When it comes to coins....I like to hold them and feel them in my hand. I personally don't like slabbed or cased coins. It's like having a nice car you never drive or having a picture of a coin almost. Of course it's not good for the coin to handle it much....but to me it's worth it. I don't buy coins looking to make a profit in 40 years....and my hands aren't made of sandpaper. What kind of person are you? Slab or no slab?
I flip-flop on this one. For some things, like modern issue coins that are plentiful and inexpensive, I will try and get examples in MS69 or 70 and put them back in a slab for the ultra high grade sets. But other than that, I love handling my coins and avoid the slab as a general rule. That being said, if I ran into a deal where I could get a nice coin for a lot less than I expected to pay but could only get it in a slab, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the slab.
Depends. If you mishandle a key date that cost you a few grand, you would have wished it had been in a slab. For most coins, I do not recommend slabs. I do love holding an old coin. To know that I along with countless others have held this coin is a great experience.
For gold coins that I may want to show to non-collectors who wouldn't know how to handle them, I'm into slabs - their rectangular shape and descriptive label make for easier storage and display. The same goes for silver worth more than a couple of hundred dollars. Otherwise, I'm in the "love to hold them" gang (with cotton gloves, of course).
I like coins in a 2X2 in a 3 ring binder...you can see your whole collection and pull them out individually if you want. I even use Avery Labels (1/2" by 1.75", 80 per page) to print the year and mint on one line and the mintage number on the second line for a nice clean presentation of the coin. This works well for my Lincolns. I had Whitman folders and Dansco albums, but I wanted better protection for my red cents. I also like slabs for buying/trading/selling with others sight unseen. Though, you should buy the coin, not the slab, it's a cleaner way to deal coins quickly. With that said, I stick to PCGS, NGC, ICG and ANACS for certification only. I also like the Snap-Tites for my coins. Again, for Lincolns, I print up labels that I put inside of this plastic holder. They are durable and allow you to individually examine each coin.
Avery Labels!!!!! I had never considered that, although if you think about it for a second, I haven't had much time.... Thanks for the thought, Ed.
no slab so far. i love to hold a coin, feel the metal, and wonder where it's been. i try as hard as i can to treat them as gently as possible and they do go into 2x2s so they are protected. i would like to have some snap tights for my morgans, though... if i should buy a coin that's in a slab, fine - that's the way it is and i won't remove it from the slab.
I like the analogies you use here to describe slabbed coins. Personally, I would want to have all valuable/rare coins in my collection slabbed for the purpose of preserving the condition of the coins.
A good question - and one with many answers. Slabs serve a definite purpose - but too few recognize what that is - number one they protect the coin. But perhaps the most important purpose is that they establish authenticity. Think about this - there are two identical coins in regard to condition or grade - one is raw and the other is slabbed by say NGC. You find these coins at a dealer's table while at a coin show and you don't know the dealer from Adam. Now the price of these coins is $1,000.00 each - no matter which one you choose. But you are not really familiar with this particular coin and have no idea how to tell if the coin is genuine or not - but you really want to have one for your collection. Which one would you buy ? Slabs serve another purpose as well. Say a few years from now you develop a sudden illness and need to sell off your collection. Which coins will be easier to sell - slabbed coins or raw coins ? And which ones do you think you will get the better price for ? But like anything else - it's up to the individual to decide what is right for them. Nobody else can tell them what to do nor should they. Ed - a comment for you. If you are placing printed labels inside your coin holders you might wish to consider if the paper and the ink you are using are of archival quality. Just about all paper - unless specially made - contains high amounts of sulphur. There are also various chemicals in ink. Between the paper and the ink - in the years to come you may see some unexpected results on the surface of your coins. They may tone - you may like this toning or you may not. It is also possible that the coins may even begin to develop corrosion. Something to think about
Personally, I do not slab any coins I purchase. I do however purchase slabbed coins on a regular basis. My reasons for not slabbing coins are simple: I belive in selling the coin and not the slab, from a profit perspective (dealer) I do not wish to add the expense of slabbing, and lastly, most coins worth slabbing I can move fast enough that slabbing does not even become a question. In regards to slabbing expensive coins (for the sake of argument, we'll say a few thousand dollars or more) I can understand why many folks would want to have the coin slabbed for preservation purposes, but I leave this decision to my customers.
Well we slab most of our coins these days. Not because of desire or want, but because our customers ask for it. Most of our sales are going into registry sets. Sign of the times. The only coins that I would recommend to be slabbed are key dates, and certain grade rarities. Too many fakes out there. I have seen many $500 1916-D Mercury Dimes that become a $2.50 coin when the D falls off.
Avery Labels inside Snap-tites Thanks for the heads up regarding paper and ink emissions inside Snap-Tites...never thought about that.
This isn't a concern you should worry about. It is the oil your body secretes through the pores that can ruin your coins. Fingerprints have ruined more coins then PVC! Over time, even coins held by the outside rims can turn bad. It's good advice to use 100% cotton gloves when holding/handling your coins, regardless of their value/rarity. I use Lisle gloves. Very thin, 100% cotton and extremely inexpensive. The only "problem" with them is that one size does not fit all. I have small hands so the fingers are baggy at the ends. I always make sure I am viewing my raws very close to a toweled surface in case I drop them.
Not sure if it's the same brand spy is talking about or not - but the ones I use can be found here - JP's Corner If you folks wonder why I always refer to this shop - it's because they always have what I want at a great price And no I am not affiliated with them in any way.
