What do Numista users think about graded coins?

I know many people here seem to think of graded coins as sinful and imprisoned. Do you agree with this? Personally, I don't mind them if it is a high grade modern coin. Slabs even make the coins easier to sell here in the US. But for ancients, medieval, and well circulated coins I dislike them. Holding and feeling a coin is awesome. I also think people pay too much attention to the label on the plastic.
Those are my opinions on graded coins, what are yours?

My feelings exactly. I have been collecting 60 years, long before the grading companies came along, and I have many real beauties. I actually prefer raw coins. I will keep them in either a flip or capsule depending on what it is and put those in a protective desiccant lined 2x2 storage boxes. If fact, I have freed many older slabbed coins that were "graded" and slabbed by wannabe grading companies, pretenders, and outright thieves. Remember, always buy the coin and not what it says on the slab. If really special, occasionally I will send them off for grading and slabbing so I do have a few slabbed coins but they are the exception. I find them to be a little cumbersome however.

Thanks for the reply Harry! Completely agreed.

Quote: "harryg"​My feelings exactly. I have been collecting 60 years, long before the grading companies came along, and I have many real beauties. I actually prefer raw coins. I will keep them in either a flip or capsule depending on what it is and put those in a protective desiccant lined 2x2 storage boxes. If fact, I have freed many older slabbed coins that were "graded" and slabbed by wannabe grading companies, pretenders, and outright thieves. Remember, always buy the coin and not what it says on the slab. If really special, occasionally I will send them off for grading and slabbing so I do have a few slabbed coins but they are the exception. I find them to be a little cumbersome however.

​Listen to the wisdom of an experienced collector. 60 year collecting!
There is a place for a graded coin, but it’s a small place…

90% of the time I prefer coins raw in some sort of 2 by 2. I like to see the edges of coins, especially on older crowns, and most of the time the holder completely hides it. Some older coins have a beautiful third side, which the grading companies decide to hide. I also prefer to actually hold the coin and not have to view it through a layer of plastic.

While TPGs grades are fairly accurate most of the time, there is still way too much inconsistency with their grading. They have an especially tough time on older coins with weak strikes. NGC is certainly better than PCGS in this regard, but both need to improve. Often on high grade US coins, coins graded as cleaned have little to no signs of cleaning and do not receive a details grade when sent back in. In my opinion, they can also sometimes be a little harsh with detailing coins. This is all why you should buy the coin and not the holder.

While they aren't perfect, TPGs do have several benefits.

• Grading companies are a (mostly) definitive way to prove whether or not a coin is authentic
  
• Holders keep coins safe from further damage
  
• The grades can help with valuing a coin if the grades are accurate
  

I mostly disapprove of TPGs and I haven't sent any coins to get graded yet, but there is some of my coins that would be better to have slabbed and my opinion could change if I send them in.

I have only bought a couple of slabbed coins and don’t fee the need to break the slab, but also in general I don’t buy them. I guess if there was one I was worried about authenticity maybe I would or if I was planning on selling a coin and thought I could get a much better price or sell it easier by grading it then I would, however I have not had any of my coins slabbed yet.

I don't like packaging in general be it from the mint or some private firm (some types are worse then others).
I have my coin folders and I don't want coins scattered about everywhere because they don't fit in my collection system.

I don't know any collector who regards a slabbed (certified) coin as "sinful" but I understand where you're coming from since we had a large number of currency collectors who were opposed to TPG (Third Party Graded) notes when this phenomenon hit our hobby hard about 20 years ago. At that time, I was adamantly against grading a raw note & felt just like 'harryg.' I aired my beefs against certifying on currency forums up until about 8 years ago when I slowly had a change of heart.

Once I started buying more expensive notes, I found myself aligning more with 'AglsSilver' & even started submitting my own expensive, higher graded notes to BCS (Banknote Certification Services). Once I got my notes back from them, I felt cheated & furious for buying so many over graded notes (having trusted the inaccurate assessments of others) b/c several notes that were sold to me as UNC were actually AU. But I had nobody to blame but myself. I have also felt that he was exceptionally harsh (due to batch prejudice he may have developed from catching a few AU's which I had ascribed as 'UNC') at times but overall I've learned to appreciate his conservative, tight grading (esp in comparison to the more liberal PMG, PCGS & Legacy).

But I also felt along these lines:

"While they aren't perfect, TPGs do have several benefits.

• Grading companies are a (mostly) definitive way to prove whether or not a coin is authentic
  
• Holders keep coins safe from further damage
  
• The grades can help with valuing a coin if the grades are accurate"
  

BCS holders are air-tight so you can be sure the note will be preserved (will not tone or degrade over time). Once I got notes I felt were harshly graded, I went over my own weak grading skills & improved them by practicing and by examining my notes more carefully (IMO). I got very careful to detect the originality of a banknote (embossing behind the SN). I think I got to know more what to look for by necessity.

• graded coins/notes may help develop ones grading skills
  
• Certified coins/notes are a bit like insurance (should you choose to sell) so others will pay more feeling more confident in a 3rd party's assessment
  

The other benefit was that in getting back a selected # of BCS notes helped me define my collector goals. Truly, my goals were quite broad & it made me realize that I needed to give my collection more focus.

• TPG coins/notes can help one organize a collection & define one's goals (scope & focus of a collection)
  

Quote: "Serial_Number_8"​I don't know any collector who regards a slabbed (certified) coin as "sinful" but I understand where you're coming from since we had a large number of currency collectors who were opposed to TPG (Third Party Graded) notes when this phenomenon hit our hobby hard about 20 years ago. At that time, I was adamantly against grading a raw note & felt just like 'harryg.' I aired my beefs against certifying on currency forums up until about 8 years ago when I slowly had a change of heart.
​
​Once I started buying more expensive notes, I found myself aligning more with 'AglsSilver' & even started submitting my own expensive, higher graded notes to BCS (Banknote Certification Services). Once I got my notes back from them, I felt cheated & furious for buying so many over graded notes (having trusted the inaccurate assessments of others) b/c several notes that were sold to me as UNC were actually AU. But I had nobody to blame but myself. I have also felt that he was exceptionally harsh (due to batch prejudice he may have developed from catching a few AU's which I had ascribed as 'UNC') at times but overall I've learned to appreciate his conservative, tight grading (esp in comparison to the more liberal PMG, PCGS & Legacy).
​
​But I also felt along these lines:
​
​"While they aren't perfect, TPGs do have several benefits.
​

• Grading companies are a (mostly) definitive way to prove whether or not a coin is authentic
  ​
  
• Holders keep coins safe from further damage
  ​
  
• The grades can help with valuing a coin if the grades are accurate"
  ​
  

​
​BCS holders are air-tight so you can be sure the note will be preserved (will not tone or degrade over time). Once I got notes I felt were harshly graded, I went over my own weak grading skills & improved them by practicing and by examining my notes more carefully (IMO). I got very careful to detect the originality of a banknote (embossing behind the SN). I think I got to know more what to look for by necessity.
​

• graded coins/notes may help develop ones grading skills
  ​
  
• Certified coins/notes are a bit like insurance (should you choose to sell) so others will pay more feeling more confident in a 3rd party's assessment
  ​
  

​The other benefit was that in getting back a selected # of BCS notes helped me define my collector goals. Truly, my goals were quite broad & it made me realize that I needed to give my collection more focus.
​

• TPG coins/notes can help one organize a collection & define one's goals (scope & focus of a collection)
  ​
  

​

​Thank you, that was a good response to read

I dont care much about grades, If I like the features of a coin, and have I my own opinions, I'll buy it.
Irregardless.., what I do like to have is authentication: Those firms give their good faith assurance, that what is in that slab it not a chinese knock-off.

that

in this world of counterfeits, fakes, fake fakes, of everything that ever was, from 1804 US dollars to Oreo cookies, I am glad to have and will pay for, in certain circumstances.

I know that this is a bit different topic, but I just bought a UK 1970 mint set. I don't collect mint sets, but this was just so cheap. The plastic case has never been opened, but the case itself has some scuffs, and no cos. I'm thinking of jailbreaking them so they can join my UK collection box in flips. But then again, they have never been touched by an ungloved finger. Thoughts ?

Quote: "jhorlick"​I know that this is a bit different topic, but I just bought a UK 1970 mint set. I don't collect mint sets, but this was just so cheap. The plastic case has never been opened, but the case itself has some scuffs, and no cos. I'm thinking of jailbreaking them so they can join my UK collection box in flips. But then again, they have never been touched by an ungloved finger. Thoughts ?

​Tempting yes, but they will always be more valuable to collectors as a set as intended by the mint in their original packaging. If you do decide to break it up, I would put them in capsules rather than flips to better protect them.

Quote: "Mr. Midnight"​
​in this world of counterfeits, fakes, fake fakes, of everything that ever was, from 1804 US dollars to Oreo cookies, I am glad to have and will pay for, in certain circumstances.
​
​

​My feelings exactly. Hoping to one day have a nice Morgan and Fat Man dollar in my collection. These will both be slabbed when (if?) I get them.