For all new collectors--PLEASE read!!

torontokuba, you don't sound like a novice collector to me.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Hmm, interesting. And nice Swiss coins by the way.

 

A story from 45 years ago -- in 1969, I was in the Army in Germany. Decided to take a week's leave in London. I took 8 cartons of Marlboro's with me (I don't smoke) and spent one rainy day hustling them around London's multitude of seedy pawn shops, offering to swap them for coins. Got some great stuff I still have to this day. In that era = no slabs, no Chinese rubbish, no sweat.

 

Yeah, but there are coin series I know nothing about. This is more about being smart in your shopping (could apply to anything, not just coins) than not buying raw. Worldwide, it is mostly the American consumer that can easily access and afford all their coins slabbed. It's $20+ to have your coin slabbed by your local dealer. It's $60 by the time you are done shipping it internationally with insurance. No one in Europe has entire rolls graded, hoping for an MS-70 and then unloading the rest of the losers for $5 a piece.

 

Thanks, I just added the reverses.

Two months ago, I got two Portuguese nickel commemoratives as a bonus in a swap, "full surface hairlines" is my description of them.

At a glimpse, the two German lots with decent photos and near spot pricing, turned out like this...

 

Sure - this whole TPG/slabbing is, just like the Sheldon grades, basically an American thing after all. I won't buy coins in coffins but if people in the US want to use such services, fine with me.

Christian

 

I'm not closed to or limited by my future coins packaging. I buy slabs, raw and I try to focus on the coin itself. I do not break coins out of slabs, that decreases the added value they possess. I do not ignore raw coins, if the price and photos are reasonable. I try to approach this as an open-minded individual. It's easy to trash what one does not understand. I understand what it's like to hold a raw coin by the rim, to flip a used silver coin in a coin toss and the pride that comes with having your coin in a slab or the pleasure one gets from getting to know the TPGs. This helps me sift through coins without prejudice.

 

True. Unfortunately, a lot of new collectors don't have that skill--it is gained through years of discernment, trial and error, and costly mistakes. Besides, you're speaking primarily of foreign coins, and I am speaking of American coins--completely different markets. This thread was not intended for a veteran collector, btw.

 

I can apply the same arguments using the various raw and slabbed Franklin halves I purchased. The nicest examples I have, are not slabbed.

Depriving an individual of developing discernment through trial, error and mistakes is not going to decrease the number of silly questions on forums. The staple of this hobby is yanking coins from rolls or circulation by the inexperienced beginners. They should not be buying slabs until they are good and ready. They learn by asking value and grade of the circulated pieces they find. The process can't be helped, in my opinion. Buying slabbed coins as a beginner, are you really able to focus on the coin or develop your own opinion of condition, grade, and surface?

 

Well, see you've taken your knowledge of silver composition in the series of coins your interested in - in this case Swiss - and determined the melt value of those coins and shopped/spent accordingly. We're all saying the same thing here - do your own due diligence/do your homework - before spending the money. In your case, if all the coins were harshly cleaned, you would have still been ok because you shopped and spent based on the melt value.

Now we have the novice collector who finds that shiny raw Trade dollar, who buys it for $100 then asks for grade and worth, after the money is spent and sometimes even before it arrives in their possession. Some people seem to have more money then sense...we've all seen that guy. My understanding of the OP was to caution such a buyer to avoid that shiny raw example and opt for a graded one, in that case.

 

I largely agree with this. I never yanked coins from circulation though.

 

I could not disagree more. What it creates is an impulse collector, who buys what looks good to him/her, but may not be valued accordingly. Perhaps it works for you, but I think it is dangerous for new collectors.

Nothing against raw coins--I have extensive collections of Kennedy Halves in Dansco albums, all at high grades, as well as Ikes in high grades in albums. However, in both cases, I knew the series extremely well.

 

Are you allowed to do that? I'm gonna check CT rules.

Yeah, what can you do.

 

I really do not see anything that needs changing or improving in your text. Not everything in this hobby has to relate back to the value of the coin. The old-timers here frequently explain to us the value of a lesson learned. I believe you are trying to eliminate that very important learning process. I suggest looking at an abundance of available reputable TPG photos, prior to shopping raw. You don't have to buy slabbed as a beginner, but, it helps to look at a few.

 

There's your next topic!

 

Disagree completely. The learning process can be by reading, talking to experienced collectors, and studying pictures of authentic and non-damaged coins. One doesn't have to lose by trial and error just to gain experience--nowadays, that is foolish experience. Learn smart, and not by trial and error, I say.

 

I fail to see what one learns by buying only slabbed coins in AU - MS. Unless you would like to encourage newbies to buy details damaged and cleaned coins as well. The high grade slab is a reward after accumulating as many raw coins as interest you, in the early days of your coin collecting adventure. Spending money on someone else's slabs, opinions and grades, from day one, will hinder any real experience this hobby has to offer you. It's like eating out in restaurants all your life, without having the ability to boil an egg yourself. You only see the final product through packaging. Most can't even take a decent photo of a slabbed coin for further analysis.

You can do your research, study pictures, talk till the cows come home and still end up with a lemon. Luck of the draw in today's internet transaction world. Going to a coin shop to ask questions without buying was already covered as disrespectful and inconsiderate. You can't just milk people for free knowledge.
http://www.cointalk.com/threads/ticked-off-lcs.242905/

The TPG's offer a final product, they do not offer an in-depth explanation or advice with every coin. This leaves the old tried and true method of trial and error. There is also a certain dignity that comes with an independent achievement of figuring things out on your own. Set a budget as a beginner, but, don't skip the mistakes or silly forum questions.