Hello new to the site, need a opinion.

But then you'll need to research your purchase like a true numismatist!

 

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I have only ever seen one ancient coin I would be wary of handling, that doesn't mean I would stick it in a slab.

http://www.colosseocollection.com/p443726947/hcd9ad7c#hcd9ad7c

 

I would be more accurate than some of the labels I have seen recently. And if I were stuck, I would post on this board

 

Understand that Warranties, Guarantees, Authentications, Slabbing, etc. are Marketing tools to entice and assure the buyers' decisions. I have run 3 different consumer products companies, and all of these were built into the costing/pricing structure of a product. As @IdesOfMarch01 stated:

I agree with this. Everything, including these assurances, carry a price tag. And basically, they are part of the Marketing Expense within any business. It is a matter of how far a company can afford the marketing expenses vs. the price a buyer is willing to pay for the assurance...

Personally, as I learn more and more about ancients, I find that paying any "marketing" premium, such as slabbing, is diminished... Personally, I rely more on the experts (here, Sear, and other sources) and hard research to ensure that I have authentic product.

 

That is the bit I have a problem with.

 

Yup, agreed. "assure" is a very vague term... It is how far the recipient TRUSTS the assurance...

 

Ancients are made to be handled not slabbed. I can remember a BLIND advanced collector (I believe in the 1980's DC area) who loved them and could even judge style (so he said)!

 

Some auction houses have caveats accompanying this guarantee. Here's one from CNG's sale terms that the happy slab crackers amongst us may not be aware of:

Coins that have been encapsulated ("slabbed") by a grading and/or authentication service may not be returned for any reason, including authenticity, if they have been removed from the encapsulation ("slab").

So, following this to the letter, if you've cracked a coin out of its slab and later discover that it's a fake, while you've theoretically had at least two good pair of eyes look at it (CNG and the third party grader), you now have no one to return it to for a refund.

 

Hmm. I had wondered how auction houses handle such a problem but hadn't read the TOS. It's somewhat understandable for them to do this, but I'd prefer them to instead have a policy of "we do not accept slabbed coins for consignment but if you wish, for an additional fee we will crack them out and sell them".

 

I agree but don't see it happening. This is just another example of slab companies messing things up for collectors of ancients.

 

Great discussion in this thread, folks.

I don't like slabs but I think NGC does what they can given how vast and variable the world of ancients is. If their slabs bring some new collectors into the fold then I think that helps us all.

 

He is one of the best coin dealers out there.

 

I too, am fortunate: this was my only forgery report...but it still stings like it was yesterday...

 

I love having the David Sear certificates ... and in some circumstances, it is probably worth the $50+ charge (for coin-types that are heavily faked for example) .... but I have stopped getting a certification for every one of my coins (sure, it would be nice at selling-time, but obviously => the extra added touch is at my expen$e)

Oh, but I wouldn't even consider sending my coins to be graded and slabbed (totally random it seems, and they're not even authenticated) ... "FAIL"

 

I believe a good part of the reason an auction house would not guarantee a slab is that their 'good pair of eyes' could not evaluate a coin once it is slabbed. You can't see the edge, weigh it, feel the surfaces (I do believe in the blind collector's abilities), smell it (fresh paint is bad) ---- all you can do is see there is something under that plastic someone is asking you to believe is a coin.

 

Absolutely right about the slab hampering further ability to evaluate a coin for authenticity, but the auction house in question does actually guarantee the slabbed coin... as long as it isn't removed from its slab.

You've argued before for not removing coins from their slabs, specifically for collectors who intend to sell their coins... this would be another reason one might want to hold off on the hammer/chisel/vice/screwdriver if one has just bought an entombed ancient... or hold off on buying a slabbed altogether. I've never owned one and hope never to have to.

 

We are part of the problem as long as we are willing to buy slabbed coins and remove them. When it is not profitable, it will stop. Slabs are sealed to prevent people from changing the coins inside or changing the grade by mishandling them. These are real problems with US MS coins that tend to look a lot alike. For ancients, photos are closer to the same level of security against swapping. I have no problem with anyone selling their services of providing opinions. When David Sear sells an opinion with a photo, it does not keep me from seeing the coin, weighing it and photographing it. His certificate does not get in my way. I rather like the idea of a nice coin protected in a holder that protects it from damage. The problem starts when they glue (weld) the things shut.