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[Midas]

But what about when you're buying a coin that is already slabbed ? Does it make sense to pay more for a coin in a PCGS slab when the very same coin in the NGC or ANACS slab, which is every bit of equal quality to the coin in the PCGS slab, cost less ?

I have bought and currently own slabbed coins from all of the top TPG's (PCGS, NGC, ANACS, ICG) both sight-unseen (i.e., eBay, Teletrade, Heritiage) as well as those lower tiered slabs (PCI, SEGS) "seen-in-hand" at various coin shows. Actually, some of them (PCI, SEGS) have made great "crack-out" candidates. So...when I am buying, I am equal opportunity all of the way. Lately over the last couple of years, I have been saving my dollars budgeted for the major shows like F.U.N. and others. I have been concentrating on quality purchases over quantity purchases. With that in mind, I have taken advantage of SEEING the coin before I made the purchase. Even if the coin is raw, I had the luxury of taking that raw coin over to the TPG's tables where they have given me on-site grading opinions. I can't tell you the number of times I have taken a raw coin over to the likes of ANACS or ICG where they have made comments like, "nice whiz job...here let me show you" or "old dip that is retoning" or on the good side..."a strong 63". You should have seen some of the dealer's expressions when I came back (to return the coin) and told them what these guys said!

Bottom line...it saved my butt and I would encourage all to take raw coins over to the TPG's at these shows (the big ones) so that you have a second opinion on your purchase/investment.

I know you know better than this Midas, but that sounds an awful lot like buying the slab instead of buying the coin.

Only if I am buying "sight-unseen", which I have significantly curtailed over the last couple of years. A coin slabbed by the likes of the top TPG's as a 1914-D EF40 1c carries a lot more weight that an eBay seller who sells it "raw" as an AU55BN. Actually, I would encourage all here to NEVER buy a key date coin RAW unless your grading and authentication skills are up to snuff. From the 4/24/06 Coin World article on Slabs: ..."It (slabs) has changed the business for the better. People are protected somewhat from the vultures. Today, if a better date coin is out there raw, it's a trap. There is something wrong with that coin."

And what happens if those folks go ahead and buy the coin in the PCGS slab that cost more, and in a few years from now the price variance between coins slabbed by PCGS and NGC/ANACS disappears ? The variance has been dropping steadily for some years now and show no signs of slowing down. How much money will they lose then?

I closely watch the actual prices realized from all of the major online services and with an exception here of there, there is no question that PCGS realizes much higher prices than NGC which realize more than ANACS which realize more than ICG. This is NOT a spike in market indicators, but as I stated...if I submit, I will submit to the service that realizes the highest prices and is recognized by the numismatic community for their product and service. I started this thread because I wanted to determine why PCGS coins sell for more than NGC coins. Through my research, I found that coins graded by NGC in the high MS/PR grades appeared with higher frequency and percentages than PCGS coins (per POP reports). I felt this in ONE of the reasons that contributed to higher prices relaized by PCGS coins over NGC. When NGC awards 5, 10, 15, 20 times MORE 70 grades per total submissions than PCGS, the market has spoken. It is not my fault, it is the numismatic community who has deemed it as so. Is there an end in sight? I really haven't seen any indications that prices realized for PCGS coins over NGC coins have leveled off. Teletrade, eBay completed auctions and Heritage's prices realized links are a valuable tool for all. I would encourage all to use these market indicators to get a feel for what your coin is worth or how much you may expect to pay.

I know you're a fan of PCGS, I have no problem with that. But to blindly make posts to try and convince others that they shoud be fans of PCGS as well - without telling the other side of the story - that I have a problem with, it just rubs me the wrong way. I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong, far from it. You're just voicing your opinion and you're more than welcome to do so. As long as you don't mind me voicing mine too.

Here, here...always open to good honest spirited discussions.