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

[cpm9ball]

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.

 

Would you please clean up your mess?

 

Chris

[bsshog40]

That's a heap of cracked slabs there Chris!!

[cpm9ball]

That's a heap of cracked slabs there Chris!!

 

They weren't mine. I "borrowed" this photo from one of the threads here a few years back.

 

Chris

[123cents]

I have 555.

[cpm9ball]

I sold not quite half of mine, so I only have one left.

 

Chris

 

 

[coinman1794]

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

 

The number 1 reason my collection is slabbed is preservation.

[Kenneth F]

469... 463 NGC and 6 PCGS. My last ANACS was crossed over to NGC a few weeks ago. God knows how may raw coins I have.. would take a bit to count them all.

[johnny9434]

That's a heap of cracked slabs there Chris!!

omg and theres 2 gold beanies in there

[cpm9ball]

That's a heap of cracked slabs there Chris!!

omg and theres 2 gold beanies in there

 

I think those are just pieces of James' Doritos.

 

Chris

[newprepper]

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.

 

Would you please clean up your mess?

 

Chris

 

Did he use that blue "axe" to crack them out?

[Kurtdog]

Having nothing better to do, I counted up my certified coins, just on a whim. Much to my surprise, I have exactly 400!!

I wouldn't worry about it. I know a parent in my kid's coin club who has thousands of these and collects nothing but certified coins. Oh, he's "certified," alright.

[michael]

this will be the thread of the month james!! (thumbs u

 

i love it

[James_OldeTowne]

Would you please clean up your mess?

 

Chris

Chris that's just about what my pile of crackouts looks like lol !!!!!!!!

 

Yeah, someone above has complained about "liquidity", "when it comes time to sell", blah blah blah.

 

I keep reading certain complaints on the boards about how horrible it is to crack out certified coins because I'll never get my money back on them. Somehow... I've managed to do just fine! I don't regret ANY crackouts whatsoever.

 

The reality is that coins NOT in slabs are ALWAYS more liquid than those in slabs... because slabbed coins are harder to spend.

[cpm9ball]

Would you please clean up your mess?

 

Chris

Chris that's just about what my pile of crackouts looks like lol !!!!!!!!

 

Yeah, someone above has complained about "liquidity", "when it comes time to sell", blah blah blah.

 

I keep reading certain complaints on the boards about how horrible it is to crack out certified coins because I'll never get my money back on them. Somehow... I've managed to do just fine! I don't regret ANY crackouts whatsoever.

 

The reality is that coins NOT in slabs are ALWAYS more liquid than those in slabs... because slabbed coins are harder to spend.

 

Good morning, James! Did you get my last PM?

 

Chris

[PerryHall]

That's a heap of cracked slabs there Chris!!

 

I wonder how much the grading fees were for all those slabs? The grading services love guys that do this because they know that the coins that were in those slabs will eventually have to be reslabbed to maximize their price when it comes time to sell them.

[Conder101]

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 don't care about maximizing my sales price. my coins are a hobby not a business or investment.

[James_OldeTowne]

That's a heap of cracked slabs there Chris!!

 

I wonder how much the grading fees were for all those slabs? The grading services love guys that do this because they know that the coins that were in those slabs will eventually have to be reslabbed to maximize their price when it comes time to sell them.

Why do they "have to " maximize their price?

[Kurtdog]

That's a heap of cracked slabs there Chris!!

I wonder how much the grading fees were for all those slabs? The grading services love guys that do this because they know that the coins that were in those slabs will eventually have to be reslabbed to maximize their price when it comes time to sell them.

Why do they "have to" maximize their price?

If they want those coins to transact in those hyped-up markets, they do. Raw coins don't transact in those hyped-up markets. I hear Perry just trying to point that out to us. It's true, isn't it? Or, are we missing something? In which case, this is your big opportunity, enlighten us.

 

[James_OldeTowne]

That's a heap of cracked slabs there Chris!!

I wonder how much the grading fees were for all those slabs? The grading services love guys that do this because they know that the coins that were in those slabs will eventually have to be reslabbed to maximize their price when it comes time to sell them.

Why do they "have to" maximize their price?

If they want those coins to transact in those hyped-up markets, they do. Raw coins don't transact in those hyped-up markets. I hear Perry just trying to point that out to us. It's true, isn't it? Or, are we missing something? In which case, this is your big opportunity, enlighten us.

Can't I simply collect coins the way I want to?

 

Really, that's the only "enlightenment" I can offer ....

[Kurtdog]

Can't I simply collect coins the way I want to?

 

Really, that's the only "enlightenment" I can offer ....

Absolutely. Just don't expect them to transact at the hyped-up prices in those hyped-up markets when they're not in those slabs. On the other hand, knowledgeable collectors will discern the value in them, but that's the market you're limited to.

[cpm9ball]

Can't I simply collect coins the way I want to?

 

Really, that's the only "enlightenment" I can offer ....

Absolutely. Just don't expect them to transact at the hyped-up prices in those hyped-up markets when they're not in those slabs. On the other hand, knowledgeable collectors will discern the value in them, but that's the market you're limited to.

 

For what it's worth, I've followed James' posts over the last (almost) 8 years, and he has always had a good eye for quality. On top of that, in writing descriptions for Scotsman, he has never pulled any punches.

 

So, I think James has EARNED the right to collect any way he wants, and if it scares some people to crack coins out of their tombs, then that is just something they have to deal with.

 

Chris

[Kurtdog]

For what it's worth, I've followed James' posts over the last (almost) 8 years, and he has always had a good eye for quality. On top of that, in writing descriptions for Scotsman, he has never pulled any punches.

 

So, I think James has EARNED the right to collect any way he wants, and if it scares some people to crack coins out of their tombs, then that is just something they have to deal with.

 

Chris

Unfortunately, it does scare some people, and that's a shame. That's what makes for those hyped-up prices in those hyped-up markets, though, the fact that they're trading slabs, not coins. In those markets, the coins are secondary to the slabs. Don't expect them to tell you that, though.

 

If you want to trade coins, you have to forget those markets. You need knowledgeable buyers, who don't need assists from third-party graders. That's all I'm saying.

[bsshog40]

Can't I simply collect coins the way I want to?

 

Really, that's the only "enlightenment" I can offer ....

Absolutely. Just don't expect them to transact at the hyped-up prices in those hyped-up markets when they're not in those slabs. On the other hand, knowledgeable collectors will discern the value in them, but that's the market you're limited to.

 

For what it's worth, I've followed James' posts over the last (almost) 8 years, and he has always had a good eye for quality. On top of that, in writing descriptions for Scotsman, he has never pulled any punches.

 

So, I think James has EARNED the right to collect any way he wants, and if it scares some people to crack coins out of their tombs, then that is just something they have to deal with.

 

Chris

[PerryHall]

Obviously, James can do whatever he wants to do with his coins. He can polish them if that makes him happy. I'm just pointing out that expensive raw coins are far less liquid than their top tier slabbed counterparts in today's coin market. Also, expensive raw coins don't normally do as well in auctions as coins slabbed by the top tier grading services. Most coin buyers want the protection of the grade and authenticity guarantee that the top tier grading companies provide and won't bid on raw coins. When I see an expensive raw coin in an auction or in a dealer's display case, I have to ask myself "Why isn't this coin slabbed and whats wrong with it?".

[Kurtdog]

When I see an expensive raw coin in an auction or in a dealer's display case, I have to ask myself "Why isn't this coin slabbed and whats wrong with it?"

I'm sure you and a lot of slab-collectors do. If I didn't know what I was doing, I think I'd do that, too.

[Kurtdog]

Can't I simply collect coins the way I want to?

 

Really, that's the only "enlightenment" I can offer ....

Absolutely. Just don't expect them to transact at the hyped-up prices in those hyped-up markets when they're not in those slabs. On the other hand, knowledgeable collectors will discern the value in them, but that's the market you're limited to.

For what it's worth, I've followed James' posts over the last (almost) 8 years, and he has always had a good eye for quality. On top of that, in writing descriptions for Scotsman, he has never pulled any punches.

 

So, I think James has EARNED the right to collect any way he wants, and if it scares some people to crack coins out of their tombs, then that is just something they have to deal with.

 

Chris

Give him a medal. Sheesh, most of us do that. The only exception that comes to mind perhaps is if you're accustomed to spending an inordinate amount of your free time ATS, as you're conditioned to collect somewhat differently, there.

[cpm9ball]

Can't I simply collect coins the way I want to?

 

Really, that's the only "enlightenment" I can offer ....

Absolutely. Just don't expect them to transact at the hyped-up prices in those hyped-up markets when they're not in those slabs. On the other hand, knowledgeable collectors will discern the value in them, but that's the market you're limited to.

For what it's worth, I've followed James' posts over the last (almost) 8 years, and he has always had a good eye for quality. On top of that, in writing descriptions for Scotsman, he has never pulled any punches.

 

So, I think James has EARNED the right to collect any way he wants, and if it scares some people to crack coins out of their tombs, then that is just something they have to deal with.

 

Chris

Give him a medal. Sheesh, most of us do that. The only exception that comes to mind perhaps is if you're accustomed to spending an inordinate amount of your free time ATS, as you're conditioned to collect somewhat differently, there.

748

 

I don't go ATS. Are you always this pleasant?

 

Chrs

[Kurtdog]

Maybe we can wrap this whole thing up with this. I build model planes. That's another way I choose to spend my free time. Imagine if I just bought the planes already built. Are you able to see what I'd be robbed of? As a matter of fact, one might even go so far as to suggest, it's not a hobby, anymore. Well, the same goes for how I collect coins. When I can no longer tell whether there's a coin I like, when I have to rely on some third or fourth-party to tell me that, that's the point at which this is no longer a hobby, and I'm done with it.

 

EDIT: Chris, on your reply while I was typing this, nothing personal...

[cpm9ball]

Maybe we can wrap this whole thing up with this. I build model planes. That's another way I choose to spend my free time. Imagine if I just bought the planes already built. Are you able to see what I'd be robbed of? As a matter of fact, one might even go so far as to suggest, it's not a hobby, anymore. Well, the same goes for how I collect coins. When I can no longer tell whether there's a coin I like, when I have to rely on some third or fourth-party to tell me that, that's the point at which this is no longer a hobby, and I'm done with it.

 

Please don't misunderstand. It's not whether you like coins raw or slabbed that has me concerned. You don't sound too happy with life.

 

Chris

[Kurtdog]

Chris, need I show you threads where you appear the same way? Really, lets spare each other the psychoanalysis.