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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TypeCoin971793, post: 4642098, member: 78244&quot;]Gloves increase the chance of the coin slipping out of your hands and falling, increasing the risk of damaging the coin. If you handle raw coins properly, you won’t have that issue. This is why none if the graders use gloves, even for 7-figure coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now that you know the rationale, is it “blindly following” advice to not use gloves?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I have rubbed shoulders many times with [USER=15309]@Lehigh96[/USER], but I have still leaned much from him.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Jeff comes from a position that you are a new collector who is still learning how to grade and authenticate coins. While you are on your journey, he thinks it is imperative for you to invest in the added protection of certification until you know what you are doing.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do you know how to spot a dipped coin? Do you know the differences between circulation hairlines and cleaning hairlines? Do you know the diagnostics of whizzed coins? Do you know the strike characteristics of every variety of each early US coin type? Do you know the diagnostics of each of the high-quality die transfers that have infiltrated the market? Do you know how to spot the 90% gold die-struck counterfeits of pre-1933 gold?</p><p><br /></p><p>Can you answer yes to all of the questions above? No need to post the answer here. Be honest with yourself. If not, then buy certified coins until you do.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is so much more to learn to both protect yourself and properly evaluate a coin. There are so many counterfeits and ways to deceptively alter a coin. Keep in mind I could ask 4 times as many questions about other advanced areas of grading and authentication.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>What Ken is saying is that no one should define what your collection should be. Don’t like slabs? Crack them out. Don’t like Morgans? Don’t buy them. Maybe you do like Morgans, but you have no intention of completing the set. Don’t let anyone tell you that you have to finish the set to be considered a true collector or Morgan enthusiast.</p><p><br /></p><p>What Ken is NOT saying Is that it is okay to make stupid decisions or buy beyond your knowledge level. I’d be completely comfortable in my ability to authenticate and grade a $50,000 Chain Cent and pay up had I the money. However, I would make a hard pass on a 1928 Chinese Automobile dollar because I have absolutely no clue how to authenticate it. Me paying $50,000 for one raw would be beyond stupid. Me paying more than $100 on any raw Chinese silver dollars is stupid, actually. I ignore them all because they are too risky.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Read the above and see if your opinion changes. Once you learn enough to hold your own with the graders, you can ignore the advice of only purchasing graded coins. Make that call too soon, you will have some very expensive lessons down the line.</p><p><br /></p><p>If Jeff is telling you that the coins have to stay in their holders, that’s a reasonable difference of opinion. He is coming from the stance that their marketability is greatly hampered by being raw, and that you would have to invest in sending the coins back in to make them more marketable again. However, you can crack them out with no harm done.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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