Should stamps be slabbed?


The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.


"Slabbing" is encasing something - usually coins - in a clear 
plastic holder that will show any attempts to tamper with the 
ontents. 


Since the quality of the contents doesn't change, it's 
possible to certify the item as genuine and keep it in the 
same condition. That's allowed the trading of better coins on 
the Internet, and prices have shot up, with non-collector 
investors buying into the market.


Stamps, on the other hand, are "expertized:" An agency looks 
at a stamp, and says, yes, it's genuine, or no, it's fake.  
If it's real, it gets a certificate... but the stamp can be 
switched or can deteriorate.


The dominant company in grading and slabbing coins, 
Collectors Universe, recently acquired the third-largest 
stamp expertizing service, and says starting in January, 
it'll authenticate, grade and encapsulate stamps, just as it 
does for coins.


Philatelic reaction so far is not enthusiastic, mostly because 
stamp collectors don't want investors running up prices, as 
they did 20 years ago.

And that's stamp collecting this week. 

I'm Lloyd de Vries, CBS News. 

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