DICK JOHNSON ON SLABBING HISTORICAL MEDALS

It might be difficult to add any more convincing reasons for not slabbing medals than what Tony Lopez listed in his MCA Advisory article mentioned in last week's E-Sylum. But I would like to add two more reasons -- size and finish.

While medals can be any size, the majority are two inches or more in diameter. Slabs are somewhat limited to 1 1/2-inch, silver dollar size. So-Called Dollars this size COULD be slabbed. But most collectors even of this specialty are sophisticated numismatists who do not appreciate their medals entombed in plastic.

Slabs were invented for several reasons. One was to preserve their surface, to keep human finger oils off the surface where any such chemicals will tone or darken the surface in time. Coins, particularly those of proof surface, should be handled as little as possible, Slabs met this need.

Another reason was to make it easier for non-numismatists -- that is, investors, to acquire rare coins who would not have to care for them other than tossing them in their safe deposit box.

Medals larger than two inches would not fit within standard slab sizes. Thus medals (defined as less the 80mm, about 3 1/16-inch) would require a larger size slab.. And -- heaven forbid -- large medals, medallions, would never fit within this world. Too many people in the field feel, "if it won't fit in a 2x2 envelope, the hell with it!"

This does not offend medal collectors. The person with that thinking would not do well to collect medals, which requires somewhat of a superior intellect to appreciate the history and significance of such numismatic specimens.

As for finish, most historical medals, and certainly all art medals are given a patina finish and afterwards are LACQUERED. They are intended to be touch and handled. Human contact does not affect lacquered medals. There is a tactile thrill indented for such pieces to be handled by humans.

I remember at a Miami numismatic convention someone brought in a blind person on the bourse floor. I gathered up several high relief art medals and handed these to his handler. "Let him feel these," I said. The smile that came over his face was priceless.

Another incident -- I was present in Medallic Art Company's president's office when a plastics salesman wanted to make holders for medals where they could not be touched. He got a lesson in art medals from the president.

So medals of any size are intended to be felt, to be touched, to feel the relief. That's a pleasure the slab collector will never experience.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: SHOULD HISTORICAL MEDALS BE ENCAPSULATED? (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n05a14.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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