Collecting Only Slabbed Coins?

First off I own both Slabbed and Raw coins. I never buy the slab even if it is a PCGS slab. I have seen mis grades by them as well as others. It is well noted that many well known dealers have cracked a case and re-submitted a coin a number of times and have been upgraded on the 2nd or third time around. I have done it my self with a varying degree of success with the same TPG. I have also done this and lost a grade or two.

Grading companies seem to run in streaks as far as how tight or loose they all grade at. I would suggest you only place 70% on the grade if it is with one of the major companies, PCGS, NGC, and ANACS.....ANACS has been very tight on Morgans since they when to the yellow slab, I have sent 6 coins for cross-over and 5 have been re-graded (1*) grade higher.

I find collecting a balancing act of truly collecting and investing in coins. I will buy a coin in a G or VG if I need it. Many of the most expensive VAM's that are very rare the top grade is a XF or lower. A normal mint state 1878 P in a 64 grade books at around 200.00 or so. in a Vam-44 in XF this coin will top out around 2,500 or more as the type is very rare in any grade!

Russ

Previously I mentioned at coin shows I see about 50% of all coins slabbed. At a coin show last Sunday I now stand corrected. I'd now say about 70% are in slabs. This slab stuff is getting sick. Like I said, people are getting slabhappy.
A dealer had a 1909S VDB in a 2x2 that had the letters MS-64 hand written on the upper right. I asked how much and how can you prove it's real. He said it was in a NGC slab but since the slab was cracked, he took it out and place it in a 2x2 but if interested, he would give me the slab too. His price, non negotiable, was about $1,000 higher than even the Red Book. His reasoning is it WAS in a slab. So now dealers want more if a coin WAS in a slab?

Register another "NO" vote for slabs. Why pay for the plastic and TPG's blessing? I do own a handful of slabs because they were a part of a collection I purchased, but I do not actively seek out or even look at those at coin shows.

I like both.
The slabs for the protection and the helping hand in the grading aspect.
Loose, just for the enjoyment of holding it in my had and being able to place it in one of my books.
I don't gennerally buy into the "inflated slab" price. A 30.00 coin is stll a 30.00 coin regardless of what it is in. As for the clown dealer saying "it was an NGC cert"...somehow I really don't think so, and I most likely would not buy anything from him...ever.

Most of my collection is raw because I do enjoy piecing together a set, handling the coin, examining it without the interference of plastic, inserting it into an album, and the ease of display in an album.

But I do have many slabbed coins as well. The majority of those are Commems (all of my "classic" commems are raw in a Dansco), and "special" coins. Like the '06-date Gold Buffalo's in MS70, MS69 and PF69 Silver Eagles '86-date (I know, bullion, another conversation in itself!), and such. I also got a good deal way back when on an '07 and '08 Presidential BU FDOI NGC set and have collected those that way since. And a few other odds and ends, like the '09 Lincoln cents.

I like the protection factor of slabs, but it's a more bulky solution, and display is a different challenge. I also began "slabbing" my own, using the Coin World slabs for some coins, mostly single pieces that I do not have an album for. I did start of "General U.S. Coins" Dansco, and got a little tossed about whether I'd prefer some of those coins in the CW slabs instead. I did move some into those slabs, mostly the higher end examples. But it was nice opening that Dansco and seeing a page with a line of small cents with the FE, IH, and various examples of the Lincoln from an '09vdb to a recent proof.

At the end of the day, I like both but for differing purposes. I got on a run of 1854 coins, and I find it nice to have the Half Cent, large cent, Half Dime, dime, quarter, and half dollar all together in slabs. In an album they would be separated. I have a 1916 MS65 FSB Mercury that I find more suitable in a CW slab than in the "General" Dansco. For that hole I just use a nice Bu 40's Merc to go in line with the other dimes.

So, there IS a "method" to my "madness"! But really, do whatever turns you on at any given moment.

Steve

In my opinion, there are way to many counterfeits out there for the rare key date coins. I buy the higher dollar coins slabbed just to help ease my mind.

True, but that also is in effect when buying slabbed coins, so you're probably paying a premium both when you buy and sell slabbed coins, which about evens out when it comes to buying raw. As I mentioned earlier, if you know how to grade and authenticate, then you don't have to be afraid of raw coins. I've made better profits on raw coins than slabbed, since many slabbed coins are overpriced. You can get ripped off just as easily buying slabbed compared to raw.