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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Orfew, post: 3447723, member: 74968&quot;]Ancients do not need a &quot;boom&quot;. Do you want to pay 300.00 for a Gordian III? There are plenty of resources for new collectors who do not want to get burned. IMHO slabs are a crutch that allow those who wish to learn nothing to rely on the opinions of others rather than developing their own expertise. </p><p><br /></p><p>MA-Shops houses many very good sellers who have some expertise when it comes to the coins they sell. What is wrong with buying from reputable dealers? As for NGC, if you like slabs then go ahead and use their service. I have respect for both of the ancients graders who work there. However, the best security is doing your homework. Know the coin or know the seller or both.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have often told the story that I read about ancient coins for several months before purchasing one. This is not for everyone but neither is collecting ancient coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>I will continue to crack open every slab I can get my hands on. Ancients do not belong in slabs IMHO. Ancients are meant to be handled and experienced. There are those such as David Sear who will authenticate a coins without entombing it.</p><p><br /></p><p>And that leads me to grading. I buy what I like not the grade of a coin. If I like the look of a coin I will buy it. Grading ancient coins is much more complicated than grading modern coins. There are many more factors involved. </p><p><br /></p><p>If you slab ancients you will turn the collecting of ancients in a grading war where perfectly acceptable coins get ignored and only the top graded coins are collected. This of course has happened to moderns.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do not try to force a paradigm onto an area where it does not belong.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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