VAMs And Pricing?

I'm still not convinced that a TPG company can grade consistantly any better than any of us. I know a lot of the folks on this forum sell and buy on ebay and apparently this is what a lot the public wants. I prefer to go to shows and buy only raw with the exception of a few slabbed I've bought for reference purposes. I do spend enough time at these shows to observe sales to the public and the slabed coins do not sell as well as raw around here also they are more expensive....I still say learn to grade yourself if you're in this hobby for the long haul.

I guess I was saying the slabbed sell for a premium and myself and others won't pay the slabbed prices.....Just a short story here.....I had the privilege and opportunity to view a very spendy and extensive collection of 1880's gold coins, and also early American copper and silver, also a wide variety of Ancient coins. All were owned by a real serious collector up here. The value I estimated at around a Million or more, I asked him the value, but he just smiled. NOT one of these coins was slabbed...!!

Personally I think they become so expensive to even have a TPG touch let alone attribute t hem, If you cant' get the coin for cheap then your spending far more than the coins worth.... paying For example, most COMMON year Morgans in MS63 are valued some where between $30/35 dollars in the holder...If I was to submit my self and pay insurance and registered ect mail.Both ways ...If you give me the coin I still will pay more to get into plastic than its worth....... It only server the TPG's at our expense....As for grading......When have the ever agreed? when has there own system ever been consistent?Do you buy the old Green ones or new yellow ones? tommaorow will it be PINK? will the grading have changed then, surely the prices for submissions and attributions won't, and will they be correct?
KNOW GRADING and buy the coin not the holder unless its a fair price and in the holder, rather than submitting $$$ it for plastic..
Get to know the vams and follow the sales of the ones you want, rather than someone's lists. they are still retail lists, NOT WHAT another VAM dealer will pay between dealer, its no different than the grey sheet...

OK...here's what I'm getting at...A lot of times on this forum, very knowledgeable and vocal participants suggest quite often having your coins slabbed for value or for you own peace of mind as to the Grade of a coin or to verify a certain characteristic/VAM.(I'm not referring to counterfeit in this post as this isn't what I'm getting at) I find this odd to ask a business that is in business for their opinion on a coins grade, or VAM attribution, when if you consider coin collecting to be your hobby you should be able to do this yourself. Plus it's in a PLASTIC holder and you can really take it out and look at it. It's would be just like putting a painting, classic car, antique, jewelry, etc. in a hard PLASTIC box.

To each their own I guess...I'll date myself now....Back in the day, we took our lumps in regards to collecting...we wised up quick!! ...Cheers Aladin, your input is invaluable.

An old friend once told me, if you can play the point spread(grading system) there is a lot of money to be had.. the "OLD" buy low sell high thing, many coins don't have such a premium between grades but some do,,,,and to the extent....that hundreds of dollars can be gained by a mere grade point.....many coins the difference between MS65 to MS65 will be a hundred dollars or more, 1878-P MS 64 to MS65 triples in value...Why would dealers in general,
(and I'm not calling them thieves) want to grade on the conservative side when buying.....?. To protect there initial investment and have room for profit....So it is also with the TPG's today....the grading has tightened up so drastically one must have a not a MS64 coin to receive an MS64 grade, one must have an ABOVE average 64 coin to get the basic MS64 grade.....a half point higher coin, MS65 must be practically MS66 to receive an MS65 grade today......but thats not whats in the holders from all these years......that we are suppose to accept as there stated grade....so where is the fairness in all of this....... Are we afraid with the economy, that those horders will suddenly flood the market with all of these coins that have been hidden for a hundred years and suddenly to many high grade coins are in the market place and devalue TPG numbers? after all its just business trying to protect(the money) how many of high grade coins are in the market place and the guaranteed values they promote....

Yeah, for the average Joe Blow collector, it is sort of a scarey thing sending your coin off and knowing that you will either receive an excessively conservative grade, or just as likely the dreaded "CLEANED" assignment on the label.