Eye Appeal / Detracting Features And Impact To Grading

I truly believe that this slabbed BS is getting out of hand in AUS.
Whack it in a slab and it is worth 4-10X, Absolute rubbish.
How on earth are you going to grade and authenticate a coin entombed in plastic
if you cannot get a weight,measurement and your Lupe on a coin ( without looking through plastic) how on earth can you grade it effectively.
I know that a heap of people send their coins to PCGS and what ever other acronym the other grading companies use to verify that their coin is genuine and get a grade on it.
Most of these people are investors not collectors and just want the assurance that their coin is Kosher.
That still doesn't justify the huge mark up on a coin just because it is entombed in plastic.
If you are relying on a third party grading company to make an investment in coins you will pay dearly for that service.
The best ammunition for collecting/investing is knowledge.
I know this may take time and effort but it is well worth the effort.
Besides all you have to do is ask on this site and there will be a plethora of information given to you for FREE.
So bugger the sobbed coins get em raw and just ask

Enworb , I hope grandmother enworb , knows not to clean the coin before giving it to you, many a nanna has broken out the can of silvo when finding the old coin stash.They live and love to clean .Anyway it will be a special coin for you choice/unc or not, " nanna's coin "

good onya Enworb I hope it turns out to be proof one you never know .Now that would be a special nanna's coin

Love it or hate it, it's here to stay.




Most slabbed coins are not worth 4-10x CV, not even close. You're picking out isolated examples. A lot are worth less than CV. Reputable TPG graded Australian coins have resulted in a more accurate pricing for coins as opposed to the rubbish that is in Maccas. And this isn't just a price increase, it's a price drop in a lot of cases. An example I always trot out is the 1947 3d, ridiculously over valued in Maccas and PCGS graded examples don't fetch anything near CV except in very top grades. Why? because getting them graded by PCGS has shown how common they are. You'll still see them raw in crappy old 2x2's in dealers books with full CV on them.

Another good (and relevant) example of this is parliament florins in PCGS MS64. Macca's CV is 550 in choice. Actual selling price is around $300. What do you see "choice unc" raw coins for in dealers books? $500 of course.




Grading coins in slabs isn't hard. It's harder through textured PVC holders (Edlins I'm looking at you) and PVC damaged 2x2's, Which is what you'll find in a lot of dealers books.




No different to a coin being in any other type of holder.




I am not an investor. I buy my coins raw and get them graded myself. And as I've said above a lot of coins don't have a huge markup.




Yes and knowledge can be used to leverage TPG's to work for you. Finding ultra gems raw and getting them graded has a huge potential upside. Learn how the TPG's grade and you can profit from it and this is fact. There are people that will pay and pay big for a coin in the highest known grades. This is no different to the way the coin market has ALWAYS been. Don't believe me? Take a look at the next Noble's auction and see how many "finest known" raw coins they describe.

There's no point taking an opposing view for the sake of it and throwing the baby out with the bath water. Take the time to learn the system and you can do well.

Yep each to their own trout, I like my slabs and raw coins.

I am not a dealer and very rarely sell my coins, so I have no real barrow to push for anyone.

The main reason I got into slabs is I collect predecimal proofs, aFDC and FDC just doesn't cut it for me so I was happy go to Sheldon system ideal for proofs .

Now I am happy to send my better florins.Mainly because of the protection the slab gives the coins , to many cups of tea have been spilt , and to test my grading eye lol .yep some wins and some losses .

I just wish all the negativity towards slabs would get redirected at the sellers/dealers who clean and dip coins and the auction houses that don't describe this crime on the listings , it will benefit us all in the long run.


To any collector new or old it is a must to learn all grading systems, and don't try and marry them together it will just confuse you more lol.

Knowledge is king in coin collecting

Sounds great Enworb.. Pics when you can :)

From what I can tell looking at heaps of these on ebay, the steps are some times lacking even in the best examples and I may not represent wear (my opinion)

I think the high points are the Mace Ends and the shell, and around the top of George V's ear and his moustache.

I am not able to get pictures of it. We went out to lunch and I saw it there. Pop didnt want to let go of it yet. A childhood friend of his gave it to him before he died so it means something to him. He said when he goes its mine but until then he's keeping it.

DON'T