As of this last Wednesday, I now own exactly 400 certified coins

[James_OldeTowne]

Many of you know that I very much usually prefer coins un-certified vs. in slabs because I am awfully old-fashioned in my collecting habits. The vast majority of my collection rests in albums or 2x2 flips.

 

However, I bought a lowly, humble war-nickel at my local coin-club meeting this last Wednesday and tossed in with the rest of my coins when I got home. The coin wasn't going toward any particular need; I just like it.

 

This morning, I couldn't sleep for some reason, and got up at 5:30am local time - on a Saturday?. Having nothing better to do, I counted up my certified coins, just on a whim. Much to my surprise, I have exactly 400!! Eye-balling, I'd say I am 45% NGC, 35% PCGS, and the remainder are ANACS, PCI, SEGS, a couple of ICG and some oddball other slabs - ACG, NCI and the like. By far, my coins are mostly in older slabs, with practically all of my NGCs being fatties, and most of my PCGS coins in rattlers and green-label holders. And ALL of my ANACS coins are the small-sized holders. I own zero certified gold coins, and I'd say less than ten total certified silver bust pieces! And zero early copper coins in slabs, unless you count hard-times tokens and Conder tokens, of which I own about thirty altogether.

 

Not many of my certified coins cost me more than $200. I think I may have a couple at $2000, a handful in the $1000 - $2000 range, probably a couple dozen in the $250 - $1000 range, and the big majority are affordable coins that I just like, in the $25 to $250 range. The coin I bought Wednesday was only forty bucks.

 

Do you know how many certified coins you own?

[cpm9ball]

I'm not really sure how many I have, but James, if you find that all those slabs in your pockets are causing your pants to hang low, I'll be glad to take some of them off your hands.

 

Chris

[johnny9434]

im not sure either on how many i do own. i think its over 15. ( ngc,pcgs,anacs and pci )

[Catbert]

My slab population = 20 U.S. type coins, 10 Conder tokens. I'm a small time collector.

[World Colonial]

I own around 225 give or take a few. 90%+ are in NGC holders with maybe one or two in the old ANACS, two in NCS and the rest PCGS.

[rons]

About 500 and shrinking. Approximately 25% of my collection as it stands now. No guess on percentage of NGC vs PCGS but raw is kicking their butts

[bsshog40]

I have never counted mine James, but you gave me something to do.

I have a total of 177. 128 - NGC, 46 -PCGS, & 3 misc. My raw still outnumber my slabs by far.

[Brol]

I just started my 2nd box of 20

[brg5658]

Hmmm...this is an interesting exercise...

 

According to my "Collection Manager" I have:

 

--------------------------------------

404 NGC slabs (69%)

183 PCGS slabs (31%)

--------------------------------------

587 total

 

Average price paid was $81 per coin. Over 160 of these are horse-related coins, with some duplicates (current horse set has 147 different coins). I own only 19 coins that I paid above the $500 level, and I have become much more selective and patient over the past year or 2.

 

I'm pretty sure I have probably 20-30 slabs laying around that I never put in the collection manager, so probably right around 600 slabs total for now.

 

-Brandon

[coinman_23885]

Approximately 300, but I am downsizing to focus on a few rarer series. I would estimate the TPG balance to be 50% NGC, 35% PCGS, 10% old ANACS, 5% ICG, old PCI, SEGS, and others.

[tejas1836]

32 total

 

12 - PCGS

19 - NGC

1 - ANACS

 

[michael]

wow james that is amazing!!

 

2 questions how long did it take you to get to 400 slabbed pieces?

 

 

and out of the 400 slabbed pices which three are your top favs this past week?

the three that when you think of your slabbed coins they jump out at you for whatever particular reason??

 

 

 

 

 

[TomB]

Holy Cow!

 

You left me in your dust. My collection is comprised of fewer than 80 slabbed coins. Of those, three are NGC certified and the rest are PCGS. Like you, I have a relatively high percentage of older holder coins.

[michael]

oh and james my number is currently zero

 

[nk1nk]

This was surprising for me, as I read your post and thought about it, I said to myself I probably have around 80 total. I went to the safe and was kinda shocked at how much I have accumulated over the past 5 or 6 years.

 

NGC 104

PCGS 38

ANACS 5

ICG 2

 

Total 149

 

Thanks for the post James

 

Nick

[Conder101]

I have somewhere between 400 and 600 slabs in my slab reference collection. In my coin collection I have to admit I now actually have one. I'll get around to cracking it out sooner or later.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Do you know how many certified coins you own?

 

49.

 

[James_OldeTowne]

wow james that is amazing!!

 

2 questions how long did it take you to get to 400 slabbed pieces?

I bought my first certified coin in 1998, so it's taken me fourteen years to get where I am now .

 

and out of the 400 slabbed pices which three are your top favs this past week?

the three that when you think of your slabbed coins they jump out at you for whatever particular reason??

In my entire collecting experience, I have certified fewer than five of my own coins. I continue to own them, so they are favorites for sure. At an estate auction (really a "farmer's auction) several years ago, I bought some "junk rolls" of buffalo nickels that had obviously not seen daylight in years. They were cheap, being, of course, "junk". When I got home, I realized that they probably contained someone's collection, because so many keys were represented! The best coin was a 1921-S that appeared to have luster, so I shipped it off to PCGS, hoping for AU or so. (In chose PCGS because I piggy-backed on someone else's submission.) The coin had/has a much nicer planchet than usual for '21-S, too.

 

It came back.... MS-62?!?! So basically for a few cents and the cost of certification, I ended up with a $1500 coin.

 

Also, a number of years ago, I cracked a half-dime out of a PCI "gold label" slab, graded MS-64. This coin crossed immediately to PCGS at the same grade, and it has amazing rainbow tone on the reverse, qualifying it as a favorite.

[Ducksoup]

I have... 1. Its a MS 63 Peace dollar from PCGS and it happens to be one of my favorite coins in my collection.

 

[Walkerfan]

I only have about 30

[bartlesvilleok]

Total Coins 369

Total Slabs 343 (some multi holders)

ANACS Slabs 4

NCS Slabs 2

NGC Slabs 191 (1 Details graded)

PCGS Slabs 143

SEGS Slabs 3

[jom]

I don't think I own more than 30 slabbed coins...probably less...in fact it might be 20.

 

The far vast majority of my coins are raw...Kennedy halves, Ikes, Washingtons, Roosevelts, Jeffersons....

 

It's funny that Mr. Anti-slab himself (James) owns 20 times the number of slabbed coins I do. What's he gonna say next? He bought them off eBay?

 

It's Bizarro World all over again....

 

jom

[coinman_23885]

It's funny that Mr. Anti-slab himself (James) owns 20 times the number of slabbed coins I do. It's Bizarro World all over again....

 

jom

 

Now here is a difficult question for him: For your personal collection, how many of the coins did you crack out of slabs previously? You say that the majority of it was raw, but did it start off in your collection that way?

[James_OldeTowne]

It's funny that Mr. Anti-slab himself (James) owns 20 times the number of slabbed coins I do. It's Bizarro World all over again....

 

jom

 

Now here is a difficult question for him: For your personal collection, how many of the coins did you crack out of slabs previously? You say that the majority of it was raw, but did it start off in your collection that way?

Seriously, I have probably cracked as many coins out of slabs as I own... slabbed. So I'd guess I've cracked out up to 400 coins?!

 

Someday I will count my non-certified coins, but I'll guess I have 2000 at the very least, heck maybe 3000 .

 

By FAR, the coins I consider to be my best and most favorite are NOT certified.

[jom]

So I'd guess I've cracked out up to 400 coins?!

 

Using a hammer or a nuclear device? You know...to do it all at once....

 

jom

[JJSingleton]

Seriously, I have probably cracked as many coins out of slabs as I own... slabbed. So I'd guess I've cracked out up to 400 coins?!

 

Someday I will count my non-certified coins, but I'll guess I have 2000 at the very least, heck maybe 3000 .

 

By FAR, the coins I consider to be my best and most favorite are NOT certified.

I appreciate your preference for raw coins. But my experience with selling coins show that top tier TPG graded coins are more liquid and bring higher prices than the same coin raw. So my question to you is if, or when, the time comes to sell your raw coins will you have them certified prior to selling? Or do you honestly believe you can maximize your sales price as raw?

 

I dream of having the guts some day to crack out my Dahlonega Type set and displaying the coins in a black capital plastics holder with easy access. I really hate the fact that TPG plastic keeps me from holding those coins.

[Hard Times]

I don't think I own more than 30 slabbed coins...probably less...in fact it might be 20.

 

The far vast majority of my coins are raw...Kennedy halves, Ikes, Washingtons, Roosevelts, Jeffersons....

 

It's funny that Mr. Anti-slab himself (James) owns 20 times the number of slabbed coins I do. What's he gonna say next? He bought them off eBay?

 

It's Bizarro World all over again....

 

jom

 

(thumbs u

[Walkerfan]

Seriously, I have probably cracked as many coins out of slabs as I own... slabbed. So I'd guess I've cracked out up to 400 coins?!

 

Someday I will count my non-certified coins, but I'll guess I have 2000 at the very least, heck maybe 3000 .

 

By FAR, the coins I consider to be my best and most favorite are NOT certified.

I appreciate your preference for raw coins. But my experience with selling coins show that top tier TPG graded coins are more liquid and bring higher prices than the same coin raw. So my question to you is if, or when, the time comes to sell your raw coins will you have them certified prior to selling? Or do you honestly believe you can maximize your sales price as raw?

 

I dream of having the guts some day to crack out my Dahlonega Type set and displaying the coins in a black capital plastics holder with easy access. I really hate the fact that TPG plastic keeps me from holding those coins.

 

Most dealers won't give you above MS 60 prices for a raw MS coin---even if it is a 65 or better!! They will just tell you to go and have it certified or that they'll send it in for you. Some dealers may even try to FOOL with you by claiming that your MS coins are actually sliders, even when they are NOT. There is NO DOUBT that NGC/PCGS plastic maximizes profit.

[nunfa0]

In my 2 years and three months of collecting slabs (thanks to a chance encounter with this website) I have amassed 257 slabs. They are all NGC and PCGS and my collection just keeps growing.

[Hard Times]

Seriously, I have probably cracked as many coins out of slabs as I own... slabbed. So I'd guess I've cracked out up to 400 coins?!

 

Someday I will count my non-certified coins, but I'll guess I have 2000 at the very least, heck maybe 3000 .

 

By FAR, the coins I consider to be my best and most favorite are NOT certified.

I appreciate your preference for raw coins. But my experience with selling coins show that top tier TPG graded coins are more liquid and bring higher prices than the same coin raw. So my question to you is if, or when, the time comes to sell your raw coins will you have them certified prior to selling? Or do you honestly believe you can maximize your sales price as raw?

 

I dream of having the guts some day to crack out my Dahlonega Type set and displaying the coins in a black capital plastics holder with easy access. I really hate the fact that TPG plastic keeps me from holding those coins.

 

Most dealers won't give you above MS 60 prices for a raw MS coin---even if it is a 65 or better!! They will just tell you to go and have it certified or that they'll send it in for you. Some dealers may even try to FOOL with you by claiming that your MS coins are actually sliders, even when they are NOT. There is NO DOUBT that NGC/PCGS plastic maximizes profit.

 

Not only do putting coins in TPG holders assure maximizing profit potential to most buyers in these modern times of market grading, but it also offers one of the best ways to preserve your coins for yourself and future generations. No contact with fingers containing detrimental fluids and acids, no exposure to chemicals in air, no breathing on the sample, etc. all of which add up to degradation. So slabbed coins in my view offer two strengths that holding them raw won't - a way to place a starting value on the coin and to preserve for decades, possibly centuries to come. Even better protection when you place them in something like Intercept Shield boxes.

 

Best, HT