And had the guy who graded your coin eaten a ham sandwich for lunch, instead of chili, that '69 would be a '70..........
I'm a member of ANA, but I have not have any coins slabbed. I know it's probably preference in deciding if NGC or PCGS is better. When I first started collecting in 2009, I had the dealer send in the two gold coins that I bought from him. He said that both of them would probably come back an MS61. It turns out he was right on one coin. The other came back UNC Details, Obverse Scratched. Since them, I have hesitate in having any of my coins graded, however, I do buy graded coins.
I can understand, and I'm not sure how often I will get coins slabbed, myself. In this case, though, I wanted to try to "lock in" the quality of the coins, and therefore any value, for those who might inherit or receive them as a gift. Not many in my family are savvy with coins and I think it would be easier for them to get fair sale value with a TPG rating permanently attached to them. At least, that's my hope.
I may have asked this question before, but, except for the Mintmark, what is the difference between the Uncirculated ASE and the Bullion ASE other than circulation.
I think you may want to revise that sentence just a bit, lest you end up featured in a best-selling book...
The coins we buy from the Mint do not have the quality of coin holders that they have been know to have in prior years. The boxes are thin blue cardboard with a cover that the box slides into. Such a cheap way to go after all the years before had nice quality coin holders. They go cheap on the coin boxes and increase the price by at least a third from a year or two ago. It's best to go somewhere and buy a better quality coin holder than keep them in the Mint's cheap boxes.
As I understand it, it's never been a great idea to keep silver or copper coins in Mint packaging long-term, because it outgasses stuff that can cause ugly toning.
Bullion ASEs are only sold directly to authorized dealers and cannot be bought directly through the mint (with the exception of special sets - e.g., the 2011 5-coin 25th Anniversary ASE set had a bullion coin in it). They are intended to be for investment and are purchased through dealers. The uncirculated ASEs are intended for collectors and can be purchased directly from the mint by regular consumers like you and me. About the physical differences, the product listing on the US Mint's web site says: Quote: These [uncirculated] coins feature a finish similar to its bullion coin counterpart, and they are struck on specially burnished blanks at the United States Mint, West Point, N.Y. This is what I read and found when purchasing the Proof coin...
My thoughts are this...and I also just received my Unc: Very nice and no issues with it...looks as MS70 as any I've ever seen. But I liked the symmetry of the Heraldic Eagle and similar, as well...the Washington 25c, the Kennedy 50c, and so-on and on...but that's just me and understand many didn't/don't like that sort of design. That said, I have a couple of other overall design issues...1, the all-too-prominent size and location of the designers AW initials plus the location of the mint mark, and 2, it is starting to be referred by the nickname of "Flying Eagle." To me there is only one Flying Eagle...that of the Flying Eagle cent, 1856-58. Yes, there are other flying eagles...at least one, the most beautiful of all (to me) on the reverse of the gold dbl-eagle of 1907-1933. Have also heard an occasional reference to this ASE Type-2 as "Landing Eagle," and hope this will become the more prevalent and permanent, in order to prevent a hijacking/duplicate of a already well-established coin's name. A bit protective of some numis-history, I guess.