KevinFlynn

My own coins will remain unslabbed and ungraded so that I can enjoy the pleasure of ownership (for me) to the full and I will always take good care of them.  But each to their own.
I did once buy a slabbed predecimal penny - at an auction, cheaply, because no-one else bid on it (£18 including all fees for an 1889 penny, slabbed and graded AU58 by NGC - EF in UK old grade-speak) but I carefully broke it out of the slab when I got home and it now sits gloriously raw alongside its predecimal penny brothers and sisters.
 

Me too! Touchers unite! 
The pleasure of owning coins is both visual and tactile, 'holding history in your hand', to quote an oft' used phrase. You won't get that (shouldn't?) with a modern proof, so grade away I say!
The dilemma with older coins, I feel, is the collector's paranoia that he/she has bought a fake/counterfeit coin. One should be able to spot a fake, I hear from the back, but these forgers were clever buggers and can fool even the experts at times. Buying a fake 1887 quintuple for example is going to hurt. So I can understand a preference for graded coins where the possibility of fakes are concerned, assuming of course the graders will stand by their evaluation.

When I got into precious metals I quickly realized that the coin in it's form calls out the collector in us. Something seems to click and whisper it's not merely an ounce of metal, it's a collectible. Even more so with historicals (say Sovereigns, 20 Francs), even though most are just a regular n grams of... This mentality makes us want to encapsulate even mundane pieces, use gloves and want to slab things. And the more slabs do command a higher price, the more this will become investment mechanic. At it's pinnacle it may lead to slabbing being needed to produce trust for selling?
I am viewing this tendency from Germany where stacking graded coins is a novelty, with few NGC or PCGS grading services available. I am reading opinions of German international sellers however who say they can make huge profits by grading for the US and Chinese markets.
Personally, I'm a fond toucher of my metals, I am enjoying a good gold or silver ping, and the jingle of coins in a bag - I remember reading about Nazi gold and seeing historical photos of rough bags of 20 Mark coins thrown in by the hundreds - what a glorious image 😙  I'm feeling guilty however whenever I'm reading about slabbing initiatives. I'm feeling like an amateur then 😗 even though I'm always sure that the dealers I buy from will have sorted the numismatically valuable coins from those they offer as bullion grade. And yes, even I place joy in completing series like Queen's Beasts and cannot think of these pieces as bullion. And I'm happy to try to complete date runs. So it is inside all of us 😳 let's not forget: everything worth doing is worth overdoing 😁
I do hope graded coins will not become the stacking standard.

@dicker Yeah there are pros & cons here pal. I'm not a fan of grading per se &  only about 5% of my collection is graded but the reason I bought for example my Queens beasts 1oz proofs graded is as BB they are easier to look at slabbed & I like the GB labelled slabs which most of mine are, they frame the coins perfectly.
I bought  the 2oz QBs slabbed for a different reason, a lot of the raw coins I saw for sale had some minor imperfections spots/scratches so I went down the route of only buying MS 69/70 coins with no spots & I've seen loads of slabbed QB 2 oz coins on ebay with spots sell very well in the US, for some reason they are more tolerant of spotting. In the 2 cases I'm talking about grading can & does add significant value compared to the raw coin.
But on the other side of the coin so to speak graded lunar series 1 proofs 1oz & 2oz in particular sell for less than the raw coins so grading is not always the best thing to do.
 
Its horses for courses whatever you do with your coins is the right thing to do graded or not we're all different.

When I got into precious metals I quickly realized that the coin in it's form calls out the collector in us. Something seems to click and whisper it's not merely an ounce of metal, it's a collectible. Even more so with historicals (say Sovereigns, 20 Francs), even though most are just a regular n grams of... This mentality makes us want to encapsulate even mundane pieces, use gloves and want to slab things. And the more slabs do command a higher price, the more this will become investment mechanic. At it's pinnacle it may lead to slabbing being needed to produce trust for selling?
I am viewing this tendency from Germany where stacking graded coins is a novelty, with few NGC or PCGS grading services available. I am reading opinions of German international sellers however who say they can make huge profits by grading for the US and Chinese markets.
Personally, I'm a fond toucher of my metals, I am enjoying a good gold or silver ping, and the jingle of coins in a bag - I remember reading about Nazi gold and seeing historical photos of rough bags of 20 Mark coins thrown in by the hundreds - what a glorious image 😙  I'm feeling guilty however whenever I'm reading about slabbing initiatives. I'm feeling like an amateur then 😗 even though I'm always sure that the dealers I buy from will have sorted the numismatically valuable coins from those they offer as bullion grade. And yes, even I place joy in completing series like Queen's Beasts and cannot think of these pieces as bullion. And I'm happy to try to complete date runs. So it is inside all of us 😳 let's not forget: everything worth doing is worth overdoing 😁
I do hope graded coins will not become the stacking standard.

I received a marketing mail from a U.K. grader this evening (Not a forum sponsor).
The tone of the marketing mail is along the lines of:
“you must grade to get the best prices”
”the best coins in the US are already graded”
etc
I personally dislike grading, and the “industry” that grading has created.  This is both because I think it is lazy to leave another person to decide a grade and also because so many people grade simply to achieve a PF70 and a top price for a grade.
We are a broad church and I know Many here grade and sell, but It’s just not for me.  
 
The more grading becomes commercialised, the more I dislike it.  I wonder if it will eventually become a “tax” on selling coins.  
 
Best
Dicker

Hey all, just wanted to provide a quick update to this thread. I managed to compare it with 2 other eagles today and now thankfully feel sure it's genuine. Examined them all closely they all have that 'grainy' finish when viewed through a loupe. Weight, size and ping sound/pitch all identical so I'm relieved and happy. Once again appreciate the comments and help!

Got these 2 stuning coins today among some others.
1 Oz Libertad 1981 and 20 Pesos 1920
 
 

Big BIG arrival today!
The 2000 mirror ring.
But... it is graded... and none of my other pandas are.... I got it brought in for me from China and it's hard to find a 2000 at the best of times, let alone a mirror, let alone OMP or good condition in capsule. So I just got a graded one and will probably end up taking it out of the slab at some point, but ridiculously nervous about doing so!!
There's one thing that the panda series is not, and that is consistent... So maybe this might be the inconsistent member of my collection.

Back from grade 🙂 looks fabulous, it was conserved.
 

Nice key date on this one, thanks @DuncanWylieWilson
 
 

Thanks @Alunfor getting this 11 slot Queens Beast box out to Spain for me the coins look so much better now🤩

I bought this when  under the influence of the amber nectar , to say it was a shock when it arrived is an understatement lol. I thought it was the cheapest 1oz I’d ever seen . 🤣

Been following the page for a year and buying slowly since the end of last year (both gold and silver UK coins).  Still a real beginner but enjoy reading others opinions on what to buy and why.  I hope to start buying on this site but am being  a little cautious as of now.  
So far 90% of my monthly purchases have been from "Bullion by Post", or auction sites - just because I am trying to be careful.
Obviously welcome any free advice and am reading lots of post trying to learn from those with more experience.

Two low mintage sovereign alternatives.quite pleased to add both to my sovereign varieties collection 

Two low mintage sovereign alternatives 

The 3rd installment of Perth S3 lunar, in 1/2, 1, 2oz. 

And the full series so far. Being Perth, the others are still as clean and spotless as the ones that fell through my letterbox this morning... pay attention Royal Mint!

Only 9 more years to go!

I know many people have been waiting for information on this.
Time to register your interest. 🙂
https://www.royalmint.com/invest/bullion/uk-coin-ranges/the-royal-tudor-beasts/royal-tudor-beasts-bullion-register-your-interest

A dream!

Great collection! And a nice way to stack two kilos of silver 😗
Have you been collecting for a long time, or did you need to work your way back? I guess the older ones carry quite a premium?
A question on packaging: every Silver Pandas come in a capsule? What is with the sheets on the older ones? And is keeping the trays I have seen somewhere worth it?

Great collection! And a nice way to stack two kilos of silver 😗
Have you been collecting for a long time, or did you need to work your way back? I guess the older ones carry quite a premium?
A question on packaging: every Silver Pandas come in a capsule? What is with the sheets on the older ones? And is keeping the trays I have seen somewhere worth it?

Thanks for a holiday reading idea.

I've just noticed that the red wedding SIXPENCE is 22ct gold with a weight of 5.59gms whereas the Christmas yellow SIXPENCE is .999 fine gold (hence the colour) and weighs 6.19gms.

Came this morning.... cheers buddy....

It depends on where you keep them. Minted bars, especially highly finished ones, should be protected against scratching, so some kind of cushioning as you say is good.
Keeping them protected from dampness is an idea, some people go to great length (vacuumizing), but I think that putting some silica gel pads into the same compartment should be enough.
I only own poured bars, I'm keeping them in a safety deposit box, wrapped in velvet cloth. I haven't really seen them in years.