Buy the Slab not the Coin.

It seems to me that when buying a slabbed ASE the MS70 grade is everything, an MS69 is a virtually identical coin quality wise but so much is placed on the grade that in this case isn't it better to buy the slab, not the coin? Also, an un-slabbed ASE is usually reduced to roughly melt in price which also reinforces this idea.

 

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I dislike graded ASE's immensely. To me, it's just a marketing ploy that prays on the gullibility of the uninformed (which, apparently, are considerable in number).

 

I like ase but the massive quantities are a downer

 

And lets not forget the whole "first strike" thing. What a load of bull

 

Graded bullion and moderns........an attempt to make rarities out of otherwise common coins.........

 

Paying for a MS70 that is identical to
a MS69 is paying for a fantasy. Like the
guy on ebay who was selling his imaginary
friend.

 

This is how I feel about slabs. Just cracked these last night for my album.

 

Did ya send the bar codes back to NGC so they can adjust their 'pop' reports? :devil:

 

no. i think they are laying on my garage floor, underneath my vice.

 

i personally like slabbed coins they are in a good holder grade by a pro one might say and are better protected since the holders are good !! and if you look on the bay ms 70 still sell for an awful lot more then mint state 69 examples !! i have never bought a slabbed ase mabye i never will but i have noticed what you are saying about quality with the mint being up a lot over the past few year !! still i think slabbed coins are cool even if they dont add as much value as they used to !!

 

I send all my ASEs to SGS. Even the ones with scratches and fingerprints come back as MS-70; which helps my self image.

 

I've been ripped apart here for similar comments about graded ASEs. Some take collecting modern grading coins very seriously. But frankly, I would prefer another ASE over paying a premium for the plastic.

 

Well, we'll see what Uncle Vito can do about that...........

 

There used to be a hand held specialty
tool for cracking slabs. But I can't
remember what it was called. Does
anyone remember it or know why they
stopped selling them?

 

@quartertapper: Erm... and what's your TPG's definition of a perfect coin? In my book MS-70 means perfect, so no scratches, no marks, nada de malo...

 

Nut cracker. The walnut industry sued them over copyright infringement and they went the way of the Dodo........

 

I just love to overpay based on some poly extruded plastic that does absofreaking nothing for the coin. I guess that is why the most of my collection is not tombed, an' I hae been known to free Annie from her plastic tomb. Slabs are for speculators, investors. Not purist collectors.

 

Absolutely! An ounce of silver will never equal more than an ounce of silver. That's the way I look at it, saves me alot of time and money.

 

They were using them at large shows.
And cracking them right on the bourse. I'm
not sure why unless a TPG was
slabbing coins at the show for
flippers.