Breaking Open Slabs On Lincoln Cents

I'm no Chem major, but I do remember that all nature hates a vacuum. I believe something will leech in. Does descikin (sp) have any adverse affect on silver, gold, copper or nickle/zinc.

Some of the more expert metallurgists of the forum should weigh in, but I know that coins in slabs STILL continue to react, and can change tone/color. That's "bad" enough, in my book, to not crack 'em out. No matter how careful one is in handling coins, IMHO, cracking 'em out of slabs is guaranteeing that they will react even faster than if left alone. Sometimes for the better, but sometimes for the worse. Why risk it, just to have everything in a Dansco? Just seems like taking the value of one's collection and putting it in some sort of added jeopardy. The only slabs I crack are the "fake" slabs, the ones where some dude put an MS label on a VF coin and called it a TPG-graded masterpiece.
At least in a slab, you can access it more easily than popping your Dansco out of a ziploc bag every time you want to actually look at your collection!
-SCS

I think this may be off the original subject and I apologize if it is but.....Now you have me wondering if I should break open an NES slabbed Franklin. It's not difficult because there appear to be access slots on each side to open the slab. Is this normal? It certainly isn't on my PCGS and NGC graded coins. I'm wondering if the slots, also on Amos Premier Slabs, will accelerate toning or allow mildew into the slab.

Breaking open an older slabbed coin should have some worries about the possible leakage into the admospher of gasses from an earier period in our past. That slab could have been sealed in a place where horrible illnesses were present and opening it now could cause a real problem. Sort of like opening an Egyptian Pyramid and being the recipient of an evil curse. Those coins in slabs from the past could be also encapulated with a curse attached.
I presently have no slabbed coins and have purchased some in the past and all were broken open for the coins to be put in my Albums. So far in well over 60 years of coin collecting, no toning, tarnishing, corroding, staining of any of those coins.
Of course my fingers now have Arthritis due to the curses released from opening those.

Also keep in mind that pcgs will no longer slab toned coins so once you break it out then it will never again have a pcgs container! As a real world example a friend of mine tried to sell some great high end coins today at the Alabama Numismatic Society show. They had come out of containers that were graded in conditions from ms 63 to 65 and because they were no longer in their slabs the attempted buyer only graded them at au. Some of those coins were toned thus they will not be able to be graded by pcgs again. Tread carefully here as the decision you make now will impact the coins value in the future and that could cost you a fortune! Sincerely, John Leckrone

Is true. Assistant professor in Chem at a junior college and Electrical Engineer on Nuclear plants. Still all in all, I've never had a coin tone, tarnish, corrode, stain or anything in well over 60 years now. I don't even use any moisture absorbant items. Just place all Albums in Zip Lock Plastic Bags, press out as much air as possible, fold over excess material. Yes it's a pain opening then to add or change a coin but after many, many, many years of proper care, well worth seeing a coin you placed in an Album 50 years ago still looking like it did then.
What is really irritating is when I come accross a fantastic coin for set #1, move coin from #1 to #2, from #2 to #3, and on and on and on, start to wonder who this is for.

That is odd. Hopefully you ment Whitman Albums, not those Folders. Most people have some serious problems with the Folders due to the glues that were used to make them. If in fact you did mean Folders, please check the rear of those coins for possible damage from the glues.