I confess! I'm a slabber.

My one and only slab has been shown here several times before but if any of you new people have not seen it and do not know why I have not removed it from the slab you are doing the right thing just buying slabs. Again I will point out that it is not an NGC coin. They are skilled professionals but first they are businessmen who have found a way to attract a completely new group of collectors to buying these coins. People accustomed to paying extreme prices for an MS68 Lincoln have no problem with the prices of slabbed ancients. The question is how many of those new converts will still be buying slabs in 20 years.... or 50? Will they then be buying raw coins or will most have moved on to other collectibles? I won't know.

 

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Ahahaha, good one!! (you've got me there, eh?)

Man, you sound a bit like my dear ol' Dad => he watches and follows the Toronto Blue Jays, religiously!!

... oh, and he also thinks that all of the dudes in the NFL are a bunch of thugs!!

I do follow the Jays, especially at this time of year, but I'm a far bigger fan of the NFL (any time of the year!!)

 

I like your Dad. Well not the Blue Jays part I've been a Rangers fan since they moved to Texas in '72. I too think the NFL is full of thugs just ask my sons.

 

I'm trying to take an advantages of slab from such boxes. This boxes exist in different colors, easy to open/close and looks good.

 

I believe there is another aspect of these perpetual slab/no-slab discussions. And that involves new ancient collectors, particularly those coming over from US coins. While NGC does not 'guarantee' the coin, there are many cases where they refused to slab a coin because they were uncertain of its authenticity. In that way the service provides a security blanket that would otherwise be missing for an interested collector who has heard horror stories of fake ancients.

The folks on this forum know whom to trust and can protect themselves if a bad coin reaches their hands. New collectors who lack experience and haven't found this or similar forums at least have NGC. If that gives them the confidence to start collecting ancients then we should all be singing NGC's praises. I recently read the average age of ANA members in the past 10 years has increased by 10 years. I'd hate to see this wonderful hobby go the way of bowling alleys and drive-in movie theaters.

 

First point: NGC do not offer a "security blanket", they offer a false sense of security. NGC has made plenty of mistakes which you can find by searching boards such as this. I trust David Vagi at NGC, the people he has hired-not so much.

NGC and other TPGs sell this so called security as a lure to get unknowledgable/new collectors hooked on their wares. TPGs are about selling the slabs and profiting from those who refuse to do their research.

Second point: There is no excuse for not doing your research if you are a new collector. A responsible collector tries to find out about the item before they buy it. This applies to many areas outside of coins. There are thousands of resources available for free online.

There are plenty of great online resources for the new collector including this board and Forvm which has an extensive section just for the beginner. There are many generous people willing to give their valuable time to answer any and all questions. Also, a new collector could do a lot worse than buying a coin from Forvm which offers a guarantee for eternity.

Last point; I do not trust the TPGs with ancient coins. The grading system is inadequate and can cause buyers to buy the grade and not the coin. In fact, they want to sell you the grade implying that you need to get the highest grade available.

In other words I will NOT be singing the praises of NGC or any TPG anytime soon.

 

See @SanClem I think slabbing is a detriment to the hobby and to numismatists. Instead of collectors seeking out reputable dealers they feel safe shopping on venues such as eBay, lulled into a sense of false security with the plastic case and slip of paper. I see a future where ancients become like U.S. coins - all about that upgrade and increasing value with added stickers or different labels. Registry sets. 12 Caesars register set. Top Pop coins.

 

Also I mean no disrespect to anyone who wants to buy their coins or submit their coins to NGC. Please don't let this discussion turn you away from this forum. We should all be happy that we can think differently but still enjoy sharing our coins.

 

I was going to let this pass but can't because I want future readers of this thread to know there is at least one dissenting opinion.

Your call. For me knowing that 2 or 3 pairs of eyes -- who see more coins in a month than I'll see my lifetime -- passed the coin as authentic was the security blanket I needed when I was getting started. While TPGs, and for that matter everyone, makes mistakes, those added pairs of eyes helped me over the 'fake coin hurdle'.

For me TPGs offered additional eyes and convenience. That they want repeat business suggested to me that they had skin in the game regarding authenticity: too much to lose if they develop a reputation for passing fakes.

If I had to do research before buying my first coin I would never have bought any coins. I knew eBay, I liked eBay, and when I found a cool coin on there I bought it. Once I was interested in my coin only then did I do the research to learn why the US mint made 2 cent pieces. From there I wanted to know why they were so inexpensive. Which led me to why they were for sale on eBay instead of in some coin shop somewhere, and so on. None of that would have been interesting enough for me to pursue where it not for the fact that I had a coin in my hand.

And I am personally extremely grateful for these services and to the individuals who give their valuable time helping others. Yet, I had many years of happy collecting before availing myself of any of these resources.

One of the services TPGs offer, in addition to attribution and authentication (the lack of a guarantee notwithstanding), is an opinion on grade. It seems appropriate that be displayed on the label. For me the grade was valueless, to this day the only 'grade' I look for is 'well used'.

Your call. If I'd had to do things the 'right' way -- research first, eschew familiar marketplaces, find the right forums, learn which dealers to trust, avoid slabbed coins, learn about grades and the different grading systems, and so forth -- I wouldn't be here. The point of my original post was that there are many avenues to become a collector, and via TPGs is one of those ways. I for one am glad that avenue existed, since it's how I came to be here.

 

Well said, SanClem! I take no offense at anything said by my friends here. The variety of opinions I'm hearing is wonderful!

 

Awesome coins! Thank you for your thoughts!

 

Very nice!

 

Well as long as we can all politely disagree and share our own opinions openly than everything is good!

 

i'll share a coin i considered (and am still considering) putting in a slab or capsule of some type.



Bela III - Bela IV of Hungary, 1172-1270 AD, AR Bracteate
Head right, reverse incuse of obverse. Unger 122. 16 mm, 0.4 g

note that the coin is less than half a gram. these bracteate coins are VERY thin, i'm concerned i could damage the coin in the ususal flip. i get more than a bit nervous when i handle it.

 

I have a few fragile coins in clear hard plastic direct fit holders which can then be put in your regular flip. Check local coin stores for choices but I imagine your coin will rattle in the smallest ones if that is a problem to you.

 

I actually tend to stay away from coins smaller than 15mm for this exact reason. I'm afraid I'll damage or lose them! Not as much chance of losing a 25mm tetradrachm weighing 17g as a 9mm obol that weighs less than a gram.

My smallest coin is a 10mm Panama pill, and it's safely in a slab so I don't lose it.