Collect what and how you wish to enjoy the hobby. Raw is cool for some stuff and slabs are better for others.
If not in slabs when purchased, which has no bearing on the purchase itself, I put all my coins, tokens and medals in air tites. I do this for the same reason some of you buy raw coins, so they can be handled. With air tites, you protect the coin's surfaces and it also prevents toning. If it's in pristine condition, I want to keep it that way or at least "as is" for lesser grades. I don't purchase any U.S. currency, minted for circulation, below a VF30. However, I do make exceptions for coins from the late 1700's. (Once I did buy a 1893CC Morgan from a dealer who labeled it VF20. I sold it when I broke up my Morgan collection).
Since the TPGs maintain searchable registries of slabbed coins including the number available, does anyone care that a good number of those slabs are cracked and gone? Like, do people notify NGC that a slab listing is no more? I have some rather common coins that I bought slabbed only because they were high grade mint state examples, but they are not valuable. Because in a couple of cases the slabs are so scratched up that the coin is hardly enjoyable, I'd like to bust them out. Do you guys keep the slips from inside the slabs?
