Crack it out! 1814 half dollar gets a new holder.

Baley · April 11, 2003 5:54PM

So I buy this 1814 half dollar a while ago:

and the other day decided to break it out of the holder. First I sawed the plastic where the label meets:

Then I used some cutters to get a break started:

the label capsule can be snapped off with some pliers. Put the slab on a soft cloth from here on out:

Then Carefully used a screwdriver to pry the seam apart. Made sure to always point the blade away from the coin in case it slipped (it didn't)

The coin can now be removed from the holder:

and the edge viewed:

Higashiyama · April 11, 2003 5:59PM

Great action sequence! But the last frame is the best - it is a shame that these early coins are slabbed.

Baley · April 11, 2003 6:00PM

the reason for the crackout was to upgrade the type in one album:

and move the toned coin to another album, upgrading the top right coin in that set:

which now looks much better and more appropriate with coins similar in appearance:

as does the final result in the #1 book:

DO try this at home! its fun!

jonesy · April 11, 2003 8:00PM

Very informative. Thanks.

Glenn

MadMonk · April 11, 2003 10:25PM

Very nice post.

BigD5 · April 11, 2003 10:32PM

Throw the gadgets away!!!! Be a man! Use a hammer.

VERY nice albums you have there.

tjkillian · April 11, 2003 11:00PM

Very well done. A very good use of the half dollar. Makes a very nice presentation, congratulations.

Tom

Blade · April 11, 2003 11:43PM

Baley - great presentation and nice albums. My type coins used to be in albums. Now they are all slabbed and I miss the look! I had the same blue album you've got. Circa 1960's. I bought it used in 1983. But it's just too hard to crack out some of these coins. Arrgghhh.

jonesy · April 11, 2003 11:57PM

I took a NGC holder and got the buffalo out by smacking around the edge with a spoon. Took about 3 minutes.

Glenn

DDR · April 12, 2003 3:00AM

Great post, Baley. Very informative and well presented.

Nice half dollar collection too, by the way.

Baley · April 12, 2003 3:27AM

Thanks everyone! The dansco 7070 is full, mostly with AU and low MS coins cracked out of their various holders (Post-1900 coins are mostly gem BU and Proof); I picked up the used 2-volume whitman type coin albums last year to house the coins displaced by higher grade specimens, but also like the fact that the whitman album has spaces for more types, including the early issues. sometimes I'll find a coin that goes straight to the whitman, and guess what? It even has a gallery mint 1796 quarter to fill a hole that will VERY probably remain empty otherwise, because even a veteran cracker like me would hesitate to crack a '96 quarter! But for a type set, can't tell you how nice it is to have them all in albums versus fumbling through a bunch of slabs! Ok, I can try to tell you: it's nice! bust em out! don't be afraid!

brat · April 12, 2003 4:02AM

Rittenhouse · April 12, 2003 7:23AM

Awful lotta trouble to go thru just to de-slab a coin. Get a light hammer (ballpeen works fine). Stand the slab on edge tap firmly with hammer along edge. Do all 4 sides, slab drops in half along seam. Done in 2 minutes.

Elcontador · April 12, 2003 8:12AM

The only time I did anything like this was when I had to crack out my GSA $s to submit them for grading. A needle-nosed pliers and a single-edged razor blade worked just fine. Once I opened the edge of the slab this way, the rest peeled right off rather quickly.

lordmarcovan · April 12, 2003 8:47AM

Bah! I'm with BigD5 on this one! Real men use a hammer! And they don't wear goggles, either!

(Guess I'm not a real man anymore- I still use the hammer, but after getting plastic shrapnel in one eye, I learned my lesson...)

Baley- it bears repeating that that is one very handsome set you have there. Having quit the albums for slabs back in '98, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic and missing the old way (a little). I do use Danscos for my Irish coins, and many of the nicer ones in that set were liberated from slabs.

Baley · April 12, 2003 9:48AM

I thought this thread might generate a little discussion of cracking methods, especially the hammers, heh! I agree it's fun with a hammer but I don't care for the inaccuracy of the hit sometimes, and the shrapnel.

one time i hit it too hard with the hammer and the coin flew out sideways

I've done dozens of breakouts and this method is my favorite for control and safety (and nerves

Lordmarcovan, thanks again, I know you miss your 7070, striker and i think casey is starting some dansco type albums, it's nice when you receive it, lots of the holes fill up pretty fast, and its only the older ones where you have to search for nice coins.

Here's the little half dimes, about to get a boost:

and a closeup, before the switch:

I like the value in lightly cleaned early type, if the cleaning is not too bad, and the price is right.

plus, the dark toned one filled a hole in the whitman

not to mention, a couple of albums take up a lot less space than slabs, they look and store like books for convenient viewing and travel to the bank, and those bright coins might just mellow out a little in the next decade or two!

bumpy · April 12, 2003 10:08AM

These methods are awfully risky what with hammer misses, screwdriver slips, and plastic projectiles from snipping or prying. I like to use my bandsaw. Four quick cuts and no coin damage potential. A scroll saw would also work well. I don't recommend the jackhammer or post-hole digger, however.

Striker · April 12, 2003 10:47AM

I know I've already told you Baley but you have a very impressive set there for your 7070.

lordmarcovan · April 12, 2003 2:05PM

<< <i>I like the value in lightly cleaned early type, if the cleaning is not too bad, and the price is right. >>

Dunno if you're interested or not, but I have an 1861 half dime in an ANACS "UNC details, Net AU50/cleaned" slab- a sharp little beauty. Blast white, of course- somebody dipped it. Probably a 62-63 without taking the cleaning into account. I imagine it'd retone nicely in that album. It's a really sharp little coin.

Casey · April 12, 2003 2:23PM

Great informative post!

joejeweler · April 12, 2003 2:25PM

Hehehe.....i do believe i used that line in my early courting years!

Joe T

<< <i>.....it's nice! bust em out! don't be afraid! >>

Baley · April 13, 2003 4:02AM

bumpy, If I had a band saw that's what I'd use, having done dozens of breakouts so far this is my favorite method of freeing a coin, so far no problems, just some slabs are more stubborn than others.
striker, thanks again and good luck with your set, take your time and have fun!
lordmarcovan, pm sent re: halfdime, sounds like a good upgrade for my darkish 1862 piece.
joejeweler, heh! funny. also, really nice avatar you have there, what is that, a 1799 in VF+?
also, love your sig coin! amazing!

Crack it out! 1814 half dollar gets a new holder.

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