WARNING: Cracking out coins (removing them from sealed third party grading holders) can be dangerous, both to you and/or your coins. Michael Bugeja and Coin Update News take no responsibility whatsoever for any damage to yourself, others, your property, possessions or coins should you attempt to break open a holder to retrieve a coin. This column merely describes how Bugeja cracks out his own coins and the precautions he takes when doing so. Readers in the comment section may describe how they crack open coins from holders, and Bugeja and Coin Update take no responsibility whatsoever if you choose to follow that advice or Bugeja’s replies to comments. If you have never cracked open a holder, we advise you to visit a local dealer or numismatist for guidance or ask him or her to perform the task for you.
If you’re wondering why such a strong disclaimer is posted with this column, you probably have never cracked open a third party coin grading holder before. So many things can go wrong. Shards of plastic can fly across rooms or in your eyes or at another person or pet in the room. A screwdriver used to pry open holders can scrape and ruin a coin. You can pick up a coin the wrong way without wearing white cotton gloves and/or breathe on it, devaluing your possession.
These are but a few outcomes of cracking open a coin from its holder. I’m sure readers will share their bust-out stories in the comment section. To make matters worse, there are myriad ways to do the deed–some more reliable than others.
Many dealers use end-cutting pliers as pictured here with diagonal heads made of nickel chromium steel with comfortable grips to reduce hand fatigue. A person needs to apply lots of pressure to crack open certain holders. NGC holders can be tricky and seemingly unbreakable unless you employ a trick to loosen the seams. PCGS holders seem programmed with a flight pattern aiming at your eyes. ICG and ANACS holders fall in between those two polarities.
Holders from bottom-tier companies often open more easily than those from the top grading firms.
Some numismatists do not use end-cutting pliers because of hand fatigue. I eventually fell into that category and now use a tap hammer and jeweler’s screwdrivers increasing in size to a normal slotted type.
I have busted out dozens of coins using both methods. Before I begin, I make sure that I have a clean flat work space and allow no one in the room without protective goggles. I wear them, too. I also put on my work space a soft fabric cloth and wear white cotton gloves to extract the coin. I have within reach a 2-1/2 by 2-1/2 Polyethylene double pocket coin flips. Because I crack out coins for resubmission to the same or other grading company, I prepare labels in advance with proper numbers for the particular company.
When I used pliers, I also needed a hand towel to put over the holder as I cracked it, reducing the number of flying shards.
No matter the method, I find it convenient to wait until I have at least three holders to bust open before starting the process.
Pliers Method
1. I twist the holder in clockwise, counterclockwise motions, with one hand at the top and the other at the bottom. This loosens seams, especially in those thick NGC slabs.
2. I position the pliers at a top corner of the holder by the label, farthest from the coin.
3. I put the hand towel over the holder and pliers and grip, grip, grip.
4. Usually I have to go through #2 and #3 above three or four times, each one coming closer to the coin, before the seams give way enough for me to pull apart the holder as gently as possible, again under the protective towel. (NOTE: At this point on occasion I also used a jeweler’s slotted screwdriver to help pry open the holder, keeping the blade as far away from the coin as possible.)
5. Once the holder is opened, the coin usually remains in the slab’s washer. I carefully place the coin still in its washer on a space farthest away from the cracked plastic on the cloth. Then I clean every bit of plastic from the work place and save the label for future reference because I plan to resubmit the coin to the same or different grading company.
6. I take a deep breath and then do not breathe near the coin, gently squeezing the lower pocket of the flip until it opens.
7. I place the coin in its washer above the open lower pocket and use a gloved finger to free the coin from its washer, tilting the flip until the coin slides into the lower pocket.
Screwdriver Method
1. To loosen the seams, I twist the holder in clockwise, counterclockwise motions, with one hand at the top and the other at the bottom.
2. I place a tiny jeweler’s screwdriver with a slotted blade on a seam of the holder by the label, farthest from the coin.
3. Using the hammer I gently tap the screwdriver into the seam, being careful to use just enough force break the seam so that the head of the screwdriver pierces the plastic.
4. Keeping the tiniest screwdriver in place, I take the next largest size screwdriver and tap that into place next to the first screwdriver. When the second screwdriver is inserted, I remove the first and keep repeating the process with larger screwdrivers until the seams pull apart.
Then I follow steps 5-7 as outlined above in the Pliers Method.
With the coin in the flip, I adhere the label and go to my next break-out holder, following the same process.
So far using both methods I have not damaged any coin, possession or myself because I put safety above speed in removing coins, preserving their worth.
David W says
July 16, 2010 at 8:09 pmJust wanted to share my experience with the “break-out game” – I had a local dealer help me to crack out 5 modern US Mint coins that were slabbed by PCGS and all graded PR69 (3 x 2009 Platinum Eagles, 1 x 2009 UHR Double Eagle, and 1 x 2008-W Jackson First Spouse proof). My thought was that PCGS was possibly undergrading for any one of a number of reasons.
The results? I submitted these coins to NGC, and 1 Platinum eagle came back PR69, the other two as PR70. The Jackson first Spouse came back as PR70, and the UHR came back as MS69 PL. While I feel my suspicions were confirmed, it is only my opinion. But was I pleased that I broke these out and submitted them to NGC for grading? Absolutely!
Michael Bugeja says
July 16, 2010 at 9:21 pmDavid,
Thanks for sharing your story. I relate. I just sent in seven $5 gold bullion coins to PCGS. The coins were taken from U.S. Mint boxes and sent in for grading. Five came back MS69; one, MS68. But one came back Genuine (damaged or tooled).
It’s my company, but I’m disappointed with all its Genuine designations. I’ll be writing about this in the future. Meanwhile, NGC continues to score points with many readers.
Richard Stinchcomb says
July 17, 2010 at 2:45 amMichael and David,
NGC does seem to score more points from submitters for assigning grades to coins that are inferior for the grade. For example, I purchased an Indian Head Cent graded by PCGS as PR63RB that was overwhelming superior in every grading category (including cameo)than the same date coin offered at the same show graded by NGC as PF66RD. The NGC coin even had the patchy brown spots that would have instantly earned it the RB notation with PCGS, definitely not RD.
The 2009 UHR St. Gaudens gold coins graded as PL by NGC are receiving too much undeserved respect. The large majority of the UHR coins have a mirrored surface. The fact is that only those with the original die finish (void of any die polish) are those that receive the PL designation from NGC. This is more commonly known as discrimination! These original finish coins are incorrectly deemed PL when they are actually FIRST STRIKE! Unfortunately, the grading companies have obliterated any true meaning and collector value related to FIRST STRIKE with their First Strike and Early Release notations that are null and void to the true numismatic collectors who purchase a coin based on the quality and grade of the coin, not a special notation that carries no merit in the way the notation conforms to the true definition of what PL and First Strike coins really are.
-Richard Stinchcomb
Michael Bugeja says
July 17, 2010 at 6:36 amRichard, I so enjoy reading your responses because they are always pertinent and often on point. I’ve found examples of NGC using a details designation that when sent to PCGS earns a grade, and vice versa. But your comments about First Strike/Early Release reflect my views, too. I remain surprised that buyers still put a premium on that designation. Thanks, as always, for sharing your own views with us!
Jessica says
July 18, 2010 at 7:44 pmI’ve use a band saw to cut the outer edge and then a screw driver to pry it open. I don’t normally crack open NGC & PCGS but I’ve had coins sent to both companies and had them come back as different coins so we don’t send coins in for people any more.
As for the not top companies I usually see AU coins slabbed as MS70. Yay not going to be sold in my shop in that slab as a MS70.
Michael Bugeja says
July 19, 2010 at 7:35 amThanks, Jessica, for sharing your views. I see the same AU coins by third-tier companies being sold as high mint state. My next column will address that. As for NGC and PCGS, I’ll keep analyzing and reporting my results. My suspicion is there are too many NGC “details” coins and PCGS “genuine.”
Charles R. Cornelius says
January 22, 2011 at 8:44 pmRE:”coins sent to both companies and had then come back as different coins” by Jessica on 01.18.11. Is she alleging a fraud-ulent switch by 2 of the biggest graders?
Newcomer
Michael Bugeja says
January 22, 2011 at 8:56 pmI can’t speak for Jessica, Charles, but I have never experienced that. It is possible, I suppose, for coins to be switched inadvertently. Common coins like 1880-S Morgans, for instance, may be returned to a dealer submitting for several people, and then one customer gets the other’s coins. I submit several times per month and have been doing so for years, and can’t say NGC, PCGS or ANACS has ever switched coins. That said, sometimes I look at a coin and see mint state and the company sees cleaned!
Edward Kruelski III says
February 25, 2011 at 2:58 pmI have. I submitted a Susan B Anthony near date that was at least a 66 (I was quite surprised when I came across it, I’ve rarely seen any close to it and I’ve seen quite a few) raw to NGC. I thought it could have maybe even made 67 with as well struck and lacking in bag marks or the normal dings that often accompany Suzies. When I got the email saying it was coming back MS 63 I was completely confused. On looking at it when it arrived, the coin in the holder was quite toned (though Suzies will tone if you look at them sideways) and there were major marks on the cheek which absolutely were not on the coin I sent in, plainly apparent without magnification. Whether damage that occurred there or just a completely different coin coming back, unfortunately I hadn’t gotten enough close up images before sending it to them to look for markers present on the one I sent in, so I can’t say for sure.
Most distressingly, when I called NGC and explained that the coin that had come back had obvious marks that weren’t present on the original coin (calmly, I waited to call until I was calmed down as I know being geared up isn’t helpful in these situations) I was told the person I needed to talk to was out of the office and would call me back. After about a week of not hearing back, I called again, was told the same thing, and as of this writing have never heard from them. As a result of that rather startling demonstration of their interest in customer issues, I let my NGC membership lapse when it came up for renewal and moved my business over to PCGS, the only course I had available as I didn’t have enough documentation/images/etc to pursue the matter through other channels.
At this point I avoid adding NGC holdered coins to my collection whenever I can manage it, which is probably an extreme reaction, but I’m a fan of voting with my wallet, and I’d rather not make a purchase of a coin that they got money to grade. I had been trying to put together a grading set or at least partial grading set of near dates, and have representatives of much of it in NGC holders, which I’m considering selling as a set, given the bad feelings about it. I’ve heard the occasional similar story about PCGS (just the wrong coin part, not the total customer service failure part) and understand it’s a risk, hopefully that doesn’t happen to me with them.
Michael Bugeja says
February 25, 2011 at 4:35 pmDear Edward,
Thank you so much for adding to the discussion. You seem like a very experienced hobbyist, and voting with your pocketbook is the best way to address some of these concerns. I might have been more persistent in getting some kind of response.
I know it seems like a conspiracy theory when we believe a new coin was returned from the one that we sent in. But it must happen, given the number of submissions that arise. Perhaps I will deal with this in a new column in the future, concerning what a submitter should do when she or he feels this has happened.
I would recommend taking pictures of submitted coins, but there’s no way for you to prove that is the coin that you sent in. Nonetheless, it does show due diligence.
I have been satisfied with PCGS and do submit on occasion to NGC, although I send to ANACS more often. In my experience, PCGS is a wee more consistent; or perhaps, I just know their grading standards better than the others. They are somewhat different.
In any case, you have enriched the site with your comment. I wish you all the best.
Michael
Edward Kruelski III says
February 26, 2011 at 3:21 pmMichael,
I try to learn from mistakes made, best way to make experience work as positively as possible. Some of those early “experiences” were SGS and NNC slabs, what actually brought me to this page in the first place. FWIW, SGS is nice enough to include tabs on the side that a large screwdriver can get into and open with a solid twist on both sides. The NNC ones, more similar to PCGS holders went pretty easy when I clamped down a pair of channel locks on one of the upper corners, paper/description end of the holder, then used the same flathead to pry the rest of the way. Didn’t use the screwdriver to pry it all the way, just enough that I could finish opening them by hand once my gloves were on. I opened the top ends in all cases to minimize the chance of anything getting into the coin or the coin dropping out, when I opened the slab the bottom half was completely in the palm of one hand, so the coin wouldn’t drop out anywhere other than onto the gloved hand. Now to submit them to PCGS and hope they haven’t been fiddled with, though the surfaces look intact.
As to documentation before sending a coin in, in theory have a solid enough case if you photographed the coin, then put it straight into the box you were shipping in, drawing some unique marker in various places by hand in a few places on the tape when it’s sealed, and videotape the whole thing, though that’s certainly a heck of a lot of work. At the time I had the issue with NGC I hadn’t been set up well enough to be able to photograph the coin before sending it in. I put the experience to work by getting the necessary equipment soon after things happening.
The cracking out went great, thanks to some of the info here. The SGS labels are actually stickers, I can only imagine what sort of chemistry is involved and the effect on the coins in those holders. Fingers crossed, I know there’s no way they’re coming back with the same grades as were on the slabs, hopefully they come back gradable though and I can continue to chalk them up to a less expensive lesson than it could have been. 🙂
Michael Bugeja says
February 26, 2011 at 4:06 pmThank you again, Edward, for your insight, experience and comments. You have enriched the post, and we appreciate it, hoping you will be a regular reader. Kind regards, Michael
Mary Johnson says
October 22, 2011 at 11:05 amThanks for this article. After having gotten details grades from NGC on coins that looked unaltered, I decided that I had to know as much as possible about how to spot a cleaned coin. ( Is there anywhere that I can get a copy of what graders use to make their decisions?) Of the last set of coins I sent to NGC, half came back ungraded due to having been improperly cleaned. Luckily, I learned from my first experience and instructed them not to slab if the coin was judged to have been cleaned. But because of my sensitivity to the issue, I took each of these coins to my lab (I’m a scientist) and examined them under the microscope to look for any change in luster and any pattern to small scratches, BEFORE I sent them in. The Morgans among them had the full cartwheel reflection. I cannot imagine what the grader was looking at; I can only assume that I need to learn more about grading. Or do I? Should I resubmit to PCGS? I’d hate to do this without figuring out if I missed something when examining the coins myself. Thanks.
Michael Bugeja says
October 24, 2011 at 2:30 pmThank you for your comment, Mary. Sometimes I shake my head, too. (I’m a numismatist and a social scientist, and for the life of me, I cannot tell what’s what with certain coins.) Rather than answer you in a comment, let me write a column about this topic. Keep reading Coin Update. I’ll have something posted in a few weeks.
And yes, you should submit to another service if one states that you have a cleaned coin that looks pristine. I often do, and get grades, too.
James Merritt says
December 7, 2011 at 11:05 pmDear Scientist, PCGS has a cleaner sniffer that scientifically analyzes the coins surface for trace evidence of cleaning material. Just search for the coin sniffer, they have a video about it.
Michael Bugeja says
December 8, 2011 at 8:35 amJames: When this article was posted, PCGS was not using the cleaner sniffer. But thank you for the comment, which essentially updates this post.
Jason Abshier says
May 27, 2014 at 5:54 pmI used a dremel tool to grind the plastic corners open on slab then insert screw driver crack it open, I’ve also used a Band saw to cut along the very edge of slab holder, when I was done it came apart really easy….anther trick is a “hot knife” will cut right through seams on slab….. if your experienced in using these tools it will make the job faster, also another fine tool for folks who prefer cracking slabs with screwdriver….. try using a Chisel, set the chisel edge on the seam of slab and tap it with hammer…. my best method is using the dremel tool lightly grind the corner of slab open then insert screwdriver or chisel and lightly tap the slab open….
Cheech says
January 25, 2016 at 8:09 pmWhat do you have to say about buying proof sets on eBay…I just found out you can open them with ease. Now I feel like I’ve been not so bright. Thought they broke if you opened them. How do you feel about mint sets on eBay. Cheech
Michael Bugeja says
January 25, 2016 at 9:50 pmThe key to buying on eBay is to know the seller. Not only the rating, but also his or her knowledge of numismatics. I consign through two eBay sellers. They both won’t accept any tampered mint or proof sets.
James Bucki says
March 21, 2016 at 1:06 pmHere is how I do it: http://coins.about.com/od/Protecting-Preserving-and-Caring-for-Your-Coin-Collection/ss/How-to-Crack-Out-a-Coin-from-a-PCGS-Slab.htm
Michael Bugeja says
March 21, 2016 at 1:10 pmGood article, James. I read it last week. Only issue is the assumption the cuts can be made by the tool. Try cracking our SEGS that way. Glad you described how to do it, though. As always, we don’t recommend anyone try without professional guidance. Also, the cracked out holder should be returned to the holdering company. PCGS and NGC pay 50 cents each.