I've recently picked up a 1849, 1852 and 1857 Gold $1.00 Liberty. The 1852 is probally XF+ and the 1849/1857 are AU+. Do you think these would be worth sending in to be slabbed?
Can you post some photo? The only way I would get them slabbed is if : 1: you got them at a great price. 2: you are going to sell them Speedy
Okay, here's another "beginner's" question. I've noticed that slabbed coins are just about always listed for higher prices than raw coins, sometimes by a lot, presumably because it removes doubt about the grade and condition and therefore increases the value. If that's the case, wouldn't it just about always be worthwhile to have a coin slabbed unless it was a very low value coin either way? XF and AU $1 gold liberties seem to be worth the effort and expense. Or, conversely, what are the reasons NOT to have the coins slabbed?
Alot of people put too much trust in slabbing companies as if they are infallible. Slabbing companies have been fooled and slabbed fake coins before now. There has apparently also been cases of people producing fake slabs too imitating real TPG's. I dislike slabbing generally because i believe it has made the hobby more accessible, "this is a bad thing?" you argue. Well consider this how many collectors can now buy coins without even knowing how to grade? So when a slabbing company accidentally misgrades a coin (and in some areas such as Darkside they have currently proved themselves inept at grading world coins altogether), i've see VF coins slabbed as AUs! And low EF's slabbed as MS63! So then you get a great MS63 coin at strong MS63 price to have someone like me wander along and say, actually old chap it's a decent EF at best. You've gotta learn how to grade whether you buy slabbed coins or not. I think everyone should start on cheap raw, learn how to grade for themselves to a decent rough standard (which will be refined over the years) and then move to slabs if you so wish. So it's best not to put too much faith in slabbing altogether, because when all said and done you're paying them for their opinion, and it's one you could get free off of a decent dealer, or any of us on here.
Cloud, It's true slabbed coins often command premiums. However, not because the coin is more valuable. Some are willing to pay a premium becuase they lack the confidence or skill in their own grading techniques. Unless you are looking to sell the coin, I personally would not slab it through a 3rd party. There are better and more econimical ways to slab it on your own...airtite, capital, intercept shield anti-corrosive holders to name a few.
Yeah I see what your saying, but isint the protection your getting with the slab worth the price in the long run?
Lets look at it another way. Take an original PCGS (or whatever) slab and one slabbed yesterday, same coin design, same grade... are the coins the same quality though? Grading companies change their standards every now and again, what it would grade 15 years ago might be different to now. Also you have to bear in mind a few years back PCGS slabs were hot, more sought after than the rest. This might have, or may well change. The price of your coin might drop because it's no longer in the 'fashionable' slab. Now we have to wonder by this point are we buying the coins or the slabs? If we're buying on the slab rather than the coin then is this coin collecting at all? Or slab collecting?
I use my $100 rule. Coins in my collection over $100 go to be slabbed. Why, because no matter how poor they are at grading, they are better than me. Maybe I won't sell them but somewhere, sometime, someone will, and a slabbed coin will always bring a higher premium than a raw one. I like my dealers, but I would feel much more comfortable handing over lots of money for a coin in a slab from one of the big 3, than to hand it over because my dealer says "it will grade at .... trust me!". When I found my 1944 D/S Lincolns the highest I graded one was VF. When they came back from ANACS the lowest grade was a VF because of rim damage, the rest graded AU. What I saw as wear turned out to be weak strikes. That mistake could have cost me over $1,000 if I had trusted my grading.
Good Lord Sylvester - you're starting to sound like me Steve you just hit a home run Like it or not folks - and I do not mean this in a derogatory manner AT ALL - the vast majority of collectors cannot correctly and accurately grade coins. Most of the time - they will undergrade, thus doing themselves a great disservice.
Jared Although Iam no fan of slabbed coins, with these little gold dollars authentification is a must, there are many repro's of these and alot of just plain old fakes floating around ,here is a good source of help with coins like yours,,http://www.calgoldcoin.com/default.htm Mikes a good guy if you email him pics he can help you,, least ways he did me !! Rick
