I confess! I'm a slabber.

I need to confess to my new friends on this great Coin Talk forum. Most of my ancient coins are either slabbed or in the process of being slabbed. I'm a clueless beginner and I really thought that slabbing was the way to go. As soon as I receive my coins in the mail I package them up and send them to NGC for authentication and slabbing.

Please don't give me the bums rush!

 

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Okay, I won't give you the bum's rush but I do feel an obligation to make sure you understand the service NGC offers. Beyond that, it's your money and your hobby, so do whatever you want.

In case you haven't read or fully digested NGC's terms of service, here are some excerpts from https://www.ngccoin.com/specialty-services/ancient-coins/guarantee.aspx:

"Therefore, with ancient coins NGC Ancients will only guarantee the grade. It is recommended that buyers purchase ancient coins from sellers who offer unconditional lifetime guaranties of authenticity, and who otherwise stand behind their sales.

WARNING: THIS GUARANTEE IS LIMITED TO GRADING ONLY"

"The grading of coins is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of NGC Ancients graders."

They guarantee only the grade and warn that the grade is subjective. In other words, it is a meaningless guarantee. The only guarantee is that an NGC employee has rendered an opinion about that coin's grade.

I concede that it is impractical for NGC to guarantee authenticity. That responsibility lies primarily with the seller and buyer. Obviously, NGC has reason to want any coins in their slabs to be authentic because it would be bad for business if entombed coins were later deemed fake. However, as far as I'm concerned, sending an ancient coin for encapsulation only provides an expensive holder which prevents thorough inspection and full enjoyment of the coin.

Just to be clear, NGC does not authenticate coins.

 

I'm not totally against slabbing, but if those are Judaean prutoh, you are wasting a LOT of money. Lower-grade prutoh are a dime-a-dozen. The only good reason to put them in a slab is if you are hopelessly in love with the plastic of slabs.

 

I do not have any coins in slab. I love to take them in hand, feel the weight, consider the Edge, to turn to the light and look at the relief ...
And yes, there are a lot of fakes in slab from grading companies.

 

Th

Thank you for this TIF! I do like the slabs because it gives the coins an authentic
look for presentation purposes. I give a lot of these coins away to members of my church. And yes, I have read in the NGC terms that they do not authenticate. I do feel however that they have qualified people who would be able to spot an obvious fake. All of my coins are from VCOIN dealers so I am convinced of their authenticity. I really have 2 collections of ancient coins. One is a collection of mid grade Judaean coins that I give away. The other collection is my personal collection of Judaean, Nabataean, and Seleucid coins. But again, I confess that I love the slabs.

 

Thanks Lordmarcovan. I totally agree! I have no ill will toward collectors who hate slabs.

 

I can see how having an official-looking display could avert the eternal question from non-collectors, "how do you know they are real?". Having your coins in official-looking slabs might avert such questions from the uninformed, saving you repeating the lengthy explanation

Here's an option that saves considerable money: buy your own inexpensive TPG-lookalike slabs and make your own labels. http://www.jpscorner.com/coin-slabs.html, for example. Your display will still look nice and tidy and when needed, you can open the slab and actually examine the coin.

 

I find it interesting that coins that have survived 2,000 and some 3,000 years NOW have to be subjected to this recent phenomena (last 20-30 years?) of encasing History into a plastic box. Then, to have an arbitrary eye determine a rating scale that really does not pertain to hand-made Ancients, rather more to modern machine pounded coins. THAT action is what TOTALLY turned me off of 50 years of collecting moderns.

Personally, I crack open every slab, and have educated myself to have the confidence in my Ancients. Coins were created for the Human Interaction of Trade and a trust relationship in that transaction. Boxing them is contrary to the whole concept of Coins and Currency!

The plastic boxers have been brilliant marketers... myself being in the Business Sector of our economy, I tip my hat in respect. HOWEVER, I further believe the whole concept of plastic boxing and "scientific" grading has performed a grave disservice to the whole Industry, and that they have successfully "educated" folks to blindly feel that is the way to have confidence in their coins. THAT is NOT the Hobby of Kings. THAT is Marketing 101, hook, line, and sinker marketing.

This is but my opinion and my firm belief. I never purport to TELL others what THEY must do.

 

Like @TIF said, it's your money; your hobby. Do what you feel is right for you!!

 

Great advice! Making the labels would be fun.

 

Thanks, John! I'm afraid that I'm hooked on the slabs.

 

And, should you ever break out a slab, I keep the Slabbers' labels with the coin. They do a great job recording and photographing them on their sites. It is a great way of "verifying" them to the none-believers.

 

Thanks again! I will definitely check out FORUM. I'll keep you posted!

 

Your passion for the hobby is admirable! Thank you for your thoughts!

 

Ray,

Despite the many sides of this argument, I would say for your purposes slabs might be the best way to go. For presentation and frequent handling, it may just be the best way to present and protect the coins from damage.