Am I the only one?

I love to collect them either way they come.

 

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I started off only buying raw, but as I began wanting (and could afford) nicer coins, I made the decision primarily due to my fear of Chinese counterfeits to purchase slabbed. It might sound odd, but I think the process of buying slabbed coins really opened my eyes and helped my grading skills immensely. When I go back and look at the raw classic coins that I bought from shows or coin shops (at least the ones of any significant value), it is clear as day why they were still raw when I bought them. I know there are some series where collectors prefer unslabbed, like large cents, but I am now a believer in the value of the TPG system.

 

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I collect slabbed. I'm getting close to retirement age, and I felt like it would be prudent to have some assets in precious metals. Why not own them in a form that is really beautiful, rather than just buying the metal? Searching for just the right specimen is challenging, entertaining, and brings me pleasure, which hopefully is what any hobby is all about!

 

While I really like the feel of the metal, I can understand the desire for slabbed items... The labeling on slabbed coins usually catches my eye and I want to see who graded it, what grade it is, etc.

But still love the feel and sound of raw coins more...

If I had my way, all coins would HAVE to be raw and slabs outlawed. :u*meY:

Bill

 

I was a raw collector for the longest time (still have tones of albums and folders), until I got into Graded Ikes. Some people like Morgan's, others like Mercs or Buffs... I like Ikes.
With the Ike set, I have basically 4 collections. I have my "From the Wild" set that i've collected from circulation (You can find a lot of the varieties and just plain cool looking ikes in circulation), my BU raw set in Danscos, my mint packaged sets , and my PCGS graded set.
Ikes were the first coins I collected graded and will probably be the only ones right now. I did find that having quality graded coins has really help me to identify and "self grade" the raw Ikes I have been collecting.
It's a part of the hobby that is here to stay. I think it can be a great tool, but I also see why people don't like it. Ultimately, like everything in this hobby, it comes down to personal preference.

 

I like having circulated coins in my Dansco's and slabbed high end counterparts in my slab box. I don't like the empty holes in the albums; drives my OCD up the wall.

 

I like slabs, although I have 0. Its a good thing to have when some coins are tricky to grade, and some people pay large amounts and figure it was over-graded.

 

I have a few but do not go out of my way looking for more. I also have the free PGCS ATB quarter, and was just looking at the California state quarter in a slab. The PR70 was nice but a lilttle out of my price range...

 

I don't see anything wrong with wanting to just collect coins, of any type, any condition, in their raw form.

I also don't see anything wrong with wanting to slab a coin to protect it from further damage, or protect the basic value of the coin for the buyer/seller by certifying it as authentic. And I consider a "slab" any type of holder, be it a simple cardboard 2x2 all the way up to the TPG graded plastic, although arguably the TPG ones are much more rightly called slabs for purpose of this discussion.

Is it necessary to grade/slab every coin? No, I don't think so. Is it a bad thing to grade/slab? Also no, I don't think so. I do think the TPG's provide a useful service with their grading/slabbing. I also do like the advice of "buy the coin, not the slab", because if you can easily get too caught up in the number debate and "perfect" coins another saying will apply - "a fool and his money are soon parted".

I personally like raw and graded, for different purposes. I like having albums with raw coins on the shelf to allow people to see them, and paw around with them. But, I also I want to be able to have a collection of nice well-defined, well-protected coin examples that have some sort of authenticity guarantee behind them, that I can pass on to future generations. I like the ability to have someone who's more knowledgeable than I give a more trusted opinion on the grading of a coin since for now I have not the ability to judge nor the time to learn that for myself. If that changes in the future, I may change my opinion on the value of the TPG services, who knows.

So for now I buy both types, and just enjoy the whole of the collection, no matter how it's stored.

 

For me, it depends on the coin.

I like my higher grade US coins and Canadian coins (don't have any Canadian though ) graded..

Anything else is not to be slabbed

Except for Sample Slabs... my most esoteric collection

 

No you are not the only one that enjoys raw coins. I love collecting raw and only have two slabbed, mainly because of security issues and being more pricey key date coins. I admit that MS raw sets were more challenging than I thought possible (my Lincoln Cents, Roosevelt Dimes, and Franklin Halves) though I love my raw Mercury collection and have a feeling I'll love the Barber series as well. Slabs for me are just a turn off...price and ruining the fun of telling me what the grade is. I would rather learn to grade myself...more fun in the hobby personally.

 

I like coins and I collect coins both raw and certified. Being a full-time dealer, I also sell coins, but the market and my clients have dictated that most sales are of certified coins. There is nothing wrong with buying, selling and collecting raw coins; just as there is nothing wrong with buying, selling and collecting certified coins. Of course, there is nothing wrong with buying, selling and collecting a mix of raw and certified coins, too.

In my opinion, the advent of the TPGs has done a lot more positive for the hobby-industry than it has done negative. Back in the good old days of the early 1980s and before it was very common to have cleaned, artificially toned, repaired and all manner of manipulated coins sold as entirely problem free or virgin. Many (most?) collectors did not know they were buying manipulated coins and, upon resale, they almost invariably learned a very expensive lesson. Counterfeit coins were also quite common and they fooled many dealers, too. Of course, what we call overgrading was rampant. If one were educated, disciplined and patient then these pitfalls were largely mitigated, but in the days before easy access to information via the internet this was a much more difficult goal to achieve than it is today.

The TPGs now weed out the vast majority of counterfeit coins sent their way, refuse to certify as problem free boatloads of previously worked on coins and provide a disinterested grade assigned to each coin they certify that allows for much more liquid trading. These have all helped dealers sell more material, they have helped collectors save a significant percentage of their funds in the buying/selling experience and they have made the market function much more smoothly.

In my own collection, virtually every coin worth more than $500 is certified and this has to do with increased liquidity, greater resale value, ease of obtaining proper levels of insurance and security for my wife and little girls if something were to happen to me. There is nothing wrong with collecting raw coins, just as there is nothing wrong with collecting certified coins.

 

some people will want the assurance of knowing their coin is an authentic key coin for slabbed coins. I also could understand slabbing your favorite coin for preservation. most of my coin collection are raw coins. I only have 4 slabbed coins. the key is enjoying what you have and share it.:yes: