Time For A Reality Check

True, but if you ever want to sell it and it is not in a slab, all those novices who don't know how to grade will not even be interested and you will really shrink your pool of interested buyers.

I have been wanting to express an idea or two on this very topic.
To the best of my memory, ANACS in the US started with authentication. Then it moved to numerical grades in slabs. So far, so good.

Then PCGS came on the scene. To paraphrase: to assist the coin investor who might not be knowledgeable about grading.
OK?

Then NCG, with lofty principals: only old coins, not the moderns! That didn't last for long!

Look at the posts that are made on the CCF.
"I saw this coin for sale at X or on Y. It is in an ABC holder. Is the grade accurate?"

Obviously, slabbing is not the cure all for grading.
And really, has anyone ever bought a slab "Sight Unseen?"

I have bought coins in slabs. And I have bought raw coins.
Each of us makes the decision for ourselves. And I hone my grading skills all of the time. The CCF is most helpful in my endeavor.

I had 20 of my coins slabbed, either for ease of sale or to protect them. Three of the 20 have been sold. Another two are up for sale this month.

In short, slabs are not the answer.
It has, and will continue to be, a debated topic for the foreseeable future.

Well worded post Matthew

I, as an old time collector, prefer a coin that I can hold in my hand. There is something about the "feel" of a $20 gold piece you don't get when it's in a slab. But that seems to apply to the circulated coins I have collected over the years. When you are dealing with high value MS or proof coins I prefer them in a slab for protection. The only coins I am searching for now that I require slabbing are proof Franklin's. I cannot seem to pinpoint the difference from a PR 66 to a PR 67 but since I live in a more rural part of the country I am limited to my purchases to mostly be on line. Then it is good to have a 2nd party grader to help in my decisions.

I have and probably never will buy a slabbed coin.

I don't ever buy a coin or banknote with any intention of ever parting with it again...

In Britain slabs are not popular... I want to know the difference that make many Americans sold on the idea?

From the first it started, I saw it as a racket.

It was.

It got enough followers it has become legit in many peoples' eyes.

Times change as does the niche the slabs now fill. In the States the mindset has (to our ruin) changed from personal responsibility and ability to the over-commercialized-forced-at-us mindset of "You can't do that yourself! You need to pay an expert to do it."

TPGs and other such services, coin related or not, thrive in this environment.

I mean, let's get REAL here. People actually pay good money for a company to affix a sticker (the good ol' green bean) to something someone already paid a "professional" to grade? Now we need the coin to pass through the hands of not one, but two (supposedly) professionals. Where does the lunacy end?

Answer: when we run out of money.

BTW - I foresaw this day coming when the slabbing all started anyway and we used to laugh at needing a TPG and would joke that, "just watch, some day a company will open and people will pay THEM to verify the TPG! Yeah right! Like anyone would ever be dumb enough to spend good money on that!

Well, I found out it was me that was dumb b/c I thought no one could ever make a business by telling people that for a fee their company would verify an "expert" opinion!! Think of the money I could have made!

Although, legitimately I think I would have had trouble sleeping at night.

Now, before I am flamed, I am NOT calling people who like slabs dumb!

You collect what you LIKE and enjoy it! Some people like to collect the different slabs b/c they have different labels. Great! Go for it! Its a hobby and have fun with it. That's what hobbies are for.

If Mr. Peer Pressure does not like what I collect... why should I conform my likes to Mr, Peer Pressure's? They are HIS likes, not mine! For that matter, why should I care if my hobby matches up to Mr. Peer Pressure's ideas anyway? I think Mr. Peer Pressure needs some self-evaluation time

And, BTW, if you believe you need to have another professional check the work of a professional - go for it - its your money. And since there IS a market for it out there - you actually raise the selling price on your slabbed/stickered/coin combo.

If making money is your goal (also helps make the hobby more self-sustaining) - play the game!

I recently sent some coins in to be slabbed. I never thought I'd see the day! But times have changed. My reason for doing so was so that if anything happens to me, my wife and kids, knowing nothing about coins, WILL know the slabbed ones should not just be put back in circulation, but are worth a little something. I found a legit use for slabbing that fits my needs/purposes. Part of that small lot was a 2008 REV of 2007 ASE, and it came back MS70. Now the wife and kids will get a lot more for it than they would have without the slab.

I still think TPG's are just a money-maker. However, I can leverage it to my advantage.

The slabbing (Certification) is not for me...it's for my kids. I'm certain my sons will never achieve the level of knowledge in coins to argue a position of value after my death. At least those slabbed coins give them a concrete position to argue from. I'll leave instructions on how to use the blue and gray sheets. Now, whether they will acquire and use them is another issue.

The only coins I sell are raw, excess and I let the buyer do the grading. Welllllll, except for that one double eagle. Oh, and as to buying from the farmer...those markets are getting more rare every year. The only market economy for coins I find anymore are the shows. I'm ever amazed is how I just manage to make "farmers" mad when I try to negotiate.

Its just the changing of collecting. I definitely understand that those who grew up without them are hesitant to switch to them, I would probably be the same way. But for those of us who have had slabs around for the majority if not all of their collecting thats what most like. Its just like in the old days all that mattered was appearance and coins were cleaned regularly where now people want them uncleaned. Theres also now a bigger threat of fakes now than in the past with how easy technology has made it to pump those out. At least in the old days people would have to put effort into making fakes, now they just have to have the money to buy a machine.




Because someone needs to set the standard. Transactions are much easier with a standard that gets applied to all the coins they see than sitting there arguing all day long over grades. If the slab says 65 its a 65 where if a dealer says that it could be all over the place. Just because they sell something doesn't make them qualified to grade it or even if they are great at grading make them honest graders when they are selling.

Internet sales too have perpetuated the necessity of slabs and that is something that will not change, in fact will probably to continue to grow in time.

Im not saying raw collectors should switch over, but slabs arent going away and should see continued growth with new collectors and the next generation of collectors.

Not to mention its great to be able to handle the coins all you want without having to worry about marking them up