What is considered to be the first true slab?

291fifth

The ANA started authenticating/ grading but not slabbing in the 1970s. Paramount slabbed Redfield Dollars in either the late 1970s or early 1980s. What other companies produced actual graded/authenticated/sealed hard plastic slabs prior to PCGS entry into the market in 1986? When did they start doing so?

oih82w8

The U.S. Mint had Hard SMS split cases in 1966 & 1967...although they could be opened easily...just FYI

CascadeChris

I can't remember who but I think it was an overseas company credited with creating the first modern slab.

291fifth

For the purposes of this thread, the slabs must not be the type that can be easily opened and resealed.

ebaytrader

ACG.

Mitchell

I think the GSA slabs could be considered the first slab that separated coins by grade. First issued in 1972, GSA Morgans were separated into three groups: uncirculated (fully lustrous and not toned), not fully lustrous or toned, or circulated (soft packs). All GSA coins were sealed (sonically welded).

"Uncirculated"

Not uncirculated (look carefully at the date)

Circulated

Weiss

It's an interesting topic. I can see the GSAs being what we in 2017 would call the first "slab". Clear plastic, front and back visible, grade & denomination given, and originating from an authority whose opinion is arguably respected.

Not to derail, but CRO has in its archives an ancestor of the modern slab that I think is pretty interesting:

http://www.coinraritiesonline.com/index.php?page=archive&task=det_item&item_id=3660

drwstr123

CaptHenway

A-Mark purchased the Redfield Hoard in January of 1976, and distributed the coins through Paramount and other companies later that year.
I was working in the Editorial Department at Coin World up until late 1978, and we kept referring to it as the "Redfield Hoard" in print. Every time we did, we would get a polite letter (actual paper!) from Paramount asking us to please refer to it as the "Redfield Collection" as they referred to it in their many ads in Coin World. We politely ignored the request.

ScarsdaleCoin

Sonic welding was invented in 1965 but it really caught on with mfgs in the late 70's and early 80's.

BStrauss3

SAGSE (South African Gold and Silver Exchange) slabbed - true, sonic sealed slabs - Krugerands starting in 74 or 75. They also used their own grading scale which went over 100.

You occasionally see these show up on eBay.

The first US Patent for a sonic sealed coin case is the Accugrade one, which is https://www.google.com/patents/US4878579

PTVETTER

When did capitol holders come on the market??

291fifth

@PTVETTER said:
When did capitol holders come on the market??

Good question ... probably sometime in the 1950s. They were not the only company to make such holders. Another brand, the name of which escapes me, has rounded rather than pointed corners. In any case, the Capitol style holders wouldn't count as slabs because they are held together by screws and are not sonic sealed.

TurboSnail

True slab= higher markup with third party packaging and grading . I would think Littleton would have won the award.

keets

Accugrade would be my guess.

ricko

I think this was discussed years ago here... and if I recall correctly, the conclusion was Accugrade as Al mentioned.... Cheers, RickO

BUFFNIXX

I know that Alan Hager used to claim that accugrade was the first to slab coins

Cameonut

I've been told by Alan Hager that he was the first to encapsulate and grade coins.

BStrauss3

SAGSE slabs date to 1975. Well before Accugrade started in 1984.

Never-the-less, as I pointed out above, the 1st US Patent is the Accugrade photoslab.