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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Lehigh96, post: 1583046, member: 15309&quot;]Doug, </p><p><br /></p><p>You know my stance on this issue and I have been very consistent over the years.&nbsp; I am one of the people who vehemently disagree with the mantra of &quot;buy the coin not the slab.&quot;&nbsp; Look at your post above, I have bolded the most important word.&nbsp; If a collector does not have numismatic knowledge and grading skills equal to or greater than that of the typical TPG coin grader, how can that mantra possibly be a successful collecting strategy?</p><p><br /></p><p>For the <b>EXPERIENCED</b> collector, the mantra is fine.&nbsp; For novice and intermediate collectors, it is an accident waiting to happen.&nbsp; How many times have you seen a collector post a photo of their newest slabbed acquisition on this forum proclaiming why they think it is undergraded because the surfaces are excellent for the assigned grade?&nbsp; And how many times have you immediately viewed those photographs and immediately understood why the coin was graded lower than the surface preservation level warranted?&nbsp; The fact is that experienced collectors view coins through different glasses than novice/intermediate collectors.&nbsp; Instead of being a mantra, I think it should be a goal for inexperienced collectors to reach.&nbsp; But while they are still learning, they should continue to lean on the crutch provided by the TPG&#039;s.&nbsp; I am not saying that TPG graders are infallible, only that the inexperienced collector will make far more mistakes than a TPG grader, especially as it applies to grading.</p><p><br /></p><p>In essence Doug, I am agreeing and disagreeing with you at the same time.&nbsp; I just think that having different guidelines for different levels of experience is a good idea.&nbsp; I hope this clears up the confusion.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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