Value of Grading Companies

Thank you for the photos (you & Bammer.) I found the beautiful silver buffalo commemorative right where you told me to go, and right where I'd looked before. *Sigh, I just kept missing it for some reason. Which is especially dumb considering I have the coin.

On another subject, I read what you had to say about slabbing in your journal. Being new to the finer art of collecting coins, I wanted to say that I have been collecting coins for their grade more than the grading company. Though I understand the company does make a difference.

Some coin expert on on eBay wrote that one could expect about a 30% decrease in value if the coin isn't graded by the top two: PCGS and NGC. You wrote that you've seen a difference between these two companies, to the detriment of NGC.

I've mostly have NGC graded coins simply because their slab case feels better in my hand. (That's a woman for you, into the packaging, ha :-)

May I ask, please, if you had some ungraded coins (because of the values you've seen) would you get your coins graded by NGC or PCGS? As a future investment, I mean?

Like you, I've noticed a correlation between stocks and how coins feel having something tangible in hand, over the intangible feel of stock investments.

So here's a question for another day. Is investing in coins as wacky as investing in stocks? Is the coin market as suspectible to emotion and outside forces? Or outside reporting of any kind?

Is coin collecting as illogical as the stock market with certain coins? (From what I've seen so far, I'd have to say yes to the last question myself.) And like Wall Wtreet, is coin collecting still a mystery to most people?

I've been wondering about these things for the past few months.

Thanks again,

Mtn Poet