Slabbed ancients.....yay or nay?

Hi all, I currently collect thai coins and while I prefer slabbed coins, if I buy any raw ones, if they are rare, I will send them in to get graded. My goal is to preserve them.

I would like to slowly dip my feet into ancients.....and I notice many of you ancient collectors collect raw/prefer raw. Why is that? For me a slab would better preserve it from the elements and help with authenticity as I'm sure counterfeits are a big problem.

Hope to hear your take on this, thank you!
Mike

 

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Heh. NAY. Nay nay nay.

If you merely wish to preserve them and like the shape and style of TPG slabs, buy the ones you can open and close and "protect" them yourself. One of the best things about collecting ancient coins is being able to touch the coins!

Do a CT search and you'll see the depth of feeling about this and the multitude of reasons why it isn't necessary. We've had many "spirited" discussions, usually every few months. There are few people who like them and insist on them, a few more who tolerate them, and the rest of ancients collectors will give you an earful.

You'll find abundant pictures of our proudly slain slabs.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/saturnalia-dilemma.307762/#post-2941512

 

I like slabs...I especially like the cracking sound they make when they meet my hammer.

 

Ha! @TIF beat me to it. Of course you can slab them; store them anyway ytou like. But besides the history, there is nothing better than hold one of the incredible coins letting your mind wander to who may have held the coin and where it has been for 2000 years or more.

 

If you search "slabbed" you'll see many topics here about this exact question. You can read all about why most of us detest slabs in those threads, but I will add a piece of advice that I think all collectors coming from moderns should get before they buy their first ancient: forget everything you know about modern coins when you start collecting ancients. Collecting ancients requires a completely different domain of knowledge, completely different grading and evaluation standards, completely different rules(all our coins are cleaned and we encourage handling and touching them!) and is really a whole other hobby, related to but separate from modern coin collecting. If you come at it with this perspective from the outset you'll have a much better time.

 

This. It's liberating! You won't be a slave to grades. No more "is it an MS62 or MS63?" This doesn't mean that condition is unimportant-- just that there are so many other factors that determine a coin's desirability and value.

 

counterfeiting is a big problem.. i don't mind a coin being slabbed at all.. provided its by a reputable grader....but it still comes down to your personal preference.. you can fool some of the people..

 

I used a hammer to shatter a slab with an aureus in it this morning so you can probably guess which side of the fence I'm on Buy coins from reputable dealers - it's the dealer who guarantees authenticity, not NGC (although they won't slab a known fake).

That said, if you're really worried, NGC does provide a valid second opinion but make sure you buy raw coins as well (again, from reputable dealers) so that you can truly hold history in your hands.

And, if you like slabs for protecting your coins, Lighthouse's "QuickSlab" products are great: I use them myself for the archival storage of many of my coins but take them out regularly to place in a tray for the best enjoyment.

 

Appreciate all the replies and advice given so far! Will do some more research before I jump in!

 

I read for several months before buying my first coin. I found this extremely helpful.

Please ask questions. The people here are friendly and helpful. We also love it when this advice results in someone else buying a coin.

If you can think of anyway I might be able to help, just let me know.

 

As I posted last year in a thread called "How to respect a slabbed ancient coin":


"I'm Mister Crowbar. And this is my friend, who is also a crowbar."

I agree with the other posters in this thread, and also want to welcome you to the ancients forum. Stick around, read, and ask plenty of questions - it's a pretty friendly and supportive group here, and the collective knowledge of the posters here is amazing.

 

Hard Nay.. I always have a few strewn across the home bar when having a pint.

 

You can always buy a slabbed coin and break it out later, just before not to pay a premium for a slabbed coin.

 

It is a matter of personal preference. I personally do not like my ancients slabbed and I've cracked some pretty nice coins. Most ancient collectors like being able to touch their coins and think about the ancient people who have also touched that very coin.

Having said that, there are collectors who prefer their coins slabbed and their is nothing inherently wrong with that. This is YOUR hobby and you should pursue it in the way that gives you the most satisfaction.

 

Yes, but...

Look at what it has done to US coin collecting within my lifetime! TPGs now rule the hobby. Just look at this currently featured thread, https://www.cointalk.com/threads/tpg-rankings-all-imho.317635/. Great Zeus Almighty! The importance of the coin within the holder seems to have taken a back seat to the rarity of the holder or the likelihood of being able to remove the coin from an older holder in order to have it grade higher with a new company or a newer incarnation of an older company!! Collecting US coins looks like more of a commodities game. It's all about grade and resale price.

Sure, there is nothing "wrong" with that (as you say, it's your hobby), but imagine if the pushback against slabbing ancient coins softens. How many ancient coin TPGs are there right now? Two? NGC and ANACS? If slabbing ancients becomes more accepted, more companies will appear. The crossover games will begin. Gradeflation becomes the norm. CAC-like companies will try to get in on the game (and one such company has already appeared, although they are viewed as a joke... so far). Who benefits from this? Not me, as a collector who is focused on collecting rather than potential profit from flipping or selling.

Heritage is leading the charge with the push for slabbing ancients. What a clever marketing ploy, and one that seems to be working well for them . As a leader in the US coin market they have a a massive clientele, most conditioned to buy slabbed coins and to strive for the highest possible grade. Prices for carbon-copy modern coins reach astonishing prices based on minute differences on the label of a plastic slab. Those customers are being lured to dabble in ancient coins because of HA's slabbing ploy. The new-to-ancients customer doesn't have to bothered with to learn anything about the coin or the hobby, just see what the label says .

What grade doesn't say about ancients is whether the coin is visually appealing. Sometimes an NGC slab may have extra verbiage such as "fine style" but from what I see, the grade still trumps all when that slab sells. NGC also does try to give extra information about coin quality with their strike and surface ratings (although only on higher-tier slabs), but even that doesn't adequately describe the individually struck coin within.

I sincerely hope that "registry sets" don't become a thing in our ancient coin hobby. Just imagine how prices and slabbing games will escalate if it does.

I could go on all day but this probably isn't a great way to begin a peaceful weekend so I'll stop here.

 

I am a nay sayer.

 

Being able to hold an ancient coin is the #1 reason I don’t like slabs. #2 is NGC doesn’t guarantee authenticity. #3 is all the things @TIF just listed.

 

I saw that same thread TIF and thought so this is what US coin collecting has become? Just another reason young people are not interested.

 

That is hardly true from my perspective.

In order to detect a counterfeit it would be a benefit if you can see the edge of the coin in order to determine whether it is cast.

Here two fakes:





I have never hold a slab, but if it hides the edge, then it would be a terrible idea, and prevent a detection of a counterfeit I think.

Counterfeits are not a “big problem” if you know what you are doing, and have invested some time in reading and holding a couples of coins.


Can I ask anyone here: does a slab hide the edge of a coin?

 

@Herberto The ngc slabs come in 3 prongs so you can see part of the edge pretty well but where the prongs are could hide something. Appreciate all the advice everyone! Ancients are definitely much different than modern coins!!

I will add that one thing I notice are the ancient collectors arent arguing about whose grading is better and that "my coin is better than yours because its graded by xxx company" and about making money like in moderns. So often I read about "will this upgrade"...its all about the money.