Rant for the week: If you really want your coin in a -- holder, buy it that way!

[MarkFeld]

Far too often, I see collectors buy a coin graded by one grading company and then try to cross it over into a different holder. The crossover process can be costly, time consuming and extremely frustrating. And heaven forbid the coin doesn't cross, the owner is then stuck with worthless garbage (which gets worse looking by the minute) that he needs to dispose of and take a loss on.

 

While, for various reasons there are certainly exceptions, in many, if not most cases it is downright foolish to buy a coin in one holder if you really want it in another one. Remember there are usually other coins out there, already in the holder you want them in. It's just a matter of patience and discipline.

 

Rant over...for now

[MTHead-migration]

 

Some will say there are no stupid questions but "Will this cross?" is borderline.

[jgrinz]

Yeah I have been trying to get a 1950 DIME in an NGC holder - Tough to find and I dont want to play the crossover game as I already have a PCGS version ... Been a couple months and still hunting

 

m

 

 

[ant]

i prefer ngc slabs due to one thing only, the not so eazy to scratch while cleaning slab of print. i have found that pcgs slabs like showing the most miniscule scratches from paper towels

 

so untill something happens to mess up my view of coin it will be in the pcgs . a coin is a coin.

[Revenant]

I prefer getting coins in NGC slabs, so usually I add "NGC" as a search term to filter out all other slabs. I like my sets to be all from the same company (just a personal preference issue) and I'll even pay a few dollars more usually to get the slab I want because it would be more expensive to even try to cross the coin.

[gmarguli]

While, for various reasons there are certainly exceptions, in many, if not most cases it is downright foolish

... to care what slab they are in.

[cpm9ball]

Why bother unless you know almost positively that it is undergraded.

 

I have a 1915 S/S Pan Pac in a SEGS MS63 holder. It's probably closer to AU58, but I didn't buy it for the grade and I didn't pay 63 money for it either. I bought it because it has nice peripheral toning and I like it. As far as I'm concerned, it can stay in the SEGS holder.

 

Chris

[MunkyMan95]

I prefer PCGS slabs since they're less bulky, and the coin doesn't get lost in the ocean of white in a NGC slab. But, if I buy a NGC coin, I will buy it on the merits of the coin and not the holder it is in.

[MikeInFL]

After carefully considering posting "No Duh!", I settled on this:

 

Now if only the TPGs had the patience and discipline to have consistent grading standards, this wouldn't be a problem to begin with....

[jgrinz]

I will buy it on the merits of the coin and not the holder it is in.

 

This I find is an obvious observation from knowledgable collector.

In my case I have to worry of a "NO Cross" as I create the 1950 Multi Slab ... otherwise it is a waste of my time.

I had one about a month ago , but I returned it, as the coin in the holder I thought was a lot less of a grade than what was on the holder.

THEN I still have to worry that NGC doesn''t decide to downgrade a coin ALREADY in one of thier holders. ( See a previous Post I made about NGC sending all "reholder" orders through the grading room before reholdering them for grading accuracy and degradation of coin in the holder )

The *spoon* I get myself into sometimes amazes me but at least its a learning experience for you's guys.

 

[MarkFeld]

Why bother unless you know almost positively that it is undergraded....

What does an under-graded coin have to do with a crossover?

[cpm9ball]

Why bother unless you know almost positively that it is undergraded....

What does an under-graded coin have to do with a crossover?

 

Nothing! I'm just in a bad mood.

 

Chris

[EZ_E]

I prefer PCGS slabs since they're less bulky, and the coin doesn't get lost in the ocean of white in a NGC slab. But, if I buy a NGC coin, I will buy it on the merits of the coin and not the holder it is in.

 

Yeah, what he said! I feel exactly the same way.

[DC Dawg]

Why bother unless you know almost positively that it is undergraded....

What does an under-graded coin have to do with a crossover?

I think the point is that if the person thinks one TPG undergrades their coins, they would attempt to cross them as an attempt to cherrypick a coin.

 

You should ask these people if they've read any of Scott Traver's books! He advocates crossing and crack outs to "make money."

 

Scott

[leeg]

On occasion, I'm guilty as charged.

[ldhair]

It's a game to some folks. To me it's a waste of money unless the slab is damaged to the point it needs to be replaced. I do better in Vegas.

[James_OldeTowne]

Far too often, I see collectors buy a coin graded by one grading company and then try to cross it over into a different holder. The crossover process can be costly, time consuming and extremely frustrating. And heaven forbid the coin doesn't cross, the owner is then stuck with worthless garbage (which gets worse looking by the minute) that he needs to dispose of and take a loss on.

 

While, for various reasons there are certainly exceptions, in many, if not most cases it is downright foolish to buy a coin in one holder if you really want it in another one. Remember there are usually other coins out there, already in the holder you want them in. It's just a matter of patience and discipline.

Concise and excellent rant, and I completely agree. I cringe every time I hear someone ask "will it get into a XXX holder?" I try to avoid doing business with ding dongs who think like that.

[BillJones]

I fully agree that you need to buy the coin in the holder that you want and not fool around with cross overs or even raw coins if the piece in question is a rare and expensive one.

 

At the last EAC convention I went there with a couple coins on my list. One was a 1795 half cent. After getting five out of seven of the 1795 year set coins as part of my type set, all in PCGS holders, I decided that I would make the last two types I needed also 1795 dated coins in PCGS holders. I rarely specify NGC or PCGS because I buy the coin, not the holder. But in this case I decided to match up the seven pieces. The coins were the ying and the yang of the set, the half cent and the $10 gold piece. I already knew who had the big gold coin that suited me, but the half cent posed a problem.

 

I have been looking for a certified pole to cap half cent, that I liked, for more than two years. What few coins I saw in the holders, and there are no more than a couple, did not suit me at all. Finally I found a piece that was wonderful, but it was raw. The deal I made with the dealer was that he had to send it to PCGS for grading. If it graded, the deal was set. If it got a body bag, I would get a refund. The grade, which had to be either AU-55 or 58 if it graded, was a wild card. The coin came back in an AU-58 holder, the deal was set. (thumbs u

[Oldtrader3]

I have not crossed over many coins. Like Bill, I either try to find the coin in the holder that I want or I live with what holder I can get, if the coin is one that I want. I even buy the old ANACS or ICG holders for some coins.

[BankNote1]

I play the cross game just like thousands of others. I try to buy the coin and not the holder. In buying the coin sometimes you end up with coins in ANACS or some other holder. I prefer coins in NGC or PCGS holders so I send the ANACS and etc.holders to cross.

[DirtyGoldMan]

I disagree with the OP, unless we are talking about 1941 Walkers in 65, 1924 Saints in 64, 1881-S Morgans in 65, 09-S VDBs, etc.

 

I buy a coin if I like it, whatever the holder, and worry about the plastic later. Sometimes, this causes some frustration or annoyance down the road, but if I like the coin, I do not mind it (too much ).

[MarkFeld]

I disagree with the OP, unless we are talking about 1941 Walkers in 65, 1924 Saints in 64, 1881-S Morgans in 65, 09-S VDBs, etc.

 

I buy a coin if I like it, whatever the holder, and worry about the plastic later. Sometimes, this causes some frustration or annoyance down the road, but if I like the coin, I do not mind it (too much ).

Robert, at the time you buy the coins, do you already have in mind the idea to try to cross them later? If your answer is "no", I'm not talking about you. And if they don't cross, are you fine keeping them anyway? If your answer is "yes", I'm not talking about you.

[DirtyGoldMan]

I disagree with the OP, unless we are talking about 1941 Walkers in 65, 1924 Saints in 64, 1881-S Morgans in 65, 09-S VDBs, etc.

 

I buy a coin if I like it, whatever the holder, and worry about the plastic later. Sometimes, this causes some frustration or annoyance down the road, but if I like the coin, I do not mind it (too much ).

Robert, at the time you buy the coins, do you already have in mind the idea to try to cross them later? If your answer is "no", I'm not talking about you. And if they don't cross, are you fine keeping them anyway? If your answer is "yes", I'm not talking about you.

 

You may/may not be talking about me, but when I bought an NGC-graded coin from you earlier this year I had every intention of getting into PCGS plastic, to match the other coins in the group.

[MBA101]

Well, what if you see a great coin in say holder XXX, and you just have to have that coin, so you buy it, then NGC comes out with this neat edge view holder

 

http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=1078

 

And you just want that wonderful coin in that holder? Huh?

[leeg]

On occasion, I'm guilty as charged.

Now PCGS MS 66RB (POP 2/0):

 

 

 

Now PCGS MS 65RB:

 

 

 

DNC (Now the only NGC coin in my collection):