Coin Article: 5 Reasons to Collect Certified and Graded Coins

Ok, requests granted. Here is another article. Comments are welcome
at

Hobbies: Coin Collecting


5 Reasons to Collect Certified and Graded Coins

by Robert L Taylor, JD

Why should a coin collector and investor buy and collect
professionally graded and certified coins? Commonly called "slabs",
they are housed in a protective plastic holder. There are many
companies – over a dozen are less than 2 years old – which will put
your coin in a slab after Certifying that it is Authentic, and
assigning a Grade to the coin. The first reason for buying and
collecting Certified and Graded Coins applies to all of these
companies. However, the most important reasons apply only to the Top
Four companies: PCGS, NGC, ANACS, and ICG.

Reason No 1. To Protect Your Coin from Damage.
Visible Damage, which includes anything from finger prints/oils to
being stepped on. More importantly, Environmental Damage, including
such things as exposure to the air, or the wrong kind of air,
chemicals in the air, and touching other objects (e.g.: certain
plastics, liquids, food) and other coins, which will change the
appearance and even structure of the coin. Damage causes loss of
Value, which means Your Investment. A slab is an air tight
container, and its purpose is Protection.

Reason No 2. To Establish Authenticity.
You want and need to know that your coin is not only the Real thing,
but that it has not been altered (changing a mint mark - fraud) or
changed, for example by cleaning, polishing, changing the appearance
or surface of the coin, in any way that would render your coin unfit
to collect. If it is Unfit to Collect, there won't be many Buyers or
Sellers. Many coins graded by lesser companies end up getting
Rejected by one of the Top Four for these reasons.

Reason No 3. To Establish Identity.
Is that 1909 Lincoln penny a VDB? Did you overlook the "S" mint
mark. Is it a Type 1 or Type 2? These little identifying marks can
mean the difference between a $20 coin and one worth $35,000. We
all make mistakes and overlook or miss, mint marks, details, and
certain other identifying factors which make up "Varieties" of each
coin. It is the professional's duty to look for, and establish these
things to determine a coin's true Identity.

Reason No 4. To Establish the Coin's Grade.
A coin's Grade is what determines its Value. You want Good Value
when you Buy the coin. You want to get what you pay for (or more) and
not get cheated. When you get ready to Sell or Upgrade, you want to
get the most for your coin. You have to Know what your coin is
Worth! The Grade is always an Issue when Buying and Selling a
Collectible Coin. Having the coin Professionally Certified and
Graded virtually eliminates this Issue, and the Arguments. This is
Your Neutral Third Party.

Reason No 5. Trust and Credibility.
The Top Four companies are Consistent, Reliable and Trustworthy. They
have Established and Respected Reputations. Their Standards are the
Highest and the Best. You are taking a Risk when buying a certified
and graded coin from any other company. When you Sell a Certified and
Graded Coin, it will speak for you. The reputation of the Grading
Company will firmly establish the Grade of the Coin. This translates
into the Value or Worth of the Coin.

It is possible to buy and sell a coin that is Certified and Graded by
one of the Top Four, sight unseen, and know exactly what you are
getting. From a description of the coin (e.g.: 1903 O, MS66, NGC,
Morgan #034), you know what you are buying, and what to expect. It
always helps to have a little description of its appearance, such as
"white hot" or "slight reverse toning", since there is one limitation
to selling a Certified and Graded coin sight unseen: It is still
possible to buy an ugly coin. But that is why we have scanners, fax
and email.

Therefore, as a Coin Collector and Investor, always collect Certified
and Graded coins by one of the Top Four. It is the most reasonable
way to verify authenticity and identity of every coin in your
collection, as well as to establish a reliable Value. Every source
of prices for any coin, be it a yearly book, magazine, a weekly or
monthly newsprint; all base their prices on the Grading Standards of
the Top Four grading companies, which strictly follow the ANA
(American Numismatic Association) guidelines. If the Grade of your
coin does not measure up to these Standards, then you are only
guessing at the Value.

Take advantage of the benefits of buying and collecting certified and
graded coins. Guaranteed are the Authenticity, Identity and Grade of
your coin by the grading company. You will be able to place a value
or worth of your coin and collection with relative certainty, and when
it comes time to sell or upgrade your coins, you will find a larger
and more willing pool of buyers, who will be looking for the same
benefits that you have found.

Happy collecting,

Robert L Taylor, JD
Copyright ©2008, Robert L Taylor, JD


About the Author
Robert Taylor is a retired Lawyer, from Denver, CO, who has had a
passion for collecting US coins, since the age of 6. Wanting to share
his Passion, he made available a href="http://www.ThePerfect-
Coin.Com"The Perfect Coin/a which features US Rare and Modern Coins
(from 1960) and made available a href="http://
www.PerfectDollarCoins.ComPerfect Dollar Coins /a featuring US
Dollar Coins (from 1878), all Certified and Graded by NGC, PCGS, ICG
and ANACS.

GreenT47 wrote:
Ok, requests granted. Here is another article. Comments are welcome
at

Hobbies: Coin Collecting


5 Reasons to Collect Certified and Graded Coins

While I do, in fact, own a small number of slabbed coins, for some or all of
the reasons enumerated in the article, the great bulk of my collection
consists of raw, circulated coins, because that's the way I collected them
and enjoyed them as a kid, and that's the way I collect and enjoy them now.
But for the time being I will spare RCC from my own essay, which would be
entitled, "101 Reasons to Collect Raw, Circulated Coins."

James

"GreenT47" wrote in message
...


Reason No 5. Trust and Credibility.
The Top Four companies are Consistent,


*cough*
BULLS***
*cough*


It is possible to buy and sell a coin that is Certified and Graded by
one of the Top Four, sight unseen, and know exactly what you are
getting.


*cough*
BULLS***
*cough*

PC wrote:
"GreenT47" wrote in message
...


Reason No 5. Trust and Credibility.
The Top Four companies are Consistent,


*cough*
BULLS***
*cough*


It is possible to buy and sell a coin that is Certified and Graded by
one of the Top Four, sight unseen, and know exactly what you are
getting.


*cough*
BULLS***
*cough*

I *cough* second both those *cough* motions.

James

On Apr 21, 10:36*am, "Mr. Jaggers" lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com
wrote:
PC wrote:
"GreenT47" wrote in message
....


Reason No 5. *Trust and Credibility.
The Top Four companies are Consistent,

*cough*
BULLS***
*cough*


It is possible to buy and sell a coin that is Certified and Graded by
one of the Top Four, sight unseen, and know exactly what you are
getting.

*cough*
BULLS***
*cough*

I *cough* second both those *cough* motions.

James- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Gee, you're just picking on the OP. He said it was possible. That
only means it might happen someday.

Peter wrote:
On Apr 21, 10:36 am, "Mr. Jaggers" lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com
wrote:
PC wrote:
"GreenT47" wrote in message
...


Reason No 5. Trust and Credibility.
The Top Four companies are Consistent,

*cough*
BULLS***
*cough*


It is possible to buy and sell a coin that is Certified and Graded
by one of the Top Four, sight unseen, and know exactly what you are
getting.

*cough*
BULLS***
*cough*

I *cough* second both those *cough* motions.

James- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Gee, you're just picking on the OP. He said it was possible. That
only means it might happen someday.

Those paragraphs sounded pretty declarative to me. I do not recollect a
single sentence that was written in the conditional or verb in the
subjunctive mood. Nor do I recollect seeing the word "possible" anywhere.

James
'sitiekil tillet'

On Apr 21, 7:28*pm, "Mr. Jaggers" lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com wrote:
Peter wrote:
On Apr 21, 10:36 am, "Mr. Jaggers" lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com
wrote:
PC wrote:
"GreenT47" wrote in message
....


Reason No 5. Trust and Credibility.
The Top Four companies are Consistent,

*cough*
BULLS***
*cough*


It is possible to buy and sell a coin that is Certified and Graded
by one of the Top Four, sight unseen, and know exactly what you are
getting.

*cough*
BULLS***
*cough*

I *cough* second both those *cough* motions.

James- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Gee, you're just picking on the OP. *He said it was possible. *That
only means it might happen someday.

Those paragraphs sounded pretty declarative to me. *I do not recollect a
single sentence that was written in the conditional or verb in the
subjunctive mood. *Nor do I recollect seeing the word "possible" anywhere.

James
'sitiekil tillet'- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Aw c'mon ... here's a direct quote (from his point 5):

"It is possible to buy and sell a coin that is Certified and Graded
by
one of the Top Four, sight unseen, and know exactly what you are
getting."

It is also possible that the USA will land an astronaut on Mars ... I
hope I live so long!

Peter wrote:
On Apr 21, 7:28 pm, "Mr. Jaggers" lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com wrote:
Peter wrote:
On Apr 21, 10:36 am, "Mr. Jaggers" lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com
wrote:
PC wrote:
"GreenT47" wrote in message
...


Reason No 5. Trust and Credibility.
The Top Four companies are Consistent,

*cough*
BULLS***
*cough*


It is possible to buy and sell a coin that is Certified and Graded
by one of the Top Four, sight unseen, and know exactly what you
are getting.

*cough*
BULLS***
*cough*

I *cough* second both those *cough* motions.

James- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Gee, you're just picking on the OP. He said it was possible. That
only means it might happen someday.

Those paragraphs sounded pretty declarative to me. I do not
recollect a single sentence that was written in the conditional or
verb in the subjunctive mood. Nor do I recollect seeing the word
"possible" anywhere.

James
'sitiekil tillet'- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Aw c'mon ... here's a direct quote (from his point 5):

"It is possible to buy and sell a coin that is Certified and Graded
by
one of the Top Four, sight unseen, and know exactly what you are
getting."

One-half point conceded. The word did appear. My bad.

However, it all hinges on the implied probability of the proposition that
follows the "possible." In this case, via the use of an infinitive, the
author implies that there is no uncertainty that buying and selling and,
particularly, the knowing will indeed happen as the result of the slabbing.
Or, in mathematical terms, possibility = probability = 1.

It is also possible that the USA will land an astronaut on Mars ... I
hope I live so long!

Completely different use of the word. In this case, a subordinate clause,
wherein the verb would be necessarily rendered in the subjunctive in
languages that still use it, is used to express doubt and uncertainty about
the landing. The probability is undefined, but clearly less than one. In
French, that would be, "Il est possible que les E.-U. fassent atterrir un
astronaute sur Mars," the subjunctive "fassent" being the operative
mood-setting verb form. English is not always as clear as it might be under
the best of circumstances, and in these times, its usage has gotten so
sloppy that often the meaning of the words is completely obscured by faulty
grammar and syntax.

But regardless, I wish you a long life as well!

James