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So Are You Buying The Coin Or The Holder?

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 Posted 06/19/2022  5:15 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add captainmandrake1 to your friends list
For certain coins, the holder also represents that a coin is genuine. I know I feel more comfortable buying the slabbed coin if that particular coin is commonly faked.
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 Posted 06/19/2022  6:07 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add livingwater to your friends list
Generally slabbed coins can be trusted. It's wise to buy from well known established dealers to avoid fakes whether buying raw or slabbed coins. There are fake slabs too, fake PCGS, fake NGC, etc. Some have been posted here on CCF.
Edited by livingwater
06/19/2022 6:09 pm
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 Posted 06/19/2022  7:03 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Bump111 to your friends list
It's often all about the registry sets.
"Nummi rari mira sunt, si sumptus ferre potes." - Christophorus filius Scotiae
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 Posted 06/19/2022  7:22 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add hfjacinto to your friends list
I buy the coin, in this case for $9.64 cents (compared to a raw cost of $15). So the slab actually made the coin cheaper.

So-Are-You-Buying-The-Coin-Or-The-Holder?

But I know what you mean, the only reason I did the NGC registry for my 7070 is that they take NGC and PCGS coins and the reason my IHC registry will never get finished is that I have Anacs coin. But I'm not a registry player.
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 Posted 06/19/2022  8:30 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Sap to your friends list
When we say, "Buy the coin not the holder", we don't mean "Ignore the holder it's in when considering its value". It more accurately translates to "Actually look at the coin you're thinking of buying, and see if you find it attractive and appealing and then chose to buy it if you like it on that basis, rather than just rely blindly on what the grade on the slab says the coin should look like".

You should indeed "buy the coin not the holder", but once you choose to by a slabbed coin, you are going to have to "pay extra for that coin to be in that holder". If you really like the coin but don't want, or can't afford, to pay the premium for the slab, that also is your choice; "buy the coin not the holder" means you're making that choice based on what you think of the coin, not on what you think of the slab.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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21788 Posts
 Posted 06/19/2022  8:47 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add sel_69l to your friends list
I never buy the holder.
Most importantly you need to learn for yourself; one of the reasons why there are so many CCF members.
"Education is the key to collector success" Like most things in life, the longer you are at it, the better you get . (experience)

If I have a coin that is doubtful, I take it to a numismatic professional for a better opinion than mine, and
sometimes support that opinion with lab testing.


As a general rule of thumb here in the CCF, it seems to me that to justify grading and return shipping fees, the coin when graded should be more than around $150 in value. Authentication comes your way for a graded coin, because they won't grade anything but genuine coins.

For coins less than say $1,000 they are easier to sell on the open market.
Above $1,000 it would be my inclination to have the slab authenticated as well, and I feel appropriate for coins over that value.
For these reasons I never buy the holder, but
I nevertheless support the grading industry on behalf of those collectors that feel they still have lots to learn.
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19158 Posts
 Posted 06/19/2022  9:00 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add ijn1944 to your friends list
Personally, I don't fuss with the issue. If I like what I see, I get it. If my sole intent was to acquire coins for max sale value later, then I'd go in favor of a PCGS coin. But since that's not my motivation as a collector, I just get what I like--perhaps favoring the coin over the holder. I don't have the 'buy the....' phrase tattooed on my arm (or anywhere else).
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20753 Posts
 Posted 06/19/2022  9:16 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add just carl to your friends list
I do not collect plastic. If I get a coin in a slab I just break it out
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 Posted 06/20/2022  08:17 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add panzaldi to your friends list
he who grades by the holder is a fool
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 Posted 06/20/2022  08:53 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Wrekkdd to your friends list
I have never sent a coin to a TPG and only have 2 ICCS graded coins, a PL66 1964 Canadian quarter (no cam) currently the prize for my current give away and a 1966 PL66 Canadian 50cent piece. I agree with the grade on both coins and wouldn't be surprised if they graded higher through PCGS, I paid 12$ for the quarter and 19 for the half dollar both if which are under trends. Both prices are after shipping.
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 Posted 06/20/2022  09:50 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add newguy22 to your friends list
Then there's world coins and find out that TPG sometimes can't tell the difference between a genuine and a well-made counterfeit b/c of the lack of experience/expertise.

Even if some collectors know that the quality of TPG coins has diminished, there are still many more buyers who just see the plastic and think, "Ok, that's good enough for me."
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 Posted 06/20/2022  10:13 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jbuck to your friends list

Quote:
... but once you choose to by a slabbed coin, you are going to have to "pay extra for that coin to be in that holder".
I agree. I have certainly paid more for the Ikes in my PCGS set than I did for those in the Dansco. Not just because of the higher grades. I wanted a PCGS set, and I knew there was going to be a premium attached to it. That being said, purchase depended on the eye appeal more than the label.
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 Posted 06/20/2022  10:15 am  Show Profile   Check Zurie's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add Zurie to your friends list
A smart, knowledgeable collector will buy the coin and not the holder. But there are many less knowledgeable collectors that rely on the holder to determine grade and value, which puts a premium on TPG-graded coins. You can decide which kind of collector you want to be.
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 Posted 06/20/2022  10:25 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Dearborn to your friends list
I buy the coin, the slab gives me 'peace of mind' about my purchase. as for the slab label - I don't look for all that extra crap on it, don't need no signature or pretty pictures. just the grade and cert number. More times than not, I crack out the coin for placement in my albums anyway (Unless is is a very high dollar coin - then it stays)
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 Posted 06/20/2022  4:07 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jacrispies to your friends list
I have not purchased an individual coin in a slab. There are premiums attached to slabbed coins, so why buy it in a plastic coffin when you can buy it significantly cheaper raw? I know people have their good reasons but I personally avoid it altogether. I do have a couple slabbed coins, but they were purchased in large collections and kept.

I do understand why there is a premium attached to slabs, but sometimes it just gets ridiculous. It is just something that is in the market and needs to be lived with.
Suffering from bust half fever.
Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955
Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves.
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