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My old holder collection

Category:  Thematic & Topical Coins
Owner:  Coinbuf
Last Modified:  11/23/2024
Set Description
This set is about old coins in old TPG holders, including current operating TPGs as well as some defunct TPGs. A great many of these were purchased directly from other collectors and I wish to thank them for their wonderful caretaking efforts, it is often difficult to find older holders without damage to the holder or holograms.

I consider the old holder to have certain cutoffs for each brand still in operation today. For NGC and PCGS I will use as my slab generation numbering system the research and documents that were put together and put forth by Conder101, and will cross reference the PCGS Museum of Holders generation numbering system for PCGS slabs. For ANACS I will use the reference work done and posted by a PCGS forum member SAAB86.

For our host brand, NGC, I will include generations 1 thru 5, this group is often referred to as the "Fattie" style of holder. It got that nickname because the holder was thicker than the current NGC holder, and the insert core was solid from top to bottom. Starting with the generation 6 holder NGC changed the holder to be slightly thinner and added a molded line in the plastic which separated the area of the core which holds the coin from the label section.

For PCGS my cutoff will be the last generation to use the green label, nicknamed the "OGH" Per Conder101's list that is generation 5, although the PCGS generation of holders lists the last green label as generation 3.

For ANACS I will not include any of the photocert styles at this time as I only have one example of the ten different generations of photocerts ANACS used. I hope to at some time in the future acquire more of the photocerts and will update with those generations when possible. For the hard slabs I will include generations 1 thru 6 which was the last of the small white holders.

Once I have finished with what I call the big three (NGC, PCGS, ANACS) I will include several other off brands and holders used by minor (sometimes called basement slabbers) slabbing companies that did not last very long due to one reason or another. These will be listed alphabetically, and I will include as much information on each as I have. I will also include a few non hard shell type of holders, to include David Hall flips, ANACS photo certificates, and a couple of others. While not technically slabs these are also part of the TPG history.

Unfortunately the NGC registry restricts the visitor to this set to view coins that are in holders from NGC and PCGS only. In order for many of the coins that make up this set to be seen, and in order to see the actual holder itself, I will be setting up each coin in this set as a "want list" item. Many of these coins I do own and will indicate which are actually owned vs just an example in the comments section of each coin. I wish there was a better way to do this but cannot find a better work-around. I will also include as many duplicates that I actually own in my collection of each type of holder generation, there will be many for some of the more common generations and as few as one or none that I actually own for the more difficult generations.

When I started this custom set in 2019 I already had many old holders, but I will list and update new additions by year. Many of the old holders that I began this set with were bought not so much for the holder but for a date/mm sets. Those purchases were largely grouped around the Morgan silver dollar and Lincoln cent series. Also, those holders may have some damage to the holder and/or to the reverse label or hologram as those purchases were more driven by set completion vs the holder itself. As I add new holders to this list going forward I will be more aware and look for holders that are not damaged with full and undamaged labels and holograms.


2020 Registry news and updates:
For 2020 I had only one new addition the 1948 S cent. It's getting harder to find nice copper coins in nice old holders.

2021 Registry news and updates:
The first addition to this set for 2021 is a very nice toned 1923 Peace Dollar in a pristine Hallmark holder.
The second addition for 2021 is a 1936 Walker half dollar in a gen4 NGC holder. Not the most impressive looking example as the coin has a rather thick skin that is somewhat dark and dull.
The third addition for 2021 is a nice 1927 Lincoln in MS64RD housed in a PCGS gen 5 holder.
My fourth and fifth additions are two 1881-S Morgan dollars in David Hall graded flips. I am quite excited to add these two as I have wanted a Hall flip example for some time. As fate would have it a group of these came to market in late December and I was able to acquire these two from a collector's heir.
My sixth and last addition to my old holder collection is a company I had not heard of prior to now. This 1884-O Morgan dollar is from a company called IGA in a photocert style with the coin in a flip, very similar to those used by ANACS in its early days with the split grading. A rather cool addition and I need to do some research on the company to find out more about it. This was bought from the same collector's heir as the two Hall flips.

2022 Registry news and updates:
Starting off the year with a couple of quick new additions to the holder set.
First is a nice 1940-D Mercury dime in a PCGS OGH holder, not a rare holder but I'm a sucker for Mercury dimes and this was an inexpensive purchase.
The second addition is a 1937 Buffalo nickel in an NGC 5th generation fatty holder. Like the first addition the 5th gen is not rare but again an inexpensive buy.
And those two early year additions were the only old holder coins I purchased in 2022.

2023 Registry news and updates:
A slower start to 2023 as the first addition was not until April, at the ANA Phx World Fair of Money I was able to purchase one of my bucket list coins, the 1924 Saint in a tough NGC gen 2.1 holder.
The second addition for 2023 also came in April when I was able to add an 1855 type II gold dollar in a perfect gen 5 PCGS holder.

2024 updates:
I have not purchased very many coins in 2024, a slower than normal year, maybe it will be the new norm.

Set Goals
I love the look of the old PCGS rattler/OGH, NGC fat no-line holders, small ANACS, green label PCI holders, and I really like old photocert holders. Even defunct and hated companies like ACG are included in this set for the history involved. This set is about the old slabs and the history and evolution of the TPG holders.

Slot Name
Origin/Country
Item Description
Full Grade
Owner Comments
Pics
View Coin   United States 10C 1944 D PCGS MS 64 FB Received a gold CAC bean in February 2024
View Coin   United States G$1 1851 PCGS MS 63 Very nice Gen 3.1 holder
View Coin   United States 50C 1946 S PCGS MS 64 PCGS Rattler Gen 1.2
NGC Gen 1 Black insert example United States 10C 1892 This is just a place holder example not a coin that I own. Photo credit to Conder101's NGC generations thread. This is the very first slab used by NGC when they began operation in 1987. Conder101 reports this was used only from Sept 1987 to Nov 1987. These black 1st gen slabs have gotten so incredibly expensive, not to mention difficult to find, that I doubt I will ever be able to afford an example of this generation.

Gold coins look fantastic in this holder, but the biggest complaint I have read that was voiced when this holder came out was that small or dark coins tend to get "lost" in the black core. Due to the general unpopularity of the holder it was not used for very long before NGC switched to the gen 2 with the solid white core. As a result, not many of these holders were produced and many that were eventually were cracked and the coins moved into newer more popular holders. Of note the use of the NGC foil logo on the obverse of the slab. Conder101 writes, "From my understanding, this was thanks to a marketing consultant who insisted that it was of paramount importance to keep your logo in front of the customer at all times and therefor it was more important than the coin information."

In 2013 NGC celebrated its 25th anniversary by introducing a limited edition retro version of the original black slab and followed that with subsequent limited rereleases in 2015 and 2022. All of the new retro versions differ from the original as they use the prong style, non solid black insert. But I have seen a few collectors that were confused and even a few that thought the new retro holders were the original 1987 holders.
NGC Gen 2.0 White label United States $1 1923 This is just a place holder example not a coin that I own. Photo credit to Conder101 NGC generations thread. The key differences between generation 1 and generation 2 holders are; the generation 2 holder took the foil logo that was on the front of the gen 1 holder and moved it to the back. The solid core was changed to white and a white label was used on the front of the slab for the coin information. According to the research done by Conder101, both of the generation 2 holders were only used for a month or two, from the end of November 1987 Thru some portion of December 1987. Given that there is still a decent size extent population of both of the generation 2 holders I tend to think both were used for a bit longer than the timeframe Condor101 gives. There is an informal excel spreadsheet that lists each known example of the generation 2 holders. Clearly that list likely does not have every surviving generation 2 holder on the list, but the last time I looked there were several hundred of each of the generation 2 holders listed.

In his original research Conder believed this to be the first of the generation 2 slab style to be used by NGC, and thus labeled it 2.0. However, it is now believed that this was actually the second of the generation 2 holders. That thought seems very likely to me as this holder uses the same reverse foil logo that is embossed on the outside of the holder vs the inside of the holder as it is on what Conder called gen 2.1. To me, logic would conclude that NGC would not have used the foil logo on the outside of gen1, then the inside of the first gen 2, only to reverse course and put the logo on the outside again on the second gen 2 holder.

However, NGC has (to my knowledge) not published any documentation or has any digital reference (like the PCGS museum of holders) on how or when each holder design change occurred. So the system of numbering is biased on the observations of the collectors and dealers that were actively in the market since (while) NGC has been in operation.

This generation, like the gen 2.1 is very expensive; but I hope that I will be able to find a example that I can afford one day.
View Coin NGC Gen 2.1 White label United States $20 1924 NGC MS 62 The first year's coins were minted in high relief with the date in roman numerals. After striking 11,250 coins in high relief the design was modified and the relief lowered so that production could be done on high speed presses. The date was also changed from roman numerals to standard date numerals. This change in relief and date format were the only changes to the design throughout the years of production.

In the 1940's the US government decided that because it had been decided that the entire production of 1933 Saints were to be melted and not distributed that the handful of coins that were in collector's hands had to be surrendered to the government. This has led to some high-profile court cases in recent years.

A coin from my collection housed in a rare generation 2 NGC holder. The biggest difference between the two gen 2 holders is that for this holder the foil logo is printed inside the plastic shell. The other gen 2 holder has the reverse logo embossed on the outside of the shell, this unfortunately made it very easy for the logo to be damaged from handling and dealer stickers. In his book Conder101 called this slab gen 2.1, however, it was latter reviled that this version of the gen 2 holder likely should have been listed as gen 2.0 and was really the first of the second generation holder style that NGC used. As I wrote in the description for the gen 2.0 holder, Conder101 reports both the gen 2 holders were only used for a month or less in December of 1987. However, given the number of examples that are known to exist I think the timeframe that the gen 2 holders were used by NGC was longer than reported by Conder101.

I purchased this coin at the ANA show that was held in Phoenix AZ in the spring of 2023. A dealer that I was unfamiliar with was setup at the show and had several gen 2.0 and 2.1 NGC slabs. I have wanted an example of both for some time and was really intrigued at the thought of adding one or the other when I saw his case. Most of his other coins were late date WLH's which would have been a bit less than this Saint. But the idea of a large gold coin over the silver half's was more enticing and a deal was struck.

I wish I had been smarter and purchased an example of this style of holder earlier in my collecting journey, it would have saved me a lot of money, lol. Of course, early on I was focused more on completing series and collections and not even thinking about the history of slabs themselves.
NGC Gen 3 Holder United States 1C 1909 INDIAN This is my coin, sadly the gold foil on the reverse was damaged when I bought it. Of course, back in 2013 when I bought this coin, I was not buying it for the holder but rather because I wanted an example of the coin type; the old holder was just a bonus in the case. The generation 3 holder was the first holder to see extended use by NGC. Conder101 reports this holder was used from January 1988 thru late 1989. The major change from the generation 2 holder is to the obverse label. One of the chief complaints about the generation 2 holder was the white label and how it just blended into the white insert. To address this NGC added a light tan/brown border around the obverse label to help it stand out against the stark white core. The reverse foil logo placed on the outside of the plastic shell was kept the same from the generation 2 holder.

I purchased this coin from a Heritage auction; the auction fees sure were more reasonable back then.
NGC Gen 3 Holder United States 1C 1930 D A duplicate from my collection, with a full reverse hologram, however, it does have some sticker residue. I have in my purchase notes that I bought this coin in 1999, unfortunately I either lost or failed to note where I bought it from. Crazy to think that in 1999 MS64 was considered a very high grade, rarely did coins exceed MS65 in those earlier days of the TPG's. Today MS64 is a rather pedestrian "ho-hum" grade to a registry collector, I doubt this coin would upgrade but it is a nice coin.
NGC Gen 3 Holder United States $1 1900 My coin and a pristine holder with a full undamaged reverse hologram. I bought this coin in 2005, at that time I was very interested in completing a full date/mm set of both Morgan dollars and my 09-58 Lincolns. I was already a member of both the NGC and PCGS forums and was able to purchase this from a fellow collector from the PCGS forum. At the time the holder was not even a concern from a standpoint of which generation it was, although, I have always liked the look of these no-line holders from NGC's early days so getting a nice coin in this holder was a nice bonus.
NGC Gen 4 holder United States 1C 1928 Conder101 reports NGC began use of the generation 4 holder towards the end of 1898 and continued in use until perhaps 1995, he did not have an exact timeframe. This holder change came about due to a counterfeiting scare with PCGS slabs, to combat that NGC changed the reverse from the foil logo to a hologram logo. It was believed that the hologram would be far more difficult for any counterfeiters to replicate than the foil logo.

This coin is a part of my date/mm Lincoln cent collection, a coin I purchased from a fellow collector on the PCGS coin forum in 2010. I personally think it would be graded higher if resubmitted today. A very nice holder with a full and intact reverse logo hologram also with CAC green bean approval. The holder still has a dealer or auction house inventory sticker on the reverse, it would be interesting if I could find out who's sticker that is.
NGC Gen 4 Holder United States 10C 1958 This coin is another of my personal collection, unfortunately the reverse hologram has some damage. Bought this from an ebay seller in 2012.
NGC Gen 4 Holder United States 50C 1892 COLUMBIAN Another from my collection, a very pretty coin but the reverse holder hologram is completely trashed. This was purchased from a fellow PCGS forum collector.
NGC Gen 4 Holder United States 50C 1936 Another coin from my collection, and again unfortunately the reverse hologram is incomplete. Purchased from a Heritage auction in 2021, should have skipped this one due to the hologram damage but I wanted it for my 1936 all NGC mint set.
NGC Gen 4 Holder United States 50C 1958 A coin in my personal collection, this holder is in very good condition with only just a very small section of the reverse hologram affected. This was bought from another PCGS forum collector.
NGC Gen 4 Holder United States $1 1885 O One from my collection, this holder is almost perfect, just a very tiny nick taken out of the reverse hologram.
NGC Gen 4 Holder United States $1 1891 S A coin from my collection, this holder has an excellent and complete reverse hologram. While not the most attractive coin I have shown this coin to many dealers, and all agree it is an original coin.
NGC Gen 4 Holder United States $1 1899 O My coin and again sadly the reverse hologram has sustained some damage prior to my ownership.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1911 S Conder101 reports this generation 5 holder was possibly used from 1992 thru 1995, but this is just a guess. The generation 5 holder is the most commonly encountered old "fatty" style of holder. The biggest change between generations 4 and 5 is the addition of a readable barcode to the obverse label. This change was adopted due to, and to combat, continued issues with counterfeiting.

Another coin in my collection, just a very small chip missing from the bottom of the reverse hologram, doesn't affect any of the letters. A tougher early branch mint Lincoln cent that I purchased in late 1999, now wearing a CAC green bean.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1916 My coin with a pristine and perfect reverse hologram.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1929 My coin, unfortunately the reverse hologram is destroyed.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1930 D A coin from my collection with a perfect reverse hologram.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1932 D My collection coin, the reverse hologram is in very good condition with just a couple of minor scuffs.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1936 S My coin with a pristine holder.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1937 S My coin but the reverse hologram is damaged.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1938 D
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1938 S Yet another coin in my collection with a damaged reverse hologram.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1941 S My coin with a beautiful reverse hologram.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1943 S My coin with a complete and perfect reverse hologram.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1947 S Another of my coins with a damaged reverse hologram, it still has an old Teletrade sticker on the hologram that I have left so as not to further damage the hologram.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1948 S My coin and this reverse hologram is perfect.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1951 S My coin, the reverse hologram is intact but has a bit of staining.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 1C 1953 S Yet another holder with a damaged reverse hologram in my collection.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 5C 1937 A coin in my collection with a perfect holder and hologram.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 5C 1943 D My collection coin with a complete reverse hologram.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States 10C 1940 My coin with sadly a completely missing/destroyed reverse hologram.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States $1 1885 O A very pretty coin in my collection and with a perfect reverse hologram.
NGC Gen 5 Holder United States $1 1886 A coin in my collection with a perfectly preserved reverse hologram.
PCGS Gen 1 White Label Rattler Holder United States 50C 1944 D Not my coin. Photo credit to the PCGS museum of holders. This is the very first holder style used by PCGS in the first month of operation in 1986. As this generation was only used for a few weeks to a month in early 1986, it is thought there are less than 25 of these holders still extant today, In the book that Conder101 published he lumped all the rattler style holders under one generation. This is partly because the only difference between the rattler holders is a slight change in the placement of the lettering on the label from gen 1 to gen 1.1, and a change in the label color from gen 1.1 to gen 1.2. It is easy to see how the minor change in placement of lettering could be missed, and being colorblind Conder did not see the label color difference.

This is not my coin, I borrowed the photos from the PCGS museum of holders as I have never seen (in hand) and do not own an example of this holder.
PCGS Gen 1.1 White Label Rattler Holder United States $1 1900 O Not my coin, photo was posted on the PCGS forum, no idea who the owner is. This is listed on the PCGS website as Gen 1.1, Conder101 did not differentiate between the different styles of the early PCGS rattler holder. As a result there is a difference right from the start in how the different holder generations are numbered between the list compiled by Conder101 and the PCGS museum of holders. This particular holder was only used for a few months in 1986, there is no way to know how many of these holders still exist, but through the efforts of some collectors it is believed that less than 200 of these holders still exist.

There are only very slight differences between the first two rattler types. These differences are mostly a change in the dot matrix printing and font style. This style has smaller dots and did not have a serf on the sevens. During my research I have read that the only reason for the two label types was an error on the part of the printer, the first label was incorrect and used until the supplier was able to replace with the correct style.

Both of the first gen PCGS holders, like the NGC 1st gen black, have become so expensive and are out of my price range, so it is unlikely I will ever be able to afford one even if one ever comes to market.
PCGS Gen 1.2 Green Label Rattler Holder United States 1C 1909 S VDB As I noted in the Gen 1 rattler holder comments, in Conder101's book he lumped all the rattler styles into one as generation 1 holders. This was because the labels are almost identical with just a minor difference in placement of the information lines, fonts, and printer styles. And because Conder is colorblind, so he did not notice the change between the white and green label color. For the purposes of completeness, I have broken out the different rattler styles following the order provided by PCGS.

This is the most commonly found of the rattler holder style and can still be found easily today, reportedly used from Feb 1986 thru Sept 1989 by Conder101.

The cornerstone of my Lincoln date/mm set, and one of my all-time favorite coins. I purchased this coin from a local coin shop's bid board, I image that many readers will not even know what a bid board was, lol. For those who do not know, a bid board is a cork board that a dealer would place on a wall of his shop. He would place as many coins as he liked on that board each week, the patrons would stop by and place bids on the coins that they were interested in buying. Essentially an early version of the internet auctions that we have today. At the end of the week the person with the highest bid was the winner.
PCGS Gen 1.2 Green Label Rattler Holder United States 1C 1923 S A coin in my collection, holder is in perfect condition.
PCGS Gen 1.2 Green Label Rattler Holder United States 1C 1930 S My coin, the holder is in great condition but has some sticker residue that needs to be removed.
PCGS Gen 1.2 Green Label Rattler Holder United States 1C 1932 A coin in my collection, wonderful coin and perfect holder.
PCGS Gen 1.2 Green Label Rattler Holder United States 1C 1944 My coin, beautiful holder and a way under graded coin.
PCGS Gen 1.2 Green Label Rattler Holder United States 10C 1936 S My coin, the holder has a few scuffs.
PCGS Gen 1.2 Green Label Rattler Holder United States 10C 1939 My coin, holder is in excellent condition.
PCGS Gen 1.2 Green Label Rattler Holder United States 10C 1940 S My coin, way under graded with a gold CAC bean
PCGS Gen 1.2 Green Label Rattler United States 50C 1926 OREGON TRAIL One of only two commemorative half's in my collection.
PCGS Gen 1.2 Green Label Rattler Holder United States 50C 1936 My coin, holder is perfect.
PCGS Gen 1.2 Green Label Rattler Holder United States $1 1883 My collection coin.
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