Research Project – NGC Circulated Liberty Nickel sample slabs

[bstrauss3]

I am working on a population analysis of a specific NGC sample slab

 

(all comments about my insanity, about who cares about sample slabs, etc. are auto-routed to /dev/null).

 

(comments such as I need to get a hobby? This IS my hobby. I'm a numismatist, not just a collector, and this is my current interest - the history of slabs and specifically this one peculiar slab)

 

 

 

Do you own an NGC Liberty Nickel sample slab? If so, I would like to know

 

• Do you still have it?
  
• Serial number
  
• Coin’s date
  
• Color of label (green or brown)
  

and if you are willing to share (and if you know),

• When you bought it
  
• Where
  
• From whom
  
• For how much
  

A photo would be much appreciated…

 

In his 2015 (now out of print, yay!) Sample Slab Book, David Schwager described this as:

NGC

Catalog Number: NGC-005-4-1

Object: Liberty nickel Date: 1899, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1911

Grade: SAMPLE FA 00 NGC

Serial: 199998-0_ _

Label: Green label with bar code. CIRC 5C

Notes: We sample collectors know that we like to see older coins in sample slabs, even though the graders usually prefer to use shiny modern coins to show off their holders. Every now and then, however, we are fortunate enough to see a classic US coin in a sample slab. These can also make some of the best cherrypicking opportunities, as this holder might sell for the value of the $2 coin instead of its value as a sample. Although uncommon, they appear every few months on eBay and a collector who wants a Liberty nickel sample can get one. The highest serial number I have seen is 016. I categorized this one as label 4 (brown with bar code), but the label is clearly green. Mine is not a greenish grey or greenish brown, but a light mint green. It appears to be a throwback to the type 1 and 2 green labels but with the bar code from a type 4. In contrast, the NGC Liberty nickel pictured on sampleslabs.com has a grey-brown label. I am not clear enough on the colors of past sales to classify the green and brown labels as separate types with confidence.

Value: 70

 

 

[LNCS]

There have been a ton of these on ebay recently (from only 2 sellers If I recall)

 

I do have one at home and will get the details later when I get home.

[LNCS]

My example is a 1907 with cert number 199998-014. I have had it for a few years, so do not remember those details.

 

There is a 1908 199998-011 on Ebay right now, as well as a 1909 199998-014 and 1912 199998-024.

[bstrauss3]

My example is a 1907 with cert number 199998-014. I have had it for a few years, so do not remember those details.

 

Assuming it's brown (grey-brown) label.

 

That's a duplicate (same year & cert#) of a piece sold in January of this year, but since you've had it "a few years", it's not a resale, but another occurrence.

 

In fact, that's the 6th 199998-014 and so that increases the number of sets (at least as far as -014) to SIX.

 

 

Thanks!

[illini420]

Sort of odd that they use different serial numbers... but then some of them pop up with the same serial number.

[bstrauss3]

Actually, you see tons of NGC samples of that vintage where the invoice numbers were reused for completely different coins. Just page through David's book (shameless plug).

 

For example, also using 199998

 

NGC-010-3-4

NGC-010-3-6

NGC-050-3-3

 

199999 is much more common, probably a dozen reuses.

 

[mumu]

Hasn't it been determined that there is no difference between green and brown labels other than the ink changing over time in some cases turning the brown to green?

[bstrauss3]

To the best of my knowledge it has not been determined, only suspected. At the time Coder did his book, the color differences were not noted because he is color blind.

 

To 'prove' it, I would like to see two coins from the same (non-sample) invoice, one now brown and one now green.

[Conder101]

The colors of the first generation OGH PCGS (PCGS 4) has been shown to be the ink fading and changing color. As far as I know no one has shown it with the NGC borders. Of course I wouldn't know, as was pointed out I can't tell them apart.