Slabbing in Europe

[Rob 3,152]

EXCELLENT NEWS.

These CGS slabs are much easier to break into. Just run a pair of pincers around the edge rim and prise the two halves apart with your thumbnail. There is much less chance of damaging the coin than with NCG or PCGS slabs.

[josie 8]

Can a citizen of GB petition or recomend a bill to have a nationalised slab comp.

And a portion of its profit can go to the govt. like NHS

[TomGoodheart 400]

These CGS slabs are much easier to break into. Just run a pair of pincers around the edge rim and prise the two halves apart with your thumbnail. There is much less chance of damaging the coin than with NCG or PCGS slabs.

I presume the slab is damaged in the process? Otherwise expect a rash of coins being swapped for lesser grades and then those lesser coins relabbed and sold on!

Can a citizen of GB petition or recomend a bill to have a nationalised slab comp.

And a portion of its profit can go to the govt. like NHS

I think you're forgetting it's a hobby here josie! While there are quite a few collectors around I'm not sure the demand or profits would be high enough to interest the government (otherwise they'd surely have done it before!!)

[josie 8]

Yes the market,

The first comp. will test the water,in comparison to USA the govt. are investing on it.

That is yet to be know or find out in GB or europe.

They are setting now the outcome is unknown.

But the first step is unfolding.

[Sylvester 15]

I'm not sure on the particulars with the US but in the UK Coin collecting was a dying hobby until recently. The internet might have saved it, but regardless of whether it has or not, coin collecting is still seen as a marginal 'uncool' hobby to partake upon. Depending upon your viewing angle, naturally. coins/stamps/trainspotting are seen as one and the same by the average Brit.

As far as i can envisage there would never be enough demand to warrant the government to take any notice of the coin collecting fraternity. Indeed, when new designs are submitted by the Royal Mint you may (or may not) get dissatisfied customers writing in saying the proposed designs are terrible and object. In the end though the Royal Mint will issue what designs it sees fit to issue whether it gets complaints or not.

Now i've recently been reading a topic over on the US biased coinpeople forum about the new Presidential Dollar coin series and there's some statements there about some of the new designs being opposed by the coin collecting fraternity and perhaps the mint might be forced to alter the designs. It seems the US fraternity has clout. That would never happen in the UK.

At the end of the day the US coin market and the UK coin market are two very, very different creatures and what works for one isn't automatically applicable to the other. This is all before we go on the bring the rest of Europe into the equation which would alter all the answers yet again!

At the end of the day slabbing is an American phenomenon in an American way of thinking. Where emphasis on grade and who's is best outways emphasis on history. More paramount though is the role of capitalism in the US way of thinking, 'profit, profit, profit', is the thing that's emphasised time and time again on US coin forums it seems. Sit on a US forum long enough and it's generally all about; 'low mintages', 'how to spot sliders to crack and resubmit', 'is this really an MS63 or is it a possible MS64?'. That is pretty much all that ever gets asked upon US forums outside of toning questions. It's fairly dull to be honest.

The time scale of US coinage is far more restricted which means the only way to create more areas to work in is by scrutinising the full range closer and subdividing it. Which is why there's such emphasis on quality and grade, and that's what slabbing needs to thrive.

British coinage is so vast over an historical timeline that scrutiny on the American level (errors/grades) tends not to be really much of a driving force behind collecting because there's probably too much space for working.

There are only two areas in British coinage where i think slabbing would be viable, first copper/bronze coinage (George III +) with particular emphasis upon Bun Head pennies and after through to George V, thanks to Peck and Freeman, these fields are the only fields which come anywhere near the US way of collecting by minor varieties, die types, errors, mules, etc.

The second area would most likely be proofs.

I can forsee no real demand for slabbing outside of those areas to be honest, the hammered fraternity would most likely strongly oppose it, the early milled likewise probably wouldn't be that bothered about it, and the modern stuff its a mix of opinions. Most post-1937 stuff isn't worth even doing.

[scottishmoney 29]

I agree that collecting in the main in the USA and in Britain have differing approaches and outcomes. But it might be more optimal to define collecting, as perhaps many "collectors" persay in the USA are actually speculators and not so much collecting for the history, artistry etcetera of a coinage. Myself, I frankly care not about a number assigned to a coin, but only that it has very strong eye appeal to me. I do not need the opinion of another to qualify my own opinion. I own "slabbed" coins, but I did not buy the piece of plastic, but only the coin contained therein. In fact some of the coins I have are undergraded in my opinion, based on my knowledge of the striking history of them. For example:

Coin grades lower than most of the cleaned or modified coins you will see available for sale. However PCGS only thinks this qualifies as VF-30 in their opin. However, the dark toning is all original, this coin is not heavily worn, cleaned, retoned, tooled etc. So for me this is much nicer than a coin that grades AU-55 and has the latter conditions.

Slabbing are only someone else's opin and should be viewed as such. They are not factual if it does not agree with one's own opin of a piece.

Probably my only slabbed British coin, this being a Scottish groat from the reign of David II(1329-1371) this coin grades by the TPG as EF-40. In my opin this is a nice coin, but grading hammered coins is not quite like grading mechanically struck coinages. However for TPG's apparently the same factors are present.

[RLC35 288]

I'm not sure on the particulars with the US but in the UK Coin collecting was a dying hobby until recently. The internet might have saved it, but regardless of whether it has or not, coin collecting is still seen as a marginal 'uncool' hobby to partake upon. Depending upon your viewing angle, naturally. coins/stamps/trainspotting are seen as one and the same by the average Brit.

As far as i can envisage there would never be enough demand to warrant the government to take any notice of the coin collecting fraternity. Indeed, when new designs are submitted by the Royal Mint you may (or may not) get dissatisfied customers writing in saying the proposed designs are terrible and object. In the end though the Royal Mint will issue what designs it sees fit to issue whether it gets complaints or not.

Now i've recently been reading a topic over on the US biased coinpeople forum about the new Presidential Dollar coin series and there's some statements there about some of the new designs being opposed by the coin collecting fraternity and perhaps the mint might be forced to alter the designs. It seems the US fraternity has clout. That would never happen in the UK.

At the end of the day the US coin market and the UK coin market are two very, very different creatures and what works for one isn't automatically applicable to the other. This is all before we go on the bring the rest of Europe into the equation which would alter all the answers yet again!

Sylvester,

You are right about the slabbing in the USA. The big thing now is to jump a grade by breaking out the slabbed coin, and resubmit it for a re-evaluation. This is a good way to get a VF coin changed to an EF or above. This is even being done when the coin is re-submitted to the same grading company. I have a scarce half dollar that is slabbed at MS66, that I don't think is actually better than AU.

Slabbing does nothing for the collector, I seldom buy slabbed coins, since I want them for my collection, and the slab just presents an issue to getting at the coin, so I can place it in an album.

The investor, on the other hand loves slabbed coins, since he can excuse poor grading, by using the slabbed grade as a third party assessment, and thus be able to sell it at the higher grade with impunity.

Just my opinion.

Bob C.

At the end of the day slabbing is an American phenomenon in an American way of thinking. Where emphasis on grade and who's is best outways emphasis on history. More paramount though is the role of capitalism in the US way of thinking, 'profit, profit, profit', is the thing that's emphasised time and time again on US coin forums it seems. Sit on a US forum long enough and it's generally all about; 'low mintages', 'how to spot sliders to crack and resubmit', 'is this really an MS63 or is it a possible MS64?'. That is pretty much all that ever gets asked upon US forums outside of toning questions. It's fairly dull to be honest.

The time scale of US coinage is far more restricted which means the only way to create more areas to work in is by scrutinising the full range closer and subdividing it. Which is why there's such emphasis on quality and grade, and that's what slabbing needs to thrive.

British coinage is so vast over an historical timeline that scrutiny on the American level (errors/grades) tends not to be really much of a driving force behind collecting because there's probably too much space for working.

There are only two areas in British coinage where i think slabbing would be viable, first copper/bronze coinage (George III +) with particular emphasis upon Bun Head pennies and after through to George V, thanks to Peck and Freeman, these fields are the only fields which come anywhere near the US way of collecting by minor varieties, die types, errors, mules, etc.

The second area would most likely be proofs.

I can forsee no real demand for slabbing outside of those areas to be honest, the hammered fraternity would most likely strongly oppose it, the early milled likewise probably wouldn't be that bothered about it, and the modern stuff its a mix of opinions. Most post-1937 stuff isn't worth even doing.

[coin watch 1]

Excuse me if i'm cynical but i don't think it's in the hobby's best interests in the long run. It's in investor interests and investors are something the hobby is better off without as they put the prices up on nice collectable pieces that other collectors need for date sets etc.

[josie 8]

Dying hobby?

Thats why the GB govt and british museum encouraging folks in all walks of life to be active in thier heritage that include coin collecting,just heard in the news in the past.

Wheter it is a history,numismatic,collector or investor.

Yes the poll says it all,why they are making one comp. now.?

Dont know about world coin investing,since many problems that the slab comp. facing in USA and the exchage rate is good as 1992. It is timely for me.

If the collectors in britain dont agree with the company,Hope other world collector will,for me it depends on how good the comp. and thier staff.

As other mentoined GB and US is entirely diff.For me chances are if the price goes up coz of slabbing next will be the investor base in the US buying coins slab in GB. for the source and expert are base in GB.IF THE COMPANY IS RELIABLE.

If it fails someone tried it and settle all speculation and querry and time to moved on.in expense of thier pocket.

[Sylvester 15]

I think your last point holds much truth Josie. The US market for Brit coins will probably readily accept and welcome a Brit slabbing company (on the whole).

[josie 8]

Thanks sly,

The comp. exist the london coin offering slab coins by cgs base in GB

cannot find the comp. site. thou.

To be fair they should list the rooster from top to bottom,thier credentials and thier expertise.

If they like they can have a representative a guest or member in this forum, if the forum moderator will allow.

To answer question and reason to the readers and members of this forum.simply they have to comfront all critics and querry toe to toe,face to face on how good they are,not only on the number of coins they will sold but also how good is thier action and reason from every question ask.

[scottishmoney 29]

I think your last point holds much truth Josie. The US market for Brit coins will probably readily accept and welcome a Brit slabbing company (on the whole).

Not me.