Submitted by Lee Herron on Mon, 11/24/2014 - 10:04
Forums:
I understand the concept of professionally graded notes and at times mistakes have been made based on some opinions of others on different sites. What are some of your opinions and who has the best track record as far as accuracy, pricing, and re-sale, not that I want to sell any of my notes at this time.Is it really worth the money and time? Thanks and y'all have a Dixie Day!!!
Re: To slab or not to slab? That is my question.
I used to collect 19th Century US stamps. For professional expertise services a document was typically produced with a photograph of the stamp that was expertised and graded. As a result, you could display the stamp alone or with the document. It was your choice.
I don't see why the same thing cannot be done with currency. There is certainly enough variation (not to mention the serial number) to identify the note. Why seal it in plastic where you cannot enjoy the note as it was originally issued? Maybe you'd like to do some scientific studies of the paper or the inks. The plastic will only get in the way.
Moreover, I'm not confident in the conservation qualities of "archival vinyl" and other plastics. The plasticizers can do damage, some more than others. Polyethylene and mylar should be fine, but buffered acid-free paper sleeves might be best for storage.
What I'd like is a real (analog, not digital) photograph sealed with an embossed seal to a high quality acid free paper document. No doubt it's a lot cheaper to "slab" the piece, but is it better?