How Many Collectors Have Their Collections In Original Condition Vs Slabbed

of my ~800 large cents maybe 20 are in slabs. very few of my best coins are in holders. I trust my ability to grade, authenticate and attribute.

i plan to crack all but 2 eventually. I'm going to keep my col green/ eric newman cac slabbed and I'm (probably) going to keep my s-144 cac slabbed. the col green /epn is just a fun coin I bought because of the holder. its a duplicate for the variety set anyway. the s-144 is the only one of that variety that is choice and the only one with a cac sticker. I have more money in the packaging of the 144 than I do the coin itself. I sent that one in because I was thinking about selling it. I have changed my mind and am going to keep it. I may crack it. undecided.

i have some mint state and condition census coins that I dont really feel comfortable handing to strangers without first breaking out the cotton gloves and giving them a lecture on proper handling of coins. its too easy for them to get damaged. slabs offer some nice protection for high grade coins. I see the appeal there. nobody sneezes on your slabbed coin.

i have a fair number of circulated "details" coins. details coins are basically a requirement if you are collecting large cent by variety. getting those types of coins slabbed is like paying someone to tell you your coin is a cull or something.

slabs arent hermetically sealed and they arent environmentally stable. if something starts growing on my copper coin I have to break the holder open. stuff grows on old copper all the time. id rather have better control over the environs than slabs permit.

slabs scratch easily. many coins cant even be seen clearly because the holders are trashed. they negatively impact my ability to photograph and view the coin.

i mostly dont get the appeal of slabs but my understanding is irrelevant. slabbing is a fact of the hobby and a lot of people like it. with my collection I keep instructions for how to get my coins holdered and who to contact to sell them. its the best way for my family to get top dollar out of them in the event that something happens to me.

I do both because I like the way my collection looks in my album.My high end Carson City's are staying slabbed.I was thinking of buying those plastic coin fillers to state they are slabbed but haven't bought them yet.
Another one bites the dust Hey!Hey!Fifteen more to go!




They all can't be MS-63 and Ms-64.I've been searching for a good looking 1897-O for a while.I liked the looks of this AU-55 so I bought it. Many examples have flat breast feathers even in higher grades or they are cleaned .Some even with rim dents to.