Do you like coins in slabs?

I find this a good reminder to search the lower tier slabbed coins. You can get some of these really cheap and crack them out of the slab. So far not luck on finding one cheap enough, but I will keep looking.

Yes I do like slabbed coins but only PCGS, NGC and ANACS. For key dates I really want slabbed coins - too worried about getting a fake. As for the rest - slabbed or raw are okay, but if they are slabbed I like to try to keep it at raw prices.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Hey Mark
Yep---that is for sure---I always check out any off brand slab for such pieces...
My dealer has sent a good many coins to PCI---while neither of us agree with the grades most of the time he is the kind of dealer that prices the coins at the grade he grades it at....not the grading company.

Speedy

 

Gxseries,that is a very nice find for a Czar Peter I (the Great) silver Rouble.It is a pity about the vandalism on the obverse.I wonder if that edge variety is listed in Krause.If it isn't,then you'd better send an email with photos of the coin,as well as a description to michaelt@krause.com .Who knows,the coin could be worth hundreds of dollars,or even more than that.

Aidan.

 

I occasionally buy a slabbed coin, but it is usually because I can authenticate a rare grade with a reputable TPG.

 

gxseries,
I regret to tell this to you, but this item will not be worth more than you expected, in fact it is worth not much more than melt value, because it is a cast fake. You may see this from uneven surfaces and thicker elements of letters and other details, than those on the original. Details on your item lack sharpness of a struck coin.
See for comparison the attached scan of the original 1720 Rouble from which a form was most probably made where your fake was cast. Sorry for bringing bad news. I am 99% sure that this coin is not authentic, leaving 1% for the possibility that some 3rd party grader puts it in a slab claiming the opposite.:smile

 

I couldnt care less about slabs. With Ancient coins that are slabbed I immedietly break them out. With other coins, I might keep them in, not because of what someone wrote on the slab regarding grading but because its a good place to keep a coin you dont care about handling.

and I agree that the ruble looks like a cast with little doubt it does not look struck. Look on the edges for a seam or signs of a file used to take a seam off...

 

Okay forgive me for this very stupid question, but what is a "slabbed coin" and what is special about them? I keep seeing the term popup on eBay, coin sites, and this forum and I have no idea what a 'slabbed coin' is.

 

As is my understanding, to slab a coin is to seal it in a plastic sealed container (slab). This often includes info on the coin and a possible grading of the coins condition.


Slabbed coin

 

Well, I think everyone here is definitely talking about graded coins. A slab is a term to designate a coin that has been graded and is now encased in plastic with the grade of the coin on it.

 

Speedy,

I think I probably see more PCI graded coins than any other single company, but I never purchased one. Since you and your dealer have some experience with them, are they good at authentication and detecting problems such as harsh cleaning? I can deal with grading inconsistency since I only buy what I like and pay what I think it's worth [or less] but I just want to avoid purchasing colns that have large enough problems to make them virtually unmarketable.

Thanks.

 

Coins in slabs really don't bother me. Anything that belongs in a slab is in an air-tite or album in my collection. Either way the coins surfaces are not clearly seen unless you take the coin out, risking finger prints and damage. On higher priced/rare coins I like the slab (especially if the possibility of resale is there). But for your normal $10 coin an album does just fine.

I'm actually starting to collect the slabs. Kind of interesting to see how things have advanced and such. Just bought my first PCGS rattler this week.

 

For the more expensive coins I'm trying to buy, I prefer my coins to be slabbed by one of the top TPGs. I like the fact that reputable people have judged the coin to be authentic and have given it a grade that should be very close to the actual grade. I don't mind paying a little premium over raw coins for slabbed coins as I see it as a service that I like. I do have to agree with the grade on the slab before I buy the coin though, or have to think the coin may be a little better that what it is labeled as. I try very hard not to buy overgraded coins. Plus, I just like how the slabs look and enjoy displaying my collection in such a way. I do like Air-Tites as well. For all of my nicer coins that aren't in slabs, I have them in Air-Tites. The other nice thing about slabs is that you have a little bit more to hold on to when viewing the coin. The two downsides that I see to slabbed coins are that you can't view the edge in most cases and a lot of the slabs seem to scuff easily.

 

Cloud
I agree with what GDJMSP said----I'm on a slow computer because my good one is in the shop---and I it is soo slow I can't post alot----

If I had a question on a coin being real or not and I needed to find out fast I would send it to PCI---they are tons faster than PCGS or NGC...I think most of the time they do it in 9-15 days.

Speedy

 

Just sent my 1877 IHC out for a slab. She deserves it.

 

I do not mind slabs, for high $$$ coins i prefer slabs for the extra layer of security they provide (both financially and emotionally!

 

Maybe I'll give PCI a chance, at an appropriate discount of course.