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 value. A coin's grade is generally determined by six criteria: strike, preservation, luster, color, attractiveness, and occasion ...

companies. The practice of sending coins to

third-party grading Third Party Grading (TPG) refers to coin grading & banknote grading, grading of stamps, cards, comic books, etc., authentication, attribution, and encapsulation by independent certification services. These services will, for a tiered fee, "slab" a ...

companies and then "slabbing" them began in 1986. When a grading company grades the coin it is sealed in a tamper proof slab with a barcode and a hologram. To prevent counterfeiting, holograms were attached to the graded coin slabs beginning in 1989. The early coin slabs did not have a hologram.

History

Slabbing coins is a practice which began in 1986. It was a way to remove coin grading controversies by having a third party certify the coin's condition. 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 50 million coins. NGC certification consists of authentication, grading, attributi ...

(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 one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic ea ...

and CAC 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 enables a wavefront to be recorded and later re-constructed. Holography is best known as a method of generating real three-dimensional images, but it also has a wide range of other Holography#Applications, applic ...

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 some slabs from major grading companies, and 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 mar ...

'' reported Counterfeit 1881-CC Morgans “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, med ...

'' numismatic magazine reported that counterfeit PCGS slabs complete with Holograms were being sold on the website AliExpress. 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 Af ...

which was in a Counterfeit NGC slab with a hologram.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coin slab Coin collecting Computer storage systems