Na, I would never remove them. I could if absolutely necessary but it is too much of a novelty to ruin. It has already been passed on to someone who can appreciate the "true beauty" of a mint sealed fingerprinted gem like me
And that is the problem. If a home collector has a coin worth grading based on appearance, he or she will quickly learn, no it isn't worth grading because the submission process alone costs more than the coin is going to be worth.
I'm not a slab guy, but some people are very good at "home" grading. It is part of the hobby to them. They inspect the coin very closely and know when it might be a good idea to submit their coins to a grading service. It sounds like it could be fun to me. I'm just not that good at grading but I like to give it a go on this website, just for fun.
Ignore what we say. Just pick up a copy of 'ANA Grading Standards' at books a million, or Amazon and follow it. You will do fine. For ASEs use the face grading standard of the liberty half and the reverse standard for the Barber half. The designs are similar enough there should be very little quibbling.
Let me first state I am more than just a "home grader." I have worked for 2 large coin companies professionally as a coin grader as well as my own business. I have seen thousands upon thousands of blue pack Ikes and this one by far was superior. I have never seen such luster on a specimen thus, I decided to submit it. Secondly, the coin cost me a whole $5 and the submission was a whole $18. So, with that being said this coin even at a $66 can be sold for a profit. Not that I would sell it because of its blazing luster, but if I did it would fetch well into the $30-$40 range. Lastly, from my experience, this coin was under-graded as some coins do from TPGs. Just because it resides in a PCGS MS66 slab does not mean it is a true 66. How many coins are often re-submitted over and over again to achieve the grade that a "home grader" deems the coin to actually be?
I wonder what made them grade as low as a 66. I can see a couple of blemishes on the obverse but nothing to lower it to a 66. I could probably believe a 67 but I just don't see a 66.
I agree with both you. I think I am gonna crack it and send it back in. Just to see what happens. Curiosity killed the cat I suppose.