ATB 5ozers Grading Question

Welcome to the crap game TPG. Ladies and gentleman, lay down $40 and we spin the wheel, if it stops on 69, you win $200. Anything lower, and you lose the $40.

Do you realize the average PCGS slobbed coin is worth roughly $1000? Anyone paying to slob a $100 coin is doing it in the hopes of an unjustified high grade. Authentication is useful, but you wouldn't pay $40,000 a year to insure a $100,000 home, would you? Would you pay $40,000 for a good chance to get a guaranteed appraisal of a million dollars for the same home? You betcha!

It's the adult version of being able to fill a garbage bag with brand new baseball cards at any card show, because kids buy packs on the gamble of getting a $100 special card, and they literally throw the rest of them away.

Keep in mind that it could take MONTHS to get the coins graded. You know what the market is today, but what will it be in June? Not to mention that you can turn them now and buy more, lather rinse repeat, or buy silver with today's profits, all while waiting for a TPG to get your coins back to you.

I think its useful to send out any raw classic coin purchased on ebay exceeding vf grade and of more than $200 value to be certified simply for the counterfiet detection scenario. If your going purely for authentication, id recommend ANACS or perhaps ICG as they're the cheapest reliable services on the market. The number of raw fakes on the market is alarming, and certification can save you money in the long run by catching the fakes sooner than later.

As for grading bullion I agree that it is pointless to send out coins for grading unless you cherry pick them yourself, bulk submissions will generally be unprofitable.