Ahab

Why can't we get back on track? The man asked a simple question about a price guide and he gets crappola about slabing and other "things".

Lehigh96

His question was answered numerous times. If he had to ask that question, then most of the other information offered in this thread should be very valuable and not off topic "crappola".

RedTiger

Like it or not, slabbing is part and parcel of the current coin market, more so as prices go up the range. Information about the various grading companies and relative valuations is relevant to price guides, market pricing, auction results, and what a potential buyer or bidder might consider paying. Isn't that bottom line? What a person will pay when buying, or what a person will receive when selling? Grade matters. Sometimes the holder matters too.

What you call crappola, others may see as valuable and useful information. The information I am sharing was earned by paying a good deal of tuition. By sharing it on the forum, I would hope that a few readers may not have to pay the same dues that I did. Others may have had a very different experience and their own lessons to share.

As to buying an mint state 1886-O Morgan raw, that is fine for those that are excellent graders. For an average group of collectors, that might be 10% to 40% of the group, towards the higher number for experienced veterans (in general, that is ten years or more), towards the lower number for novices (in general, that is less than five years in the hobby).

kanga

Well said.

I've been collect on and off for about 55 years, and steady for about the last 20.
I would NOT buy a raw 1886-O Morgan.
Even with quite a bit of experience I would not feel competent to do that.
But I am competent enough to look at a slabbed coin and decide if it appeals to me when I mix in all the other factors besides grade and price.

I'll be picking up an 1864 "L" IHC this weekend that's in a MS-62 PCGS slab.
A very nice looking coin as I remember.
Evenly brown toned; clean surfaces.
So why only MS-62?
It's got a nasty gash on the neck.
But by balancing all of it's characteristics I decided it is very acceptable in my meager IHC set.
Pictures Sat or Sun.

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QUEENKOIN

I always wondered if my 56 Belair would increase in value if I could 'slab' it....?

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GDJMSP

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coinman0456

I use the Greysheet/companion Blue sheet and reference the major auction sites for prices realized. I agree with GD's statement on "slabbed" coins. They offer no real value to the Coin/token itself.

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kanga

For me slabs perform several functions:
1. Most importantly, they authenticate coins.
2. Within a particular TPG's guidelines, they pronounce coins as "original" (unaltered and uncleaned).
3. They give a starting point for grading. You may not agree with their assigned grade, but you can be confident it's close.

For this warm fuzzy feeling I AM willing to pay a bit extra.

EXAMPLE: I wanted an early US coin just to say I had one from the 1790's and to add to my type set.
To that end I found that the least expensive example would be a 1798 Cent, Second Hair.
I bought one raw. It had a REALLY interesting and massive die crack.
The condition of the sale was that the coin would slab or I could return it for a full refund (very reputable dealer so no worries about getting the refund).
It didn't slab (NGC) because the surface had a coating that prevented it from being fully evaluated.
Took everything back to him and, with some additional money, I got an already slabbed example of the same coin.
If I had bought the slabbed coin in the first place it would have saved me the annoyance (took 3+ months) and expense (submission fee).

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tmoneyeagles

When dealing with rare coins it is smarter to get it slabbed, just to have it authenticated. And if you are against slabs, okay, just crack it out.
It is better to have somewhat of an insurance policy, with having it in a slab proving authenticity and a good feel for what the grade of the coin is.
Now as to paying extra for a coin in a slab, I would do it. I work on registry sets, so it is cheaper to buy it pre slabbed

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