A coin slab is a type of holder for a coin. Slabbed coins are typically from one of the

coin grading Coin grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a coin, one of the key factors in determining its collectible value. A coin's grade is generally determined by six criteria: strike, preservation, luster, color, attractiveness ...

companies. The practice of sending coins to

third-party grading Third-party grading (TPG) refers to coin grading & Paper currency grading, banknote grading authentication, attribution, and Coin capsule, encapsulation by independent certification services. These services will, for a tiered fee depending on the v ...

companies and then "slabbing" them began in 1986. When a grading company grades a coin, it is sealed in a tamper proof slab with a

barcode A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, Machine-readable data, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly ref ...

and a

hologram Holography is a technique that allows a wavefront to be recorded and later reconstructed. It is best known as a method of generating three-dimensional images, and has a wide range of other uses, including data storage, microscopy, and interf ...

. To prevent counterfeiting, holograms were attached to the graded coin slabs beginning in 1989. however, earlier coin slabs did not have a hologram.

History

Slabbing coins is a practice which began in 1986. The grading of coins was a way to remove coin grading controversies by having a third party certify the coin's condition. The earliest coin slabs introduced by PCGS were in use from 1986-1989. Collectors refer to these early PCGS slabs as "rattlers". They were nicknamed rattlers because the coin was not firmly positioned in the holder; coins rattled inside the holders. The holder consisted of a thin plastic shell and the specifics about the coin and grade were printed on a

dot matrix printer Dot matrix printing, sometimes called impact matrix printing, is a computer printing process in which ink is applied to a surface using a relatively low-resolution dot matrix for layout. Dot matrix printers are a type of impact printer that p ...

. In September 1989, PCGS introduced a new holder that more firmly held the coin. There are major coin certification companies that encapsulate coins in an acrylic case after grading the coin. Companies like ANACS,

Numismatic Guaranty Company Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) is an international third-party coin grading and certification service based in Sarasota, Florida. It has certified more than 60 million coins. NGC certification consists of authentication, grading, attribution ...

(NGC),

Professional Coin Grading Service Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) is an American third-party coin grading, authentication, attribution, and encapsulation service founded in 1985. The intent of its seven founding dealers, including the firm's former president David Hall, ...

(PCGS),

International Coin Certification Service International Coin Certification Service (ICCS) is a Canadian third-party coin certification company located in Toronto, Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, ...

and

CAC CAC may refer to: Arts * California Arts Council, an agency for advancing California through the arts and creativity * Campbelltown Arts Centre, multidisciplinary contemporary arts centre south-west of Sydney, Australia * Comics Arts Conference ...

accept coins which they grade, certify and then slab. Collectors rely on these third party grading companies to certify coins. After the coins are reviewed and certified a

holographic Holography is a technique that allows a wavefront to be recorded and later reconstructed. It is best known as a method of generating three-dimensional images, and has a wide range of other uses, including data storage, microscopy, and interfe ...

label is attached to the slab. The earliest coins that were slabbed by the major coin grading companies did not have holograms. PCGS began adding a hologram to the reverse of their holders in 1989. NGC began adding a hologram to their coin slabs in 1990.

Counterfeit slabs

Counterfeiters have duplicated coin slabs from major grading companies. In 2023, ''

CoinWeek ''CoinWeek'' is an American internet-based publication that publishes articles, analysis, news, videos and podcasts about a wide range of numismatic topics. It is one of the leading online publications for coin collectors in the North American ma ...

'' reported counterfeit 1881 CC

Morgan dollar The Morgan dollar is a United States dollar coin minted from 1878 to 1904, in 1921, and beginning again in 2021 as a collectible. It was the first standard silver dollar minted since the passage of the Coinage Act of 1873, which ended the f ...

“PCGS” slabs. In 2018, ''

Coin World ''Coin World'' is an American numismatic magazine, with weekly and monthly issues. It is among the world’s most popular non-academic publications for coin collectors and is covering the entire numismatic field, including coins, paper money, me ...

'' numismatic magazine reported that counterfeit PCGS slabs complete with holograms were being sold on the website

AliExpress AliExpress () is an online retail service based in China and owned by the Alibaba Group. Launched in 2010, it is made up of small businesses in China and other locations, such as Singapore, that offer products to international online buyers. ...

. They reported that the real slabs are "sonically sealed" but fake slabs snap together. The magazine also reported the discovery of a fake South African gold

Krugerrand The Krugerrand (; ) is a South African coin, first minted on 3 July 1967 to help market South African gold and produced by Rand Refinery and the South African Mint. The name is a compound of '' Paul Kruger'', the former President of the South ...

which was in a counterfeit NGC slab with a hologram.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coin slab Coin collecting Computer storage systems