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 Replies: 18 / Views: 3,376 |
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Valued Member
United States
156 Posts |
Is there a proper or safe way to do this?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4932 Posts |
Sorta depends on what slab it's in.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7375 Posts |
Wrap it in a towel, stand it on it's side on a hard surface, and give it a rap with a hammer 'til it cracks. There's lot's of info on this.
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New Member
United States
20 Posts |
Chomp down with your K-9's!
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
There is no slab which will resist a Dremel.  Seriously, that's how I do it. I cut all 4 sides of the bottom pane which holds the coin, and am then able to just lift off the upper piece to expose the coin. No chance whatsoever of mucking up the coin, as long as you're good with a Dremel. I use the metal cutting disks, and attention must be paid to avoid melting your work back together after you've passed.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
797 Posts |
I wrap the slab in a towel and put it lengthwise in a vice and slowly turn the handle until I start to hear a nice crack. Usually that does it. Sometimes it takes an extra crank or two on the vise but that seems to work well for me. Once the slab starts to crack I can usually pry it apart and remove the coin without damage.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4932 Posts |
I've never had a reason to break open a slab, however I have a 2004 S L&C nickel that's graded "PR-70" (yeah right) by SGS. It's more so a PF68 or PF69CAM. Those SGS holders are complete and absolute garbage. Towel + mallet + maybe 2-3 hits = done
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Pillar of the Community
United States
836 Posts |
I use SuperDave's method, but in a primitive way. I use a handheld can opener, in place of the dremel.
Edited by brenpickle
04/08/2015 11:15 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2543 Posts |
Tin snips here. Less than $10 at the home improvement store. Cuts the slabs like butter, no coin damage. Done it 20 or 30 times.  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
There is no slab which will resist a Dremel. And you have a tool good for many other things too. |
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Moderator
United States
189120 Posts |
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Valued Member
 United States
156 Posts |
Outstanding. Thank you all for the tips.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6478 Posts |
Lol! I don't have a lot of slabbed coins but the few I do will stay in because they are pcgs and ngc.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7390 Posts |
Even pcgs and ngc slabs get the Marceles Wallace treatment sometimes |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8517 Posts |
Hammer time !
Oregon coin geek.....*** GO BEAVS ! ! ! ***
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1839 Posts |
I recently picked up these at Home Depot for $19.95, and they work very, very well. I find it's a good idea to cover what I'm doing under a towel to prevent small pieces of plastic to fly in a bad direction. They only slabs that take a little muscle are the PCGS ones. They are just plain sturdy.  |
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Replies: 18 / Views: 3,376 |
Posted 04/08/2015 10:21 pm
