Getting Roman Coins Slabbed Question.

I wouldn't buy a slab either; or I would crack it open as soon as I got it...but the people at NGC are very capable and would notice an edge seam.

There aren't really any TPGs in Britain at all; certainly none that are competent or recognized in slabbing ancients.

Of the two American companies, NGC is currently the leader in ancients; PCGS is still ambiguous in it's timetable for ancients grading, so if you've got your heart set on slabbification of ancients, then NGC is the only boat.

The question then becomes, "does being slabbed actually help?", in terms of selling an ancient coin online in Britain. Your small sample size does seem to indicate that yes, it does help, so there's that. On the negative side is of course the time, money, and hassle of shipping the coins off to America and waiting who knows how many months for the slabbed coins to be sent back to you.

I would say that if your time and/or the money is important and significant (i.e. you need the money from the sale for specific and immediate reasons) then slabbing isn't worth the time and initial expense. But if you can afford to wait, then why not? It seems to be the more profitable end-result.

I should note that I personally am saying this while in the "wouldn't buy a slabbed ancient" camp, except perhaps to own one NGC ancients slab just for the sake of the slab, rather than the coin (I own about a dozen slabbed coins, but they really form my "slab collection" and not part of my "coin collection"). If I did buy an ancient coin I really wanted and it happened to be slabbed, I too would probably crack it out; for me, being "in a slab" would actually add a slight negative value, as I would need to go to the trouble of carefully cracking it.

Which really tells me that there are actually two markets for "slabbed ancient coins" and "unslabbed ancient coins", quite distinctly separate with very little overlap; most collectors of ancients will either want them all slabbed (a minority) or none of them slabbed (the majority). So while the slabbed ancient market might be smaller (and mainly US-based), that market is prepared to pay higher prices for the same coins.

A few interesting answers and some facts from Sap that I had not considered.
It seems collectors of Roman, on here anyway, would prefer them to be out of the slabs so that's a big consideration to take on board.
Yes I have researched the prices, obviously that was a must do.
I am now thinking leave the Roman coins free but the other early coins I have I think I might get graded etc., but I don't think I would risk posting to the US with the customs problem I would be facing. Time is thankfully not a problem for me so I don't mind the wait to have coins returned.
Thank you all for the helpful comments, I will let you know what I decide and will post here.
Met.

I totally agree with that statement, I personally like to handle my ancient coins and probably wouldn't buy anything in a slab. The only reason I am considering having some slabbed and graded is purely to maximise profit on the ones I am selling.

A few of the things mentioned by the people here I had not even considered and I am glad I asked for advice.
I have been looking at the cost and am a bit unsure if it would be worth it or not. As well as the subscription fee, you have the fee per coin and also CCG charge extra per coin for a description.

I collect ancients - on and off - and would also never buy a slabbed coin. From speaking to other collectors I know that a good percentage of them like to "touch" history and having them enclosed in plastic really defeats that purpose.

That said I can see a use for having the very high end coins slabbed - 4 figure value coins and upwards is not a pond I swim in, but that might justify the cost. Gold for example is quite soft and slabs - for all their issues - do provide some protection from more wear and tear. Their use also means that the total object is a bit bigger and less likely to be lost behind the sofa etc. ( I speak from experience here unfortunately) .

Ancients are a bit different than milled coins. My overall impression is TPG offers an opinion in how much a coin varies from what the ideal is. Milled coins can be put up against a perfect example and then compared and assessed accordingly to make that coin into a commodity that can be traded "better". That doesn't really work as well with ancients where is there is rarely a perfect example to compare against - and desirability has to account for much more than just condition. My ancients collecting tends towards the Roman Provincial where known examples of a coin might be in the single digits so there's much more of a feel for what a coin might be worth than any formula (grading) that could be ascribed.

Again, a purely personal opinion, is that I like to keep my ancients in cabinets and slabs just don't work with that system.

I'm sure all these arguments pro and against have been voiced many times - and perhaps things have moved on in the past few years - but I think that unless the coins are particularly valuable - slabbing just isn't worth it..

There are many, many unknowledgeable customers who probably need the certainty provided by certification. Look at ebay's new policy that all coins over $500 have to go through authentication at PCGS before going to the customer, even certified coins. At least if you get NGC, ICG or Anacs to certify the coin you probably won't lose any potential customers and may get more money in the transaction.

And it is easy to get that slab out of your way.