What is considered slab worthy?

Well, I received the coin and free ACACS certificate from HSN today. The coin is very nice with wooden box. From my understanding, it will cost $19 per coin, up to 4, plus $19 for return shipping. Also my shipping cost. Now, after reading and chatting with a few fellow members, sending uncirculated coins is not worth the price.

So I have only 1 proof coin currently, a 2011 1/10 ounce $5 Gold American Eagle bought from the US Mint. I'm thinking this is the only coin worth sending to ANACS, which will probably be around $44 total, $19 per coin for '15 day service', $19 return shipping, and my shipping to get 'em there. The order form says the discount is $76 through HSN. It doesn't expire til June 2012, so I do have time if I decide to send a few more coins... Any thoughts?

 

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There are many good reasons to get a coin certified. One of the purposes was to counter the over-hyped and frankly dishonest trends of certain types of dealers who claim their coins are much better than they actually are. But this has not put them out of business, just driven them into other areas with different methods. They can still say that a "former PCGS/NGC grader" called a coin MS64, when the piece would never get into an MS holder.

By only buying certified coins, you are at least prevented from getting stuck with problematic coins as long as you pay a reasonable price for the coins.

 

What is considered slab worthy?

Any coin someone is willing to pay a TPG to slab

 

Update: I will probably send 4 coins to ANACS for the promotion from HSN. It's $19 return s/h plus my end of s/h.. so about $35 total. The top choices are :

1. 2011 silver China Panda
2. 2012 silver China Panda
3. 2012 Canadian Silver Moose
4. 2012 Australian Silver Kookaburra

 

Is the physical protection offered by a slab sometimes enough reason to pay for grading?

 

Anything which justifies the expense. For coins under $100 and many bullion issues, as I know how to grade I simply self slab a lot of them with my company logo (I am not a grading service, I simply like my better non TPG coins in nice holders). The BCW holders are excellent for this and fit in with the TPG coins in the display case at my shop and at shows. They also the same protection a slab would too and labels can be tailored with even excel. This process also identifies material I may want to slab later on.

The TPG's and stickering services are in the game to make money on submissions if not serve the dealers who have an ownership stake in them. As you get more experienced at the submission game your take on what is worth slabbing will improve.

Consider your keeping the coin, the grading fees and shipping are costs allocable to the cost of the coin.

 

I have a few reasons why some people may slab certain coins, especially moderns: 1. They are looking for the elusive 70(proof coins only) and/or 2. they are competing in a registry. Those two reasons can be mutual or exclusive. What does anyone think?

 

"What is considered slab worthy?"

My answer: A coin that is likely to appreciate in value more than the grading fees.

In most cases this is true for older, more valuable coins (say $250+). There are, of course, exceptions to this generalization.