not be seen. If you are looking at a high grade coin such as this you want to confirm that it measures up to that grade in your own mind. This was impossible to do with this coin. I just handed it back to the dealer and did not say anything. He will have a tough time selling that coin "sight unseen." Crazy!

g048406

"It doesn't help that the slab's viewing area is level with the outer edges. Not very well thought out when created"

Actually, it was very well thought out.........$$$$$$$$ for TPG's

AnkurJ

90% of my collection is kept in intercept shield double protection boxes. No chance for slab rub there.

johnny9434

<< <i>

<< <i>Do dealers just throw the slabs around like Frisbees? >>




Just about yes! >>

ive seen it more then once

BAJJERFAN

<< <i>I was at FUN and I asked to look at a MS68FB Merc in a PCGS holder. The obverse side of the slab was pretty scratched up but I could still look around the scratches and see the coin just fine. The reverse of the slab was so scratched up that half the coin could not be seen. If you are looking at a high grade coin such as this you want to confirm that it measures up to that grade in your own mind. This was impossible to do with this coin. I just handed it back to the dealer and did not say anything. He will have a tough time selling that coin "sight unseen." Crazy! >>



Sounds like he should have had it reslabbed BEFORE offering it for sale.

originalisbest

<< <i>

<< <i>Be aware, the price you pay for a slabbed coin is not always the final price. It may need re-holdered.

Out of the dozen slabbed coins I have recently purchased, 7 of them were deeply scratched, inhibiting a decent photograph.

I don't understand how these get damaged. One a slab comes back from PCGS, put it in your slab box, it will never get damaged unless your viewing it and you drop it on a rough surface.

Do dealers just throw the slabs around like Frisbees? >>

Slabs get scuffed. It happens. Even newly holdered coins from PCGS sometimes have marks. Plastic polish takes care of it.

Seven of twelve, with deep scratches is very unusual. Bad luck.

I polish every slab, put it in a protective sleeve, and safely store it.
Lance.

>>



Great use of the vintage-sized sleeves! I do the same thing.

messydesk

I knew I forgot to buy something at FUN. Wizard sells slab sleeves for about 1¢ each. These protect the slab quite nicely. Scratches on slabs I buy have always been fairly easy to polish out, unless they're on NGC slabs. The one irksome blemish that I see on fresh PCGS slabs now and then is a tiny square patch almost dead center. At FUN I heard that this is a result of the ultrasonic sealer used during assembly.

mgoodm3

PCGS slabs scratch fairly easily, but they are also easy to shine out. NGC slabs are harder plastic and the scratches take forever to shine out. I'll take PCGS any day for photos.