Hello everybody, I'm new to the hobby and looking foward to getting some opinions. Working on collection of Half Dollars. What's the opinion on slabing the key Walking Libertys? I currently have two 1938 D's that I'd put at VF grade. Are they worth slabing? I was planning on keeping one and selling the other. Comments, ideas, reactions? Thanks!
I wouldn't, unless you plan on selling them. Even then maybe not. Save the slabbing fees and postage and put it toward the set.
Well feel free to post some pic's if you want more ideas on the grade, and even if they would grade at a TPG. To answer your question - In most cases I wouldn't grade them. My dealer sells them raw all the time, and while I will admit that I sent one in for grading, it was because I already had a shipment going to ANACS, and I had only paid a few bucks for the coin. Speedy
I agree with the other posts. Not worth sending to get slabbed. Save it as is and just handle them with care.
I'm going to vote yes, and this is why. IMO, any of these are valid reasons for getting a coin slabbed: Profit potential -- if you think it's in a grade where slabbing will make you money in the long term. The difference in value between Fine and XF for a 1938-D half is small, so this doesn't apply in this case. Putting it into your registry set. A 1938-D in VF is not a registry level coin. If you're selling it now (and it has enough value to warrant it). This is a valid reason on this coin IMO -- at least on the one you plan to sell. Slabbing by a reputable service will make a coin much more liquid, and this is a valuable enough coin to warrant it. It does depend on how you want to sell it, however. Authentication. Far and away the most important consideration on this coin IMO. The 1938-D is one of the key dates in the series, at least in circulated grades, and this brings up the possibility that it might have an added mintmark or an altered date. If the coin is slabbed by a reputable service, you and any potential buyers will not have to worry about authenticity. My 2 cent piece, Good 4, raw.
Gosh, Stewart, I must disagree. While you mentioned costs at first, the coin wear range he is mentioned should make slabbing cost prohibitive. The membership fee (assuming he is not a member yet of a TPG), the slabbing fee, the shipping + insurance costs for a relatively low value coin is going to eat into any profit he may get out of its sale. This coin is easily found and he would be better off selling it raw. Regarding authentication, this is not a coin often counterfeited in my experience. I suggest a rule of thumb that the coin be worth $300 plus before entertaining the expense.
There are certainly pluses and minuses in this case; it's by no means a slam dunk either way. The cost of the slabbing needs to be taken into account when considering whether to do it in the first place. Certainly, if it eats significantly into your potential profit in a best case scenario, it ain't worth it. However, membership fees are irrelevant if you can get a dealer or someone who is already a member to do it for you. I don't know firsthand about how likely this coin is to be altered; however, it fits the profile very well.
The Authentication is more what I'm wondering about then the grade. I asked one dealer to take a look at it. He said he wouldn't buy it becuase he was unsure of it's mintmark. Then claimed he'd have to ok it with the owner before making such a payout. Then again, it could have just been an easy to say, no thanks, I'm not inerested in buying. Granted I wasn't looking to sale it but just wanted to get a ballpark on what a dealer would offer before putting it for auction. All in all, I wouldn't think a 38D would provide the profit margin to try and alter 38Ps. I could post pictures if anybody is interested in viewing and throw their two cents in. Thanks for the opinions so far.
Let me just put it this way - I haven't heard of there being much a problem with fake 1938-D's So here is the question I guess that would bring it down to a good clear answer.... How much do you have in the coin? Who are you wanting to send it to? (NGC, PCGS, ANACS, ICG) How are you planing on selling it? The reason I'm asking is this - if you have lets say $85 in the coin, and the going rate is (I have NOT looked this up so I have no idea what the going rate for this coin is) $100, then it really isn't going to be a good idea to send it to NGC. Grading is going to cost at least $25 and you are going to have to send more than one coin to meet the MIN. limit. If you are planing to sell it on ebay then you have to take their fee's into the math as well - so if you have $85 + $25 = $110....we are already over the ammount you will clear from the sale. NOW....if you have $2 in the coin, and the going rate is $100, then MAYBE, just MAYBE, we should go the next step and look to see if a slabbed coin in that grade is bringing more than a raw one in the same grade. IF the price different from raw to slabbed is more than....eh.....$30, then maybe it would be ok to go ahead and have it slabbed. so...that is my 2cents! Speedy
First off I'll say what most have forgotten. WELCOME TO THE FORUMMMMMMMMM As to your question. Bascially as most have already noted. That coin is fairly normal and not commonly counterfeited. So if you wanted to sell it slabbed or raw would bring you about the same amount. This means you'ld be wasting your time and money for not much of a return. In most instances many people have gone what I call SLAB HAPPY. They are sending in all sorts of coins no where near the cost of the slab. Possibly just want to collect plastic. I've seen many coins I would think would sell for less than $5 in a slab. Really nuts. And here is something to think about. In the future you may want to start a second set of those and then that one would be a real great start considering not that many made. I suggest keeping them both and not slabbed.
