Anybody else notice this this past year? Heck, even just 6 months ago, I had trouble finding decent pre-slabbed stuff.. Not many sellers with them, and for those who did, the selection was limited. Fast-forward to today, and the marketplace is full of 'em! Many of the same sellers who didn't want to touch this stuff back then & only dealt in raw, are suddenly carrying a bunch now. It's everything: Gold, silver, brass, copper.. In all sorts of shapes & sizes. And if a new one comes out, you can be sure that there will be some slabbed soon enough. What do you make of this trend? And what's driving it..? Retail customers, with their demand of legitimacy, physical / financial protection & collectibility? Sellers, with a motive to maximize revenue & profit? NGC, with their increasing willingness to not only slab, but also to accommodate larger / thicker medals (again, with a financial motive)? Maybe it's just a geographic factor, as these things continue to make their way out of the East in larger numbers. Seems like the North Americans like their slabs, anyway..
True. But I also recall being turned away & having to go elsewhere way back when.. Ah, just wild to see it like this now, if you stop & think about it.
Perhaps it depends on what venue the medals are being sold. For example, if on eBay, I can surely understand why there would be dealers selling slabbed medals. But maybe these same dealers are selling the same medals raw in venues that basically have only Chinese reading collectors as buyers. Sadly, in large part, I think Westerners who are collectors of Chinese medals like slabbed medals because it more or less eliminates the risk of buying a fake. Personally, I really like the look of a large medal or coin in it's own gallery quality frame (the slab). I personally don't like to handle medals as if they were an ashtray or something like that so it doesn't bother me at all that i can not touch it once it's inside a slab...all the better. Since the medals I own are generally very low mintage (in comparison to nearly any modern numismatic/collector coin produced) I treat them as a numismatic item. That's the only way it makes sense to me. .
Yeah, I think there was a traditional tendency for quite a while to sell / keep most raw. And probably the majority still are? Though if you check out the NGC census reports from time to time, you'll see a growing trend of both number of issues & sheer quantity. I haven't checked in a while, but I recall something like 50-75%(?) of one issue had been slabbed, for example.. That's a ton! Don't get me wrong: I certainly don't think I started this. Though I helped push it that much further & quicker. Kept knocking on doors, and kept getting turned away, until I hooked up with one seller who was already dabbling a bit in slabbed -- and pushed for more from him, certain ones in particular. I've got a few firsts or close-to-firsts in my collection, per NGC reports. And I've got a bunch of reasons why I prefer slabbed.. Pre-slabbed, at that. Pros & cons, of course.. But just how I roll, yo. Honestly, for the stuff that I get, I wish them luck in trying to fake 'em, though, LOL.. If they can fake these & have them look fantastic, then I'd be very impressed. Not a challenge, however! But for some easier-to-copy styles & particular pricey issues? Yeah, some might want to get them authenticated & graded, probably submitting those themselves (or via trusted submitters). I still think the best play is get one slabbed & keep one raw, of each, for the best of both worlds. Not the best or even realistic for one's budget, though. And I think this trend will continue as the years roll by, especially as older raw changes hands. By then, some low MS's & even some AU's will start popping up, as will non-numerical Details designations. Not even necessarily for the authentication thing, but that it simply legitimizes the whole category that much more (or at least gives the impression of such). Because many of these beauties definitely deserve it. Finally, NGC really needs to find a middle ground between standard & kilo, though, like PCGS has. Good for like 50-70mm diameter -- because a kilo-size for those is usually just over-kill, and probably turns some people off, moreso for the lower end of that range. Can get away with it for the 70mm's, but even there there's room for improvement & efficiency.
I would probably keep more raw, especially if the 45mm's had capusels. Or even if some of the larger ones did (I know relief is the issue). But just saying. I don't like the plastic rubbing up agains the metal. I don't like when I handle my chinese medals, and I want to see all the fine details, that I'm essentially holding the plastic up against that precious metal, and as gentle as I am, it's still rubs against. So, that's my number 1 reason for slabbling many of the raw metals. And then a close second is to give myself and buyers the peace of mind knowing it is not fake. and 3rd, i do like the look of it better in many cases. Oh, and i like the storeage aspect too...with plastic on metal, it was a challenge. that's just me
Speaking of mismatched slab size for an oversize medal, sometimes, I scratch my head when I see a mismatch for such a beautiful medal which should be able to be seen in its entirety: http://www.ngccoin.com/certlookup/index.aspx?CertNumber=2443589-013 Like what was NGC thinking? .
One solution is to snip-snip from the pouch, and keep the raw inside the original box, naked. But then you're dealing with issues with rubbing if you remove it often enough.. As well as potential long-term reactions with the sythentic materials (velvet-like stuff, etc.) Any resulting toning that only aesthetically adds to the piece would be fine with me in that scenario, as I know that can produce some cool effects -- but I know others might cringe at that.. Of course, some ugly toning is always a possibility, as well. And what do you do at that point -- try to dip it? Poof! There goes all that antique finish, along with it. Sometimes I think we're being too anal with this stuff, that they should instead be enjoyed in their raw state. Seems like we're missing out on part of the experience. Looking further enough down the road, though, I personally believe slabbing wins out in many various ways.
Yeah, check out that cert # -- looks to be a relatively older one. That's the way they used to do it back then, unfortunately. I've seen some like that in passing. Kind of a shame. Best bet, if you're willing to spend the time & money, is to send it in to NGC for re-holdering. Something like $12, plus shipping both ways. I'd say it's worth it, if you're sending in some other things..
I'd caution about storing coins raw in any box not just for the reasons you cited but perhaps more importantly the off gassing of materials as well as the off gassing of glues and adhesives used in the making of the box as well. I have seen surface damage caused to a silver proof coin from the off gassing of adhesive used on a capsule by someone to keep the capsule from opening accidentally. I wrap in plastic all my coins that come in capsules as capsules are not air tight. Tarnish ('toning') attacking a silver coin is the same evil as milk spots developing, in my view. .
Any suggestions from anybody, then, on how to safely / properly store unslabbed high-relief Chinese medals for the long-term? Not everybody here reading does slabbed for everything. I suppose using an over-sized acrylic capsule made for large coins (e.g., 10-oz, kilo), even if it's too big, is better than some alternatives. Though the larger the medal & the higher the relief, the tougher it's going to be..
If you can't find a capsule that will fit the medal, just put it directly in plastic that has no plasticizers in it and seal it as air tight as you can. Coin Armour is said to have very good bags but I use less costly bags and seal them very well. At this stage of the game, protected is always better than unprotected in my view. It doesn't have to be complicated. .
I have worked out with few dealers to look for caplsue for the silver antique 2 oz caplsue and some big medal. Sometimes I prefer it naked because the itching hand want to feel it lmao. However, I will slab 1 pieces for collection. One in raw if budget allow. For brass and cooper with colouring sure is not an issue to keep it raw but I still skeptical to look for caplsue. Gold gilded also not an issue to keep it raw in caplsue. I try to make photo this weekend but fail. Busy with friends gathering this week.
A plastic bag still doesn't prevent scratches, wear or fall damage. Besides, said gas permeability rating of those bags? Even Coin Armour, per their own site, doesn't protect against every single compound out there which could potentially end up harming something inside.. They are very specific in what they claim they do protect against.
