A lot of my better coins are slabbed but I sure like the feel of a big raw silver coin. How about you?
The more you handle raw coins, the more likely you are to damage them. Any raw coin I have is only raw long enough to rinse in acetone, dry, and then immediately placed in a protective holder. The need to fondle my coins has never been important to me.
Me too. I often handle only the smoothed out ones just to get a coin feel fix. Then I'm good for a while. Not that one should handle valuable coins at all, but I totally understand the impulse to hold a coin in the way it was originally used.
I recently picked these up b/c one of the stores weighs and sells by weight, so I didn't have to worry about paying the $20+ dealers charge for Morgans. I know some people collect P01, but I don't want all my coins to look like this. Extreme example, I know, but if I get the urge, I would fondle these.
I'm more interested in how coins look, rather than how they feel, so the tactile aspect isn't an issue for me.
When I completed my set of 50 Peso Mexican gold pieces I insisted on those prior to 1947 be TPG (All ended up being NGC MS-63 to 65). The 1947 which was a re-strike I specifically purchased raw from a reputable dealer, simply so this large gold piece could be handled/fondled. I attended the Houston Money show at that time and the dealer had a new roll of '47 re-strikes and gave me the choice of any piece for $1100! (Wish now I had picked up several) J.T.
Feeling the coins has never been important to me. Actually, it actively stresses me out thinking about it. I like my coins in TPG plastic.
Yeah, I was trained the same way -- but they're COINS. It seems somehow perverse to lock them away from physical contact, since their whole purpose is to serve as a physical token of value. I feel the same way, only more strongly, about new-in-box collectible toys. It's great to see them, but somewhere in the past there's a kid who would really like to have played with that toy...
I too am a fondler. Not to worry. My finer coins are protected in TPG plastic. But I am very much like @longshot. An old coin in my hands is better than a good book in my hands. They speak to me..... My doctor is working the problem.....
Wow, great question. Repeat it in the Ancient Coins Forum. People there hate slabs and there are even how-to posts about cracking them out. You should buy an Alexander Tetradrachm. The feel of this coin is marvelous. I wouldn't handle most other coinage this way but...
Since my fingerprints provide no added value — along with the fact that I have real klutzy days — mine are best off in a protected holder.
Yes, I own one. It was out of a holder long enough to apply acetone and take a picture, and then it went into a holder. And, the ancient guys hate holders so much it feels extreme.
I too like to "feel" my coins. But alas, I relegate that to a few very smooth (almost awesome) pocket pieces. Currently common Morgan, Ike, and Kennedy half! Most others (except 90% silver collecting) are in some type of holder.
Holding the coin is necessary to learn to detect counterfeit pieces. If you are afraid of mishandling them, you need more practice. Watch video of TPGers - they don't wear gloves for a reason.