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Message:: [QUOTE="TypeCoin971793, post: 2681914, member: 78244"]The slabs bring so much more because nice ancients are harder to find in slabs as the majority are raw. Also, many are addicted to having a slab for "authetication" and someone doing the "grading" for them. Many collectors "cannot afford to take a chance" on a raw coin, which is the problem with buying the coin before the book. Before I took a plunge into European ancients, I did a month's worth of reasearch, comparing, studying fakes, and valuing before I bought my first serious European ancient. And I am still learning after seven months. There is nothing wrong with buying a slabbed ancient. But paying more for one just because it is slabbed is the issue. Unfortunately, varieties by die pairs for ancient coins are virtually meaningless unlike the overworked large cents and capped bust halves. Showing a rare die pair of an ancient coin to a collector/dealer is analogous to showing a rare die pair of a 2016 Lincoln Cent to a US collector/dealer. They won't care and there is no premium. Now, die pair studies are done for coins that are found in a hoard which is useful for authentication purposes, but for general collecting, this area is largely ignored.[/QUOTE]