Buy the coin, not the slab.

I am getting the impression that some members do not value the expertise of the graders. Are these people just hired off the street ? I think not. The graders I assume are expert at what they do, just as we have experts on this list.

I would buy a slabbed coin because the difference between an MS65 & MS67 is drastic in value, and I for one would hate to make an error in my own judgement whether buying or selling.

Dave

 

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I don't like to have my coins entombed in plastic. I am with cole, when I buy graded coins they are freed shortly after. I do not pay a premium for slabbed per se, but I do pay a premium for nice/rare coins slabbed or unslabbed.

As too there expertise, whatever, grading a series you know well is really not that difficult. It's not like the graders spend tons of times checking these coins out with a loupe when they grade. They are there to run a business, and the major incentive I see in the business is to slowly inflate grades so as to have a constant stream of people submitting coins in the hopes of them upgrading. I just don't think that strong of an incentive can be overcome. This says nothing of the actual graders, I don't doubt their ability and two people can have an honest disagreement about a grade. It's the business model I don't like and won't buy into.

 

I've spent tons of time grading just one coin. Put it away for a day or two then checked it
again. The more I was paying for the coin the more I rechecked. But so what? If I'm not
on someone else's clock what does it matter that I spent an hour grading a coin and they
they can do it 20 seconds.

 

I wonder how many coins would have been lost to serious cleaning damage if they would have never been slabbed?