Slabbed or Unslabbed?

[Serendipity]

One important choice numismatists must make is whether to buy coins “slabbed” or “unslabbed.” Slabbed coins have been graded and encapsulated in a plastic holder by a third-party grading service, while unslabbed coins have not. Do you prefer coins slabbed or unslabbed and why? Please feel free to cast your votes.

[mr-dead]

The market is flooded with fake slabbed coins from China so it no longer adds confidence to authenticity.

I view a slabbed coin the same as below lol.

[TheGoldSovereign]

I prefer to buy the coin not the slab, and I trust my opinion over somebody elses, proven by how many wrongly graded coins there are out there, of course in my opinion

The one benefit I find is PCGS and their photographs, they give a really fair representation of the coin. So if you mean do you prefer buying a slabbed coin from a dealer over a raw coin then yes a slab as I can see the coin in a more realistic form, rather than the heavily post processing images most dealers put out.

 

[AppleZippoandMetronome]

The way I look at it - slabbing may or may not be more popular now but I'm not selling now. When it comes time to sell I will see what is the most popular choice and the best way to maximise my return and go that route. If that means slabbing at that point then so be it. In the meantime the coins are safely and securely stored - they aren't being touched so it makes no difference whether they are currently slabbed or not.

I suppose the point I'm trying to get at here...  things move in trends and it could very well be that come time for me to sell up the trend and what fetches the most money could be something entirely different from slabbing so why would I waste so much money now? We don't know what future services there will be that could potentially make slabbing in its current form obsolete. I think if your plan is to hold for a long time you're best waiting this one out.

[GoldElliott]

Depends on the coin IMO- generally prefer proof gold coins in slabs as it keeps them safe and free from scratches etc. also its a great way of storing such coins without having a massive collection of unmatching wooden boxes and presentation cases. Easier to physically store.

I don't attach a huge amount of weight to the numerical value and even less to the special labels and holders etc but I think it makes for a neat and tidy way of presenting and storing certain coins

[sovereignsteve]

I prefer slabbed for modern proofs as it protects them and makes them easier to store. Unslabbed for older coins as I prefer to be able to touch them and look at them without a sheet of plastic in the way.

[shawy2510]

I prefer slabbed because like someone said you don't have boxes everywhere, also you can look through them without the need to open each box.

My old Half Sovs have to be slabbed as I want proof they are real & want them safely stored from any damage that could happen. You can fake a slab but you can't fake the coin inside with old coins as you just match dents etc from the databases.

[JunkBond]

I can't vote, I am undecided. 🤔

I broke out my first slabbed coin then realised I quite liked PCGS slabs and bought more. 😂

They were mostly PR69's and cheaper than a raw coin with box and coa. 👍

[blindguy]

i lost 90% of my vision to a stroke in my eyes 7 years ago so slabbed or graded coins are the only way to go.  and since you can go to ngc and pcgs web site to make sure the slab is real it is the best way to go. way to many fake raw coins on the market these days.  jim

[blindguy]

also the auction houses i use in the states make sure the slabs and coins are real.

[Tattoedamat]

Personally I don't like slabbed coins as like to see them and feel them. As the others have said their are fake coins and fake slabs so it's swings and roundabouts.  If there was something really special then maybe I would get it slabbed or buy slabbed but otherwise no

[RacerCool]

I prefer non-slabbed, as that way I can store the coins more compactly in tubes. Slabs are awkward and take up a lot of space unnecessarily. 

[blindguy]

6 minutes ago, RacerCool said:

I prefer non-slabbed, as that way I can store the coins more compactly in tubes. Slabs are awkward and take up a lot of space unnecessarily. 

i think we might be talking about two different types of coins. as far as bullion, circulated 90% such as mercury dimes, walking liberty half dollars in low grades and so on tubes are fine, but to put proof coins, mint state coins and rare coins such as 1909-s vdb lincolns should be graded.  and if you are buying gold coins that can cost a lot i want them graded, way to many fakes in the states to take a chance.  do you members in the U.K. have problems with fake gold sovereigns?

[danmc82]

IMO slabbed coins take the fun out of collecting coins. Your buying the condition, not the coin.

I like coins in their original boxes with COA etc.

I do have some slabbed coins but I also have the same coins non-slabbed. The slabbed coins are to make me rich in the future 🤑

All the above is because I'm a collector. not a stacker, so I collect IOP.

[blindguy]

have you run into the ogp discoloring or toning your coins? i have a few mexican silver sets that the package is toning the coins and very ugly toning. the same thing with proof ike dollars in ogp.

[Bimetallic]

1 hour ago, blindguy said:

i think we might be talking about two different types of coins. as far as bullion, circulated 90% such as mercury dimes, walking liberty half dollars in low grades and so on tubes are fine, but to put proof coins, mint state coins and rare coins such as 1909-s vdb lincolns should be graded.  and if you are buying gold coins that can cost a lot i want them graded, way to many fakes in the states to take a chance.  do you members in the U.K. have problems with fake gold sovereigns?

If you buy from any of the major online dealers you'll never get fakes. Fakes are only a concern if you buy from individuals or eBay. 

[blindguy]

27 minutes ago, Bimetallic said:

If you buy from any of the major online dealers you'll never get fakes. Fakes are only a concern if you buy from individuals or eBay. 

i am sorry to say but you are wrong as i have gotten fakes years ago from major dealers at the fun show. found out they were fakes when i tried to get them graded.

[Bimetallic]

21 minutes ago, blindguy said:

i am sorry to say but you are wrong as i have gotten fakes years ago from major dealers at the fun show. found out they were fakes when i tried to get them graded.

What is the fun show? 

[blindguy]

1 hour ago, Bimetallic said:

What is the fun show? 

the fun show is the largest coin show in the states. it happens in florida the first part of jan. heritage, stacks, goldberg are there with many large auctions. ngc, pcgs and others are there grading coins. it last 5 or 6 days. it is the king of coin shows. many from this forum go there every year. as far as fake coins over the years have seen at least 6 1909-s vdb, 2 1909-s indian cents, 1904 $20 gold lib,  i also saw there a group of fake silver rounds, fake 90% silver and altered coins. they have many seminars there including how to spot and test fake bars and rounds. about 10 years fake 100 ounce bars were showing up around the midwest. my wife and i no longer by any bars or rounds over 10 ounces. even saw fake silver eagles there one year. the dealers were seeing if you could tell the differance from a real silver eagle. very good fakes.  jim

[Tattoedamat]

That's interesting gym I don't think we have as big an issue in the UK yes there are fake sovereigns and they're getting more common but are usually fairly easy to spot we have had the problem over here as I'm sure you have have of fake slabs either with a fake coin in or a genuine coin just to bump the price up.

I get what you mean if you're paying top Dollar you expect it to be 100-percent and slapping can help conserve 

[SilverMagpie]

I generally prefer unslabbed however some series I collect have coins that are only available from specific dealers in the USA and they are mostly slabbed with ‘special, limited labels’ etc etc So I have a few.

[RacerCool]

11 hours ago, blindguy said:

i think we might be talking about two different types of coins. as far as bullion, circulated 90% such as mercury dimes, walking liberty half dollars in low grades and so on tubes are fine, but to put proof coins, mint state coins and rare coins such as 1909-s vdb lincolns should be graded.  and if you are buying gold coins that can cost a lot i want them graded, way to many fakes in the states to take a chance.  do you members in the U.K. have problems with fake gold sovereigns?

If we're talking about two classes of coins then it seems to be numismatic compared to bullion. To me ultimately coins are coins because if I'm stacking I'm doing it for the precious metals they contain. I do collect certain coins but even then I prefer that they aren't slabbed, but only that they are in good condition ("good condition" as defined by me). 

But even here I think we're thinking of "collecting" differently. For me collecting is just a way of adding fun to stacking; it's not a numismatic thing. I don't care about numismatic coins like the 1909 vdb penny. Cool if you do, just that I don't. But if you care about that type of coin then yes it makes sense to have it graded and slabbed, because that's an important part of the investment.

All of my gold coins and all "collecting" silver are checked by me for authenticity (weight, thickness, diameter, non-magnetic), then put into a capsule, then stacked in a tube. That's what reasonably makes sense to me. Ultimately they part of the stack, not a numismatic collection. 

As for 90% silver, I mostly only buy BU rolls (aren't these mint state?), and they are kept in plastic tubes, not in capsules. Grading and encapsulating them doesn't make sense to me.

[blindguy]

you are right that 90% is not worth grading, its just junk silver. bullion is not worth grading also. but when it comes to gold coins and key dates i want them graded. i have seen more then one person send their gold coins in to be graded and have some of their coins come back as fakes. they feel they have been cheated by all coin dealers. if graded coins can stop even some of this i vote for graded coins.

[Bimetallic]

13 hours ago, blindguy said:

the fun show is the largest coin show in the states. it happens in florida the first part of jan. heritage, stacks, goldberg are there with many large auctions. ngc, pcgs and others are there grading coins. it last 5 or 6 days. it is the king of coin shows. many from this forum go there every year. as far as fake coins over the years have seen at least 6 1909-s vdb, 2 1909-s indian cents, 1904 $20 gold lib,  i also saw there a group of fake silver rounds, fake 90% silver and altered coins. they have many seminars there including how to spot and test fake bars and rounds. about 10 years fake 100 ounce bars were showing up around the midwest. my wife and i no longer by any bars or rounds over 10 ounces. even saw fake silver eagles there one year. the dealers were seeing if you could tell the differance from a real silver eagle. very good fakes.  jim

Just buy from major online dealers. SD Bullion and Silver.com are the lowest priced dealers in the US, and very reliable (Silver.com is owned by JM Bullion).

I don't think there's ever been a confirmed fake from any of the major dealers, places like SD Bullion,  Silver.com, APMEX, JM Bullion, Provident, Gainesville Coins, BOLD Precious Metals, etc.

I only buy from major online dealers, and I only buy new.

[Bimetallic]

I prefer unslabbed. I only buy new bullion though, at least so far. I like bullion to be new and shiny, in the excellent condition that new bullion comes in, but I don't care about numismatic factors or having coins graded.

Relatedly, when I first bought silver I put it in a sock drawer, leaving it in the unsealed flips dealers put them in. In less than four months some of the coins had tarnished. It was very confusing. I didn't know anything about silver, or tarnish. I was surprised that shiny new bullion could tarnish so easily when stored in drawer.

That's one advantage of slabbed coins. But I found that just putting silver bullion in Ziploc bags prevents tarnish, at trivial cost compared to slabbed coins, so all my silver is sealed in Ziploc bags now. I add 3M anti-tarnish strips for good measure.

There's an in-between product showing up at several major dealers now, called Mint Direct, Mint Certified, or similar. They take brand new coins from mint tubes and seal them in plastic similar to slabbing. They're not graded, but they're protected and guaranteed to be new and minimally handled. It's an intriguing product tier, but I'm not willing to pay the premium they charge for it, typically a dollar or two. You can get coins in the same condition by just buying new, and put them in Ziploc bags or capsules to protect them.