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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 1642902, member: 19463&quot;]These are ancients and ancient collectors play by their own rules.&nbsp; I suspect having coins that have to be handled by the edges is the next thing to slabbing coins and most of us don&#039;t do that.&nbsp; Certainly there are ancients that need to be treated carefully (mint state gold comes to mind) but most of the coins collectors of my level have actually benefit from handling.&nbsp; Most US gems can go from one grade to another just looking at them incorrectly and a scratch makes a nice coin into a body bag victim.&nbsp; Ancients have faults.&nbsp; A few don&#039;t but most of them are either very common (boring) or in a price bracket few of us can approach.&nbsp; Less than 1% of my coins are EF and even them can take the reasonable handling I have given them.&nbsp; My attitude is that a coin should be able to to be passed around an elementary school class or it really isn&#039;t a coin.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I once knew a dealer who showed me a tetradrachm of Uranius Antoninus he was carrying in his pocket with his change.&nbsp; His theory was that the rough surfaces would benefit from a little natural wear and a decently surfaced VF would be worth more than a rough EF.&nbsp; Crazy?&nbsp; I thought so at the time but am less certain now.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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