I would like to give my opinion as a brand new collector - hope you all don't mind.
I've decided to start collecting pennies - wheats through current (I'll eventually move backwards to
IHC). I really enjoy opening my Dansco and seeing the open spots that need to be filled. I've bought some bulk coins and I also really enjoy trying to pick the better of the two coins to put back into the Dansco. I know for a fact that I own some MS coins, but are they MS62 or MS64? I don't know and honestly I'm trying to learn.
I do feel like I can't limit myself to collecting pennies and I have an interest in collecting some Key Date coins in other sets. I don't really care to collect the entire set though. This is where the grading company's, in my opinion, really come into play. As a beginner, if I can't really distinguish the MS grades in the coins that I'm collecting, there's no way I'm going to be able to grade something I have only seen a few times.
I enjoy collecting pennies, but I do feel that when I'm investing money into something to resell later I will buy slabbed coins. My reason is because I feel like it will be easier to sell the coin on the internet. And if you have a TPC slab, then more people are going to be comfortable buying that coin vs a raw one. I know I would.
Thanks for listening