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Message:: [QUOTE="900fine, post: 731083, member: 6036"]When one says "a disparity in value", be careful... sometimes we're comparing apples and oranges. PROBLEMS : For instance, let's pick $3 gold, which are notorious for cleaning, polishing, and counterfeits. The raw $3 coins are mostly problem coins, while the slabbed coins are mostly problem free coins. The slabbed coins tend to bring more because they tend to be better coins, not for the slab per se. The raw coins sell for less because they tend to be lower quality, even if claimed to be just as good. GRADING : Let's say we're comparing two half dollars - a 1941 Walking 50c MS64 PCGS vs. a different 1941 50c coin raw, claimed to be MS64 by a dealer. I have found the dealers over grade much, much worse than the TPGs. So when the PCGS MS64 coin sells for more than the raw MS64, maybe the raw coin wasn't MS64 at all. It sold for less because it was less of a coin. So the real question is "Would the same coin sell for more in a slab ?" I think so, but not as much as some think. Useful to note that sometimes coins sell for less in slabs. That's sometimes true of early Large Cents, which tend to have rim bumps which are less visible in slabs. With a slab, the buyer can't tell for sure, so some folks prefer raw copper and pay less for slabs.[/QUOTE]