Raw vs. Slabbed

I know this subject has been hashed over many times, but I am curious about how many collectors choose raw over slabbed coins or visa-versa. I know when the time comes for me to add the Morgans to my set that are commonly faked, I will likely buy slabbed examples but the rest are all raw.

when collecting coins for your own collection like for date/mintmark sets or type sets, without thought of resale, do you buy more slabbed coins or raw?

 

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I voted for raw. Two reasons - for what I collect, slabs are overkill and unnecessary. Secondly, if I were still collecting U.S. type, I would have bought slabbed for the resale reason, but that is excluded from this poll.

 

I will give my opinion on this subject. If the coin has a value under $100, I don't think there is any value in having the coin slabbed unless the coin is rainbow toned. With regards to toned coins, the influx of artificially toned coins necessitates that the coin be slabbed by NGC or PCGS to provide the buyer with the assurance that the coin's toning is market acceptable and that it will sell for a respectable price.

Coins valued over $100 and especially those valued over $500 should always be slabbed. It makes no difference how good your grading abilities are. When it comes time to sell, the raw coin will sell for significantly less than the slabbed counterpart because the potential buyers are not willing to take the risk that the coin upon submission will grade lower than the grade assigned to the raw coin. For example, I bought this MS64 raw 1916-D Barber quarter from Heritage for $184. If this coin was in a slab, it would have driven a price of at least $400.




Most of the raw coinage available on the market are problem coins or over graded coins. To risk over $100 on these coins is fiscally irresponsible IMO. I don't have a problem with those that collect raw coins or album collectors. In fact, I have a few album collections myself, but I try to keep the value of my album coins under $100 at all costs in order to minimize the risk.

 

I prefer slabbed coins for reasons discussed in other threads, but I voted for whatever is available because that's what actually happens in practice.

 

I don't discriminate. Raw, slabbed, they're all fine with me.

I mainly collect Jefferson nickels, which tend to be less expensive coins, though. Even with this, though, you have to watch for counterfeits. Both the 1950-D and 1939-D have been counterfeited. The war nickels and other dates were counterfeited by Henning, but you're actually fortunate if you find one of these, as they're quite collectible.

I saw an uncirculated 1939-D counterfeit at the MSNS show back in February of 2008. I told the dealer, and he said he would check with someone else about it, but when I checked with him the next day, he said he didn't get around to it yet. I told him I would buy it as a counterfeit if he still wanted to sell it (though at a lower price.) I hope he didn't sell it to someone who didn't know any better.

 

In the words of Smeagol, "I like them raw and wriggling!"

 

I voted which ever is available. But, as the value increases so does the likelihood of me buying a slabbed coin. There are also a number of coins I would only buy in slabs. So, it depends on both what's available and what the coin is. I have both in my collection.

 

Trade Dollars come immediately to my mind for authentication.

 

Exactly, I wouldn't buy any Trade Dollar raw. But, I was thinking along the lines of specific key coins that are commonly faked. If I could ever afford one...an 1893-S Morgan comes to mind. I wouldn't even consider a raw example.

 

I agree Richie you might have written this for me .
rzage

 

I thought your Fugio was slabbed , am I right ?
Rusty:whistle:

 

Great minds think alike.

 

It depends on what I am buying. I'm currently hoarding 90% silver, buying nice Standing Liberty Quarters and some Lincoln Cents. The cents are to fill a Dansco album I started in the early 80s.

I also buy a lot of 90% silver, circulated stuff... Walkers and SLQs because I like them, and then any US stuff that is cheap, none of those are slabbed, obviously.

Now, nice SLQs? Well, I can't find any really nice ones that I have wanted to buy that were/aren't slabbed! I'm not afraid of unslabbed coins, but I have a hard time buying one sight unseen, I don't care who it's from.

 

SLQ's are a series that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole raw in MS grades. First, it is very easy to miss a rub on the leg that would drop the coin down to AU58. Secondly these coins are very expensive in MS grades and there are a whole slew of conditional rarities in the series. Heck the FH designation by itself is a reason not to buy these raw. I have a long term goal of building a complete set of gem state rainbow toned SLQ's, and I presently am at four.

 

I do have a small handfull of slabbed coins, but they were bought for potential resale. I will be the first to admit I think when it comes time to sell, graded coins should sell easier for more money. I have a few coins that I think need to be slabbed before I would even think of selling them.

I still like the raw coins for my sets and will continue to buy mostly raw except for the fore mentioned keys and suspect coins.

 

I don't have much money for collecting. So I would buy a slab of a "semi-key" or "key" in low grade just for authentification purposes. Or a ultra-high MS-67+ modern, because I wouldn't trust myself to grade it correctly and I don't have the money (even if it's a little) to throw away.

100% agree with Viper about resale. I do sports cards and slabbed is sooooo much easier to sell.

 

I will purchase either, but for more expensive coins, I prefer slabbed. However, you have to examine the coin well, slabbed or unslabed.

Five years ago, I bought an NGC MS63 commem that had good eye appeal, but after more review, there are very distracting marks on the center. At that time it didn't bother me, and my mentality was "it's a MS63 graded by NGC" and this thought for me was more or less the holy grail. After more wisdom, I would not have bought it. No big deal, so I learned a little from this experience. Now I inspect any coin based I may purchase based on chapter 2 in Bower's buyer's guide book.

But there are many who are passionate about strictly buying raw coins. I think slabbed coins are imperative especially for those that are often counterfeit. A Lincoln Cent 1909-S VDB and 1914-D are good examples. The 1916-D Mercury dime is an excellent example.

 

This is why I don't buy into the slab way of thinking. Are they worth a 300% markup? No way. But, I do on occasion buy a slabbed coin when I find the price for slabbed versus raw is about equal. No amount of plastic security is worth paying more than 10% over ask.
Guy~

 

That you are! But I'm on to Conder tokens now, so no need for the slab.

 

Just because a coin is slabbed does not warrant a 300% increase. That situation is the exception rather than the rule. Unless the slabbed coin was real and the unslabbed may not have been.

But there are folks in my old coin club who just depise slabbed coins. I had a few that I shared at a meeting and they would give me the evil eye.