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Message:: [QUOTE="fiddlehead, post: 1884810, member: 31286"]Well, certainly Doug is correct that the slab doesn't add any value to the actual coin, but since most, or a lot of us don't have enough expertise and/or experience to be sure that a raw coin will grade (it's often easy to make an educated guess that it won't) it means we are to some extent having to rely on TPG or CAC to confirm the condition and grade of a coin.  Especially with coins of higher value (maybe over $100o or even $500) I have learned to assume that if the coin would grade then the seller probably would have done so already because it does add a lot to the selling price.  The same is beginning to be true of CAC certification.  That said, when one knows enough to have an educated opinion about a coin that's raw, it's a good way to make money.  I've learned a lot in the last few years (often from reading Doug's great posts) and I've gotten lucky that way a few times - and I now have some dealers whose eyes I've learned to trust a bit.  So I've had pretty good luck getting some coins I bought raw, certified, and I think I've done real well (about 75%) getting my graded coins CAC certified.  I also have a little bundle of CC silver coins that are raw and I know that almost none of them are likely to grade- but they're neat to have anyway - and they can be handled. DUK[/QUOTE]