What Coins When Slab Fetch A Better Premium.

So called basement slabbers do it in order to overgrade their coins and fool the inexperienced collector...
Hence: buy the coin, not the slab.

The top tier slabs will, I assume always, bring a higher price than the raw coin.

but interesting question, looking forward to more input in the topic...

Many times I wonder just the opposite. Why some coins are even slabbed at all? I sold a couple on ebay not long ago that I had picked up in a lot of coins I purchased. Why spend $40+ on PCGS slabbing a damaged AG capped bust dime? I sold the coin for $10.00 and it cost me a few bucks in fees, so basically I'm just dumping it, as it won't fit in with anything I collect. Someone lost $ slabbing that piece. I was happy to get rid of it for the $10.00 actually.



Some will slab to make money, if a coin upgrades one point, one can turn thousands of dollars of profit. Just look at the PCGS price guide on Morgans to see what I mean;
http://www.pcgs.com/Prices/PriceGui...organ+Dollar

Check out some of the huge jumps from a MS63 to MS64 or to MS65!

Even from lower grades huge jumps can be had on coins like the 1901-P
XF40-$120
AU55-$650
MS62-$6500
MS63-$14,500
MS64-$45,000
MS65-$450,000

There is still a lot of room to make money on that coin in the in-between grades, or by getting a high end example of say a borderline MS62+ and getting it into a MS63 slab. Enough to make it worth paying for the gamble many times over.

The game used to be called the "crackout" I played for a little while, did okay. Some guys I know made literly millions over a few years doing this in the early years of PCGS and NGC. Today, the TPGs have tightened up the standards and the market has been picked over so much, it's not as profitable to play anymore. But sometimes a great old collection of unslabbed coins or early slabbed coins comes out to play. Then it's game on. Those that did extremely well playing the crackout game, were either big time wholesalers of coins or ex-graders at either PCGS or NGC for the most part. Mostly this occured form 1986 through 1990, though it still goes on today just not on as large of scale as back then.




Not nesesarily. But the slabbed coin does have the advantage of being authentic and guaranted as such, and at the market price set by PCGS or NGC standards. Meaning if a coin is deemed by the TPG to have been overgraded they will buy it back at their discretion and at the fair market price they come up with. One friend made enough to buy a new car by just buying up overgraded coins at a discount then letting PCGS take them off his hands for a tidy profit. The TPGs don't want overgraded coins in the market in their holders, it's not good for business. Their standards have changed over the years, for the better most of the time. Though I don't really agree with the modern coin series getting so many MS70 handed out. (That's a whole other discussion)

MY buddy Rick Snow sums it up really well in this article, give it a read if you can - I think it's worth your time, and gain some new insight to grading from a dealers point of view.
http://www.indiancent.com/content/10-thoughts

Really choice higher grade generally, or RARE you pick the type. Then you need a buyer.

Today people are just slab happy. I've seeh coins at coin shows in slabs thar are worth $1. Makes no CENTS. Yet people do it all the time. I've heard so many dealers say "Of course it costs a lot, it's in a PCGS slab"

I'd chime in that, one can study varieties of coins within a series and can cherry-pick the more desirable ones; many of which are certainly worth the cost of slabbing, regardless of grade. Lower grade NC, so-called Non-Collectible, large cents are one example. Others, like the 1854 Huge "O" quarter or the 1861-O "Confederate die" half dollars tend to be worth the freight, so to speak.

Uncs aside, there are many coins in mid-grades that take big jumps in value from VG to Fine and Fine to VF. Take a look at the Buffalo nickel prices. Those S-mint coins from 1921, 1924 and 1926 are worth slabbing IF they net a VF or better grade.

From my experience, error coins are always worth more slabbed than not. It's really hard to see some errors, like double dies and re-punches and sellers on ebay are notorious for miscalling errors. So if you sell a DDO on ebay without having it slabbed, a lot of buyers think you probably don't know what you're talking about and don't bother to bid.

The slabbing thing has not reached the UK or Europe to any extent so to us it seems like a waste of money (though that may be because I know few who collect modern coins where "perfection" can be measured) but I understand that some see it as part of the hobby.

You might be interested in this thread - mostly about Canadian coins

https://goccf.com/t/155404

it highlights the danger of assuming a slab will guarantee authenticity, when it seems there are 1,000's of fake slabs (with fake coins) pulled from the market every year.

It pays to be careful with everything you buy - assume nothing, particularly if spending big money

I think it's very important that those new to the hobby buy certified coins from PCGS and NGC. Of course you should "buy the book before the coin" (thanks westcoin) and learn to buy the coin not the holder...it takes much time but it's all so enjoyable.