The process of having a coin certified, graded, and encased in plastic is somewhat derogatorily referred to as "slabbing". This term is applied to the process not only because metal coins are being turned into small plastic bricks but because it makes, at low risk, rare coins available to people not well studied in numismatics. That means anyone could buy a nice, investment quality coin without going to a high priced coin dealer.

    Virtually any authentic coin could be slabbed including not only U.S. and foreign coins but ancients, errors, damaged, modified, and odd shaped coins. ICG slabbed ancient coins now NGC has started slabbing them, NGC even has holders that can accommodate thick ancient coins. ANACS and others will slab errors and give a name to the type of error. Coins with holes and even coins with plugged holes have come back slabbed.

    Cleaned coins are not only slabbed they can be cleaned by the slabbing company before being encased. Odd shaped coins can be held in place by custom cut rings and treasure coins can have a tag that refers to where they were discovered.

    Certification is a much more polite term for the slabbing process. It refers to the verification that the coin is authentic. This is done by people well versed in numismatics and (hopefully) aware of counterfeits on the market. Recently this has become much harder to do with the high quality fakes coming out of China. But coin copies have always been around. Due to their crude manufacture and the desire for mementoes cob coins have commonly been made for tourists. In medieval times ancient coins were made in India as works of art and fake coins made in ancient times are called fourrees.

    Grading is the most contended part of slabbing. It is actually hard to find any two people who agree on the exact grade of a coin and having it encased in plastic does not help. But there are standard grading guides. For coins with a value very sensitive to grade it is best to go with the better slabbing companies and learning about slabbing companies is easier to do than learning all of numismatics.

    Slabbing is relatively new. It started in 1972 by ANACS as part of ANA (American Numismatic Association). In 1986 PCGS, a completely independent company, started slabbing coins. They are now considered the best for American coins. NGC and ICG are also top grading companies but in the end. as staled by many numismatists, "buy the coin not the slab".

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You are probably a numismatist...

And you should belong to the Anchorage Coin Club.

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Door prize: A 2000 year old ancient coin. Won by Loren Lucason.

Membership prize: 1984-S Proof Washington Quarter. Won by Robert Hughes.

    Club president Tim Burke went over details of Anchorage Coin Club's Coin Show scheduled for Saturday / October 15^th (10 am- 6 pm) and Sunday / October 16^th (11 am- 5 pm). We still have a few tables available for $10/table for the weekend.

    On the matter of the funds raised in memory of Roy Brown..... $1565 was raised through donated coins for the Roy Brown Memorial Fund. Briefing by Larry Nakata on status of the fund- Per Ann Brown (Roy's wife)..... club to use the moneys to promote Numismatics in Alaska. Club president Tim Burke accordingly asked membership to consider ideas on how the moneys can be used for this purpose.... and bring them to the attention of the membership in our upcoming meetings.

    Displayed for the membership to view were the raffle prizes for our club's final raffle of the year. There are three prizes with the top prize being a certified 1910-D $10 Indian conservatively graded in MS60 condition by Barry Stuppler, an former ANA President. He received the 2011 ANA Exemplary Service award. This $10 Gold coin is in a sealed holder and has his signature in the tag. It is truly a collector piece. Tickets are $5/each. 5 tickets for $20, 11 tickets for $40. Tickets will be sold at our club's October coin show. Drawing to be held at our club's Christmas Party event on the evening of December 8^th.

    On the matter of our club's December 8^th Christmas party, Larry Nakata confirmed that we have the use of our meeting area at Central Lutheran Church for that event. As in previous years, our club's official December membership meeting date will be our club's Christmas Party event on December 8^th. So....do not show up on the first Wednesday of December (Dec 7^th) for our dub's meeting....nobody will he there.

    The club's Christmas party to be a potluck in which members are asked to bring a side dish, dessert, or salad. Our key event at the Christmas Party will be our club's annual Christmas Coin Auction. We are going to post the Christmas coin lots in our October and November newsletters. So.... if any of our members have coins or numismatic items they would like posted, please drop off that information at Carl's, Roy's Coins, or get with one of the Board members.

Presentation followed by Carl on the subject of "Gold Coinage".

Following Carl's presentation, the Coin Bullet Auction was held with the meeting completed following the coin auction.

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MISNUMICAT JUMBLE

Last: SOPES - Pesos, legal tender coins in Mexico.

    Called to order at 6:30 PM by Club president Tim Burke. Meeting held at the New Cauldron Restaurant at the University Center.

    Following a distribution of correspondence, first agenda item was a review of our club's October 15^th / 16^th Coin Show. General consensus: Pretty good with decent purchases between the dealers and the public. The club did postings in the Anchorage Daily News and on Craigslist.

    Discussion then went to club's final coin show for this year to be held at the University Center on Saturday December 17^th and Sunday December 18^th (the weekend before Christmas). Tables will go for $10/table for the weekend. Usual advertising. Club members can check with Tim or Carl on securing a table.

    Briefing by Treasurer Stan Mead on club's finances to the Board. We're in good shape. Stan to give report to membership at November 2^nd club meeting.

    Planning discussion by Board on club's December 8^th Christmas party. Start time: 6 PM. Potluck event in which the club will provide the main dishes (Turkey and Ham). Also...soda pop, chips, dips, table cloths, utensils. Larry Nakata will do a turkey. Stan Mead and Carl will each do a ham. We will look for a volunteer at our November 2^nd club meeting to do a second turkey for the Christmas party, all other members to bring potluck dishes:

* If name starts with the letters A-H, bring a salad.
* lf name starts with the letters I-P. bring a side dish.
* If name starts with the letters O-Z, bring a dessert.

As there was no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 7:20 PM.....Larry Nakata / Secretary.

Coins Submitted by Bill Fivaz for November 2^nd Coin Auction:

1 1937-D Buffalo Nickel MS65+ (Nice) 39

2 1856 Liberty Seated Dime (Sm dt) MS-60 120

3 1898-O Barber Dime (Scare Dt) EF-45 115

4 1947-S Washington Quarter MS63 No minimum

5 1884-P Morgan $1 VAM-3 Lg. Dots (Top 100) AU55 70

6 1886-P Morgan $1 Crescent Toning MS64+ 65

7 10 c Blanks (T-1 & T-2) UNC No minimum

8 1997-D Roosevelt Dime Double Clip BU No minimum

9 25c Blank Planchet UNC No minimum

10 1916-S Mercury Dime PCGS MS63 (Split Bands) 65

11 1937 Roanoke 50c PCGS MS65 195

12 1952 Proof Set 210

13 1883-CC GSAS1 NGC-MS66(!) 695

14 Hobo Nickel (Fireman) No minimum

15 12-coin Love Token Bracelet (l/2 10c and 10c) Nice! 110

16 Donation: Boy Scouts of America 2010 Medal

Coins Submitted (to date) for December 8^th Christmas Coin Auction:

From Bill Fivaz:

1 1909 VDB Lincoln Cent AU-58 No minimum

2 1874 3 Cent Nickel VF No minimum

3 1930-P Buffalo Nickel MS64 55

4 1835 Bust Dime AU55 (P/L) V-5 (EDS) 195

5 1939-P Mercury Dime MS65 Toned 15

6 1945-P Mercury Dime MS65 Toned (Part Bands - Rare as such) 75

7 1902-O Barber Quarter AU Detail (polished) Net VF 45

8 1939-S Washington Quarter MS-63 75

9 1938-D Walking Liberty 50c Fine 50

10 1941-S Walking Liberty 50c AU58+ 20

11 1884-CC $1 VAM-2 (Double 18) MS63 175

12 1926-S Peace $1 MS62 45

13 1893 Isabella 25c AU55 295

14 1893 Columbian 50c AU (Orig. Toning) 19

15 1923-S Monroe 50c AU 35

16 Venezuela Gold coin (.0460 AGW) BU 65

17 1951 Proof Set 395

18 Donation: 1964 Proof Set

From Tim Burke:

19 1914-D Lincoln Cent PCGS VF25 200

From Loren Lucason:

20 High quality binocular microscope Donation to the Club 25

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

NAME:_____________________________________________________

DUES: Regular; Full membership for those living in Anchorage $25

          Sponsored membership - first year $15

          Senior, Handicap, & Associates outside Anchorage area $10

          Junior; those under the age of 17 $5

          Life membership $250

TICKETS: $5 each or 5 for $20

WINNERS DRAWN AT CHRISTMAS PARTY