Here is a brilliant uncirculated toned 1958 penny. And, believe me, it is a lot more toned than what the pictures show! So, what do you think? Thanks,
You could if you want, but know that after you pay $25+ for the grading and slabbing it will still only be worth a couple dollars. Unless you think it will come in at MS67, but I f it was pulled from circulation I would venture to guess it won't. It's still a nice clean coin though and you could put it in a 2x2 or capsule to keep it safe. After much asking and reading this is what I've boiled down to as far as slabbing- if it is a high value coin or something that is known to be counterfeited slab it. I now the term high value doesn't help much, but you have to figure in the cost of the TPGs fees and whether or not people would be willing to pay the premium for it. Let's say you buy coin X for $75 and you know that book at its grade is $150+ why not. That's not a formula, just an example of how I look at it. You'll probably fetch a premium if it's graded by one of the big dogs and buyers that can't distinguish between a MS64 ad an MS65 (like me) will be more likely to bite on its sale. Do you have a Red Book to reference? Also, if you don't already use it, download photograde ok your smartphone or tablet. It's a very helpful tool.
If you send it in, you will lose 99%+ of your expenditure. If I were you, I would spend a lot of time learning how to grade. Only then, will you be able to determine if a coin is worth submitting for grading or not. Chris
Generally, it would need to be in an extremely high state of preservation . CPM9ball has some good advice, but learning to grade takes time and looking at a lot of coins. There really aren't any shortcuts. BTW: Nice job holding the coin by the edges to protect the surfaces. Also, officially it's called a cent, even though most people are fine with calling it a penny. In Numismatics, as with any area of study, understanding and using the proper terminology is always useful when communicating with others in that field.
Haven't we discussed this before, perhaps even a few times? Again, just because a coin may be "nice" or arguably attractive, this in absolutely no way makes it a candidate for a submission. Submitting a coin MUST add something of "value", some type of benefit, to a coin, be it independently verified authenticity, increased liquidity, market acceptability, etc, so ask yourself what plastic would do for this one? Would the "toning" you claim to see be something the average buyer would pay many hundreds of times the coin's likely raw worth for, or would someone gladly pay such a price for the added comfort of knowing it's genuine? Of course not, and even though these are questions you must learn to answer for yourself, the fact is that a great majority of perfectly nice and collectible coins out there, including many presently residing in plastic, have no business being there. The TPGs are not the collector's friend, nor do they exist for collector benefit; they're for-profit businesses offering a great service, but they're also more than happy to take your money while offering no benefit in return. They are a tool, and as with most any tool, is most valuable when in the hands of someone who knows how best to use them. Having an emotional attachment to a coin can be one of the most dangerous thing for collectors, and is especially true for newer ones. All the evidence one needs to see this fact is how most generally view coins they own, or they want, in a more positive light than they otherwise would. A coin, every coin, is what it is inside or outside of plastic, and no matter who the owner is; the sooner you realize and accept this, the better off you'll be.
