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Message:: [QUOTE="kidkayt, post: 698769, member: 7275"]Just based on experience, I have learned to focus on the coin not the slab.  Slabs can be very deceptive since you are paying for someone else's opinion, and you may not really like what they have to say after all. I've purchased TPG coins labeled MS/PR 70 which had price tags for 70s but were, under examination, really 69s.  It's a huge risk since if you buy blind just based on a "number" on the slab you may not be able to resell later to a discerning buyer. I have both a loupe and a simple microscope and a quick examination tells whether the coin is really at the advertised grade in its slab.  I've also had experience with some coins which I sent to PCGS where they were very poorly handled and returned to me with their assertion that they met "their" grading standards.  I am a collector and I like gems so I have decided I will buy directly from the mint and keep the coins in OGP, and if I purchase a slabbed coin I will examine it closely and decide whether I like the coin enough to keep it or return it.  For example I recently purchased a set of NGC PR70 UCAM nickels at a very good price and all the coins were TOP quality-no visible flaws at all.  I am very happy with them, even given that NGC coins usually have a lower premium than PCGS.  There's way too much hype going around.[/QUOTE]