<< <i>Was "Cointainer" copyrighted? That was good. >>
THe E & T Kointainer Co. has been around since the late 60's or early 70's. I started using them in the 70's.
Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
That would be difficult to pin down, the term caught fire really quickly.
I remember a World Coin Dealer who did all raw stuff came by calling my table at a show "Slab City" circa 1994. I remember buying some world gold coins from him at melt at the show. These were beautiful proofs in capsules.
In had one case I had slabs stacked 6 deep With one layer = to 80 slabs this was 480 slabbed coins. Two other cases had currency and another one had a combo of slabs and USM material.
<< <i>I did a Google search by date. David Lawrence used the term in a coin listing on February 1, 1983. Can anyone find an earlier reference? >>
On what? A GSA dollar case?
PCGS did not start until 1986, and in 1983 I would not let ANACS encase coins.
Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
<< <i>IIRC, it was attributed to Larry Whitlow, probably through Jerry Bobbe when he worked there. >>
I asked Mike Printz. He's pretty sure it wasn't Larry.
Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
Rumor has it that dealers who hated the idea of anyone sending the coin in, that they'd graded BU, Choice, UNC, or GEM, was really AU 58, or MS 61 and not really MS 63 or higher. And if people did send it in, they were committing numismatic suicide to question the dealer. This caused a bit of a stir for a couple years, until…
Oh wait, it continues.
Those dealers then began a smear campaign, accusing people of drinking koolaid and putting the coins in tombs, slabs, coffins, or other places that are reserved for the dead.
Unfortunately the smear campaign never ended but the "term" stuck like files on _____.
Believe it or not. ----------------------------------------
I'm virtually certain I heard the term within a year of PCGS opening their doors. I remember who I heard it from, but I'm also sure he didn't coin the phrase. (He told me where he heard it.)
Andy Lustig
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
I began subscribing to The Coin Dealer Newsletter in September 1988. The first mention I can find of "slabs" after that was in the Oct. 21, 1988 newsletter, which states "In the Certified Coin Dealer newsletter, the "Bluesheet", we have been commenting for many months about the volatility of the slab market." That infers that the term had been in use for some time already.
Interestingly, the Certified Coin Dealer of Sept. 2, 1988 makes no reference to "slabs". The process used by PCGS was described as having a coin "sonically sealed in an inert, hard plastic container". NGC-graded coins were "placed in a "lab-tested" (inert), hard plastic holder and sonically sealed".
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<< <i>Was "Cointainer" copyrighted?
That was good. >>
THe E & T Kointainer Co. has been around since the late 60's or early 70's. I started using them in the 70's.
I remember a World Coin Dealer who did all raw stuff came by calling my table at a show "Slab City" circa 1994. I remember buying some world gold coins from him at melt at the show. These were beautiful proofs in capsules.
In had one case I had slabs stacked 6 deep With one layer = to 80 slabs this was 480 slabbed coins. Two other cases had currency and another one had a combo of slabs and USM material.
<< <i>
<< <i>Was "Cointainer" copyrighted?
That was good. >>
THe E & T Kointainer Co. has been around since the late 60's or early 70's. I started using them in the 70's. >>
Actually, I think I remember reading that they started making their product in 1950.
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
I've often wondered who "Coined the phrase."
Pun intended.....
Coin Club Benefit auctions ..... View the Lots
DPOTD-3
'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'
CU #3245 B.N.A. #428
Don
Typographical error corrected.
<< <i>I did a Google search by date. David Lawrence used the term in a coin listing on February 1, 1983. Can anyone find an earlier reference? >>
On what? A GSA dollar case?
PCGS did not start until 1986, and in 1983 I would not let ANACS encase coins.
BTW: Cubby=Cub Fan
<< <i>I definitely remember the term being used in the late 80's. >>
+1
Jim
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
<< <i>IIRC, it was attributed to Larry Whitlow, probably through Jerry Bobbe when he worked there. >>
I asked Mike Printz. He's pretty sure it wasn't Larry.
Oh wait, it continues.
Those dealers then began a smear campaign, accusing people of drinking koolaid and putting the coins in tombs, slabs, coffins, or other places that are reserved for the dead.
Unfortunately the smear campaign never ended but the "term" stuck like files on _____.
Believe it or not.
----------------------------------------
Incidentally, I just made this rumor up.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Interestingly, the Certified Coin Dealer of Sept. 2, 1988 makes no reference to "slabs". The process used by PCGS was described as having a coin "sonically sealed in an inert, hard plastic container". NGC-graded coins were "placed in a "lab-tested" (inert), hard plastic holder and sonically sealed".
Jim