Hello again, Akona20. Another very interesting post.
So now the ancients are going into "plastic coffins"? Maybe a good thing for preservation but there must be a zillion ancients out there. That will keep the companies busy for a while. What will be next? Play money? Gambling tokens?
Now don't get me wrong. I see the value of certification in some instances, such as for very rare pieces, authentication, rare high grade examples, detection of fakes (though I lost my 1795 U.S. dollar because of the failure of 1 "reputable" company to detect a fake...it is now in the possession of the U.S. government) and possible cleaning issues. Oh, let's not forget identification of scarcer varieties...also a good service but for the run of the mill coins that I now collect...along with many others here...I just don't see the value of the plastic. If I was going to drop big dollars on a rare coin, I would seek the opinion of a certification company...but those days are pretty much over for me. I have a grandson I want to put through college...and survive to a ripe old age in my retirement...no big price tag coins for me.
I find it reassuring that in your last line, the knowlegable collector WILL buy the coin at asking...plus a nice percentage...even if it's not in a slab. I do hope that this is the going school of thought and certification will be much more limited to true rarities and "better coins". It is a shame that the slab craze has driven many young collectors out of the hobby (in my opinion) because now, a yc needs to pay for the coin he loves...and the plastic! My neighbor's grandson (17) and I are spending Saturday together as he is a budding collector and wants to know "everything" about the hobby. This issue will certainly come up and I will TRY to present both sides...but the bottom line is....certification is good on occasion...but do not feel compelled by the slab!
I could go on and on...and probably will at some point. Life as a collector was so much easier before "the slab" and as a kid...I could fill those blue Whitman penny boards and find affordable coins at shows that were in cardboard 2x2 holders. I obtained many of my early U.S. pieces like this and slabbed them later and only once did I get stuck with a fake (when I bought the SEGS CERTIFIED 1795 dollar). Hit several cleaned coins too as a kid...still have several of them in body bags...but it is a valuable learning experience. By far, most of the coins slabbed well and the dealers "back then" realized a kid collector was a serious adult collector in the making. I still see this sometimes...but I wouldn't risk several hundred $ or more without the opinion of a "slabber". For the small stuff...I'll take my chances.
Alan Massachusetts
