PCGS Slab Question - yellow/green ring?

[Catbert]

Here's a Morgan that is coming up for auction soon (not my coin and I'm not interested in buying it). I don't know anything about slab history (hoping Conder101 will see this thread), but can someone tell me when this slab type was produced? I've never seen one with a yellowish green ring. Was this a limited production run?

 

 

Thanks for any help provided!

[Oldtrader3]

It is an elastomeric thermoset resin ring inside of the slab which is used by PCGS to retain the coin from rotating by means a chemically inert plastic (probably Kynar-PVDF or similar). This particular ring appears to have been exposed to some environmental chemical which turned it yellow. I have seen some that were less clear white than others but have never seen a yellow one. Coin does not seem to have been affected?

[physics-fan3.14]

OT3 seems to be right on this one, either chemical or possibly heat exposure. If you bought that coin, I would recommend cracking it out and making sure the surfaces are stable. You never know what might have gotten released in there.

[ElmerFusterpuck]

I had an 1852 large cent in a PCGS holder just like that, with a neon yellow ring. The cent was a 65 BN, but it looked stable. Also figured it had a great shot at an upgrade, so I sent it in and got a 66 BN out of it. That yellow ring did make nervous about longer term storage though.

[TomB]

These are found from time to time and I do not believe they were issued in any color, but rather the inner ring degraded slightly or was exposed to something that caused the color change.

[Catbert]

Just so you know, the coloring is consistent all around the ring - no unevenness. It does have somewhat of a neon appearance. This is what the auctioneer told me since he has seen it in hand.

[Conder101]

Many plastics have UV stabilizers included in their reformulation to prevent discoloration over time. If it is missing and formulation is off you can get those yellowish colors. It is not a "different" slab variety, just a case of a bad batch of insert rings. I've seen some others like that. (I see this kind of thing with vinyl flooring. Miss the UV stabilizer and eventually the entire roll of vinyl yellows. When you file a claim with the manufacturer they then claim the problem is the adhesive you are using and it isn't their problem. They are then very unhappy when you show them the rest of the yellowed roll.)

 

NGC had a similar problem with the NGC 5 variety slabs. They got in a bad batch of inserts which over time have changed from white to a distinct yellow cream color.

[Walkerfan]

Many plastics have UV stabilizers included in their reformulation to prevent discoloration over time. If it is missing and formulation is off you can get those yellowish colors. It is not a "different" slab variety, just a case of a bad batch of insert rings. I've seen some others like that. (I see this kind of thing with vinyl flooring. Miss the UV stabilizer and eventually the entire roll of vinyl yellows. When you file a claim with the manufacturer they then claim the problem is the adhesive you are using and it isn't their problem. They are then very unhappy when you show them the rest of the yellowed roll.)

 

NGC had a similar problem with the NGC 5 variety slabs. They got in a bad batch of inserts which over time have changed from white to a distinct yellow cream color.

 

So what you're saying is not chemical exposure but just lack of UV stabilizer in plastic, so no need to worry??

[Conder101]

It may be alack of UV stabilizer or some similar chemical but what ever it was I don't see it as a problem. That ring is yellower than most I have seen and it may continue deepening in color but it does not appear to have any effect on the coin and that slab style ended sixteen years ago so it is at least that old. At worst you might want to look at it from time to time to make sure no change is occurring but I seriously doubt it will be a problem.

[Walkerfan]

Thanks, Condor! That Morgan sure looks fine to me! Doesn't look as though it has been contaminated in any way.