The E-Sylum:  Volume 5, Number 44, November 3, 2002, Article 16

THE FIRST (REAL) COIN SLAB?

  My tongue-in-cheek headline for last week's item about
  1965 U.S. pattern coins encased in lucite prompted this
  note from Gar Travis, ANA Assistant National Club
  Coordinator:

  "The first "sonically" sealed coin slab was in the mid-
  1970s by The South African Gold Coin Exchange
  (Johannesburg) under the direction of then president /
  owner Eli Levine. Eli is a long time ANA member and
  represents the ANA's interests in South Africa as
  Country Ambassador in the ANA Club Representative
  Program. I have one of the first "slabs" locked in one
  of my safes and would take it out and photograph it
  for view...but I haven't been able to find the combination
  for that safe in two years."

  Mark Borchardt reports: "Regarding the "First Slab" ,
  your concept is only about 125 years late.  The late Russ
  Logan wrote an article that appeared in Volume 12, Number
  3 (December 1999) of the John Reich Journal. His article,
  "Slabbing Circa 1840," described a glass pitcher that he and
  his wife Brenda owned, containing an 1834 Capped Bust
  dime blown directly into the pitcher.  A fascinating, well-
  written article.  Brenda still has this glass pitcher, and it is
  really neat."

  [The headline on last week's item was mine, not Saul
  Teichman's - he wasn't attempting to define his item as the
  first slab - it was just my attempt at humor, which doesn't
  always work.  But all's well that ends well - now we have
  some interested references to other early forms of coin
  encasement.  -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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