Certified VS. Raw coins

Fake slabs are no where near as prominent or hard to spot as a fake. If you are really concerned about fake slabs stick to Secure Plus or new NGC slabs, add CAC onto it if you want to really be 100 percent sure.

 

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I have some raw coins from years ago but recently, in the last 2 years I've collected only slabs. So you could say I'm a certified slabber.

 

hi - been reading the replies and decided to weigh in - i find it difficult to accept the manta of "buy the coin, not the slab" when i'm expected to pay much more for the coin, BECAUSE of the slab... how much, on average, do all the grading and shipping fees add to the asking price? - i DO understand the idea of "security" that slabbed coins may offer....but i object to paying $30 - $40 more for a coin just because someone else wants to recoup their cost of having it graded..... a $50 raw coin now costs $80 - how can i just buy the coin, when the cost includes the slab? thanks for listening!

 

When they say "buy the coin, not the slab" what they mean is to not blindly accept whatever is printed on the label about the coin, look at it and evaluate it yourself and then buy it or pass based on your own opinion as to its merits.

There are coins out there in slabs with high grades that are flat out ugly with poor eye appeal which nevertheless will still sell for big money because they have that high number on the slab. Do you want to be the one that pays that high price for an ugly coin when you can buy a very nice looking coin for a lot less? That's what they mean by "buy the coin, not the slab".

 

hi - i understand that, but you must admit, that sometimes the value is based not solely on the coin, but the cost to have it graded and well...maybe sales listings need to be broken out to include ALL associated costs - coin for sale - asking $90.00 as follows - $10.00 shipping, $30 grading fee, $50.00 for the coin itself - if i just see a listing for $90 - free shipping - since i want to buy the coin and not the slab - how do actually figure that out without full "disclosure"? thanks!

 

I take the "buy the coin, not the slab" one step further. Buy the coin, not the Grade! A XF coin sometimes has much more eye appeal than an AU or MS coin. When adding a coin, I look for the one with the most eye appeal, and then consider cost for the grade. I prefer Raw, mostly because of space to store the coin, but also because I do not want to pay the premium of the slab.

 

I all honesty to me it depends on the budget and what you want to accomplish with you collection and collecting goals I like them both

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Buy raw, sell slabbed.

That said, a lot of it depends on how comfortable you are with grading coins.

 

This may have been said before but heirs who know nothing about coins are much better off getting a slabbed collection than a raw collection.

 

agreed, to a point.

I have seen many AU-58 [Barber quarters in particular, and some dimes] that are far more attractive than many uncs.
I call them AU-63's

 

Because there is value to a coin that is graded and slabbed already by certain companies and some more than others. They're more liquid, and easier to buy and sell without having to argue about the grade. Everything in life costs more certified

 

I think that is mostly true on coins that are low enough in value that they really shouldn't have been slabbed in the first place. You take a $50 coin and spend $50 slabbing it, it doesn't make it a $100 coin. It's still a $50 coin OK maybe $60 because it is slabbed. It's not my fault he's buried in it. Or I'll just buy $50 raw one rather than the overpriced slabbed one. I know someone will say "But the slabbed one will be easier to sell later." Yes, if you are willing to sell it for $50. I think an accurately graded $50 raw coin would sell easier than a $50 slabbed coin for $100 to get your slabbing fees back.

 

A certified coin was raw before it was certified. How does certification suddenly make the same coin superior?

 

And fake coins can be put in fake slabs. Point being that it's far easier to make a self-assessment of a raw coin than one that you can't get to

 

It gives the buyer some peace of mind knowing that the coin is genuine, Now it is still up to the buyer to determine if the grade is correct or not, but don't have to take the sellers opinion, which can be biased. Need to check for fake slabs, but they are rare for the most part. IMO

 

Another point for slabbed coins is that many, or even most coins are purchased online from pictures. Pics can make a bad coin look good, and a good coin look bad. There are many variables with photos, equipment, ability of the photographer, etc...