How To Remove A Stamp From Stupid PSE Slab

Can anyone provide instructions for the SAFE un-slabbing of a stamp?

I've added a couple certed but slabbed fancy cancels and would very much prefer them not slabbed. I hated it when this migrated to comic books, and doing this to stamps literally makes me sick.

I have never tried it but I have taken some coins out of slabs, if its the same you gonna wish you had never bought them.

KGB - OK... what did you put into the search engine? I did so before I opened this thread because nothing useful came up.

kollectorkurt....
The slabs can be opened from the top/bottom by
prying a flat object between the 2 pieces.
Do you value the slab grade???
If opened by you....it will void all opinions
on the item.
You can always return to PSE for a paper cert....
a fee applies.

My question to you.....if you think they are "stupid"
why did you purchase it???

Hammer ?

Don't waste money on PSE or PSAG. Just get a real certificate from the APS or the Philatelic Foundation (assuming you have a US stamp).

Climber Steve, my opinion differs greatly from yours about certificates. For U.S. stamps, I consider PSE, PSAG, APS, and PF certificates to all be "real". The Scott U.S. Specialized catalog lists these four as the primary expertising authorities for U.S. stamps.

kevin - Thank you for a very good question.
I think slabbing a stamp is stupid!!
Some like them. Fine with me. Just not fine for me.

I bought them because I was able to add a couple rare 1860s fancy cancels to my collection for about 15% of current market value. I am very appreciative for all the information everyone has presented here. I have a good idea on how I want to proceed with them moving forward. Thanks folks!

Rhett - I agree with Climber Steve, in that APS and PF are my "go to" for certs. I have no experience with PSAG. I think there is something behind the polarization PSE seems to generate, and my personal experience puts me on the "avoid them" side of the fence.

kollectorkurt....please post a picture of the fancy cancels you purchased.

If you want a certificate that has market acceptance, PF is the only certificate to get.

If you want assurance that what you have is genuine, track down the leading expert(s) in the area and ask their opinion(s). As a professional, I prefer the opinion of a single person who knows what they are doing and whose opinion I respect. This rather than receiving an opinion that is a consensus gained by pooling the ignorance of people I either do not know at all (often because undisclosed), or worse, do know but have no respect for their opinion in the the specific area.

Here is the one currently in-hand (couple more still in transit).



This is a good example with which to elaborate on my "stupid" statement.

• Unlike a properly encapsulated coin (happy now? ), the stamp is not securely in place within the slab. Paper being softer than plastic, the stamp is subject to damage from the process meant to protect it!
• Unable to examine the grill, which is clearer to the eye and difficult to scan/photograph due to the slab itself. In this case, the grill is too narrow to support the 85c pencil notation.
• Unless removed, one cannot obtain a cert from any other source. One is locked-in with PSE's opinion (pun intended).
• PSE's too-often-wrong grading system.
• Unexhibitable while slabbed - so I'm told anyway.

Will the stamp really shift around in the capsule? That makes the whole idea absurd to me.

"Can anyone provide instructions for the SAFE un-slabbing of a stamp"

I would use a band saw, cutting laterally across the top of the space that holds the stamp.

Stamp should then shake right out.

Set slab on edge (long side) on hard surface (like concrete floor), cover with washcloth or similar, hit with strong strike of hammer on the long edge. It should crack cleanly (I have done this on many coins and a couple stamps).

By the way - it is a genuine masonic cancel of Philadelphia (Philada pmk) but an incomplete strike of the cancel portion or from a very worn devivce.

For the record, PSE declined to offer a grade on the stamp used as my avatar. When pressed for more information, I was told that "due to its obvious fault" it would "under perform" if subjected their grading system.