At what point is NGC Grading not viable?

[DrDave]

A couple of questions for the wise ones!

What value (modern) coin would be the lowest that you'd consider being economically viable to get graded? Would they generally be proof coins? I'm guessing that a 2022 Maple for instance, costing £30 and then the same again for grading would struggle to be a better proposition than a 'naked' Maple. (thats probably not a real term, i just made it up 😎)

And secondly, coins that come in presentation boxes obviously have their own value. Do you take this into account, or is it just window dressing?

And finally, am i right in assuming that every new coin i buy from RM will automatically grade as a 70? Scratch that! I'm just bitter and twisted 🥸

And finally again, heres a pic of my new favourite coin.........for absolutely no real reason 

[TeaTime]

I often see bullion coins, that have been slabbed, for sale at no premium over unslabbed coins. Who on earth is paying for these to be graded and why ?

I recently bought some SP USA graded and slabbed quarters at spot - as far as i am aware the grading service cost more than i paid for the coins.

Personally i would never pay for someone to tell me what their opinion of a coins condition is. Not while i have eyes and a modicum of sense.

I can understand (but don't condone) having proof coins graded & encapsulated to preserve the finish and numismatic coins to authenticate them but slabbing bullion coins has no discernible purpose other than to waste money.

Obviously this is my own curmudgeonly opinion and others may disagree. They're wrong 😁

 

[DrDave]

@TeaTime, yes i've seen a couple of bullions slabbed, but as you say they don't appear to add much, if any, premium. I could understand first releases possibly?

Short run proofs i would consider though

[TeaTime]

As far as i can tell it costs a minimum of $19 to get a bullion coin graded and slabbed + postage. Adding a 'first release' designation adds an additional $12 - far exceeding the value of the coin. There are probably price breaks for bulk orders. The bit that makes me laugh out loud is the option for a scratch-resistant holder (another $5) - surely that should be standard. I've probably missed other charges...

Fair play to the companies doing it though - they have created a market from nothing. I'm just waiting to see the first graded and slabbed tomato sauce sachet - it's coming, trust me.

[DrDave]

3 minutes ago, TeaTime said:

As far as i can tell it costs a minimum of $19 to get a bullion coin graded and slabbed + postage. Adding a 'first release' designation adds an additional $12 - far exceeding the value of the coin. There are probably price breaks for bulk orders. The bit that makes me laugh out loud is the option for a scratch-resistant holder (another $5) - surely that should be standard. I've probably missed other charges...

Fair play to the companies doing it though - they have created a market from nothing. I'm just waiting to see the first graded and slabbed tomato sauce sachet - it's coming, trust me.

I think ive seen Gameboy games in slabs?

Maybe we could get a slab, slabbed! 🤣

[AppleZippoandMetronome]

 

There are no shortage of coins that get graded I think because people get caught up in the gambling nature of the process or because they don't really understand what should and shouldn't be submitted. I've seen no shortage of graded coins ending in auction - from bullion to higher value proofs - ending for prices that guarantee a loss. Some people like grading coins because of the look which is fair enough for anyone in that camp. I personally think the only way it makes sense is for authentication purposes on older coins or where a potential decent grade could actually make a difference to the value of a coin. I've long said on here I would only submit my own coins for grading if I was about to sell them and a grade I felt they could reach would bump up what I could realistically achieve with a sale. Thats the only way grading makes financial sense in my mind.

Finally...

2 hours ago, DrDave said:

And finally, am i right in assuming that every new coin i buy from RM will automatically grade as a 70? Scratch that! I'm just bitter and twisted 🥸

Best laugh I've had all month. Thanks for that

Edited July 26, 2022 by AppleZippoandMetronome

[Skelator88]

I previously sent my own coins off for grading starting with proof and then gold proof, however I quite like the idea of having some of the cheaper bullion collector series slabbed. 
for instance marvel or Simpsons bullion. Obviously I would only want 70 grades. 
 

quite like the matching labels slab types 

[SilverSurferZA]

I am not a fan of graded coins.  From what I have seen, unless you find a serious collector looking for a specific coin and grade (and grading company), you don't get your money's worth. Also, milk spots that appeared after grading pretty much destroyed any hope of getting my money back on a few of my coins.

[TeaTime]

It's an eye opener reading about people wanting certain labels and designations... Almost as though the coin is pretty much irrelevant. It takes the whole collector mentality to a different level.

Maybe the answer is to forget about the pesky lump of metal and concentrate on buying a good quality printer, some holographic stickers and a load of empty holders. Don't forget that age old saying - 'buy the holder, not the coin' 😵

[Petra]

Stop imprisonment of coins! Set them free, no more plastic! 🫢🤡