Why not? They are in compact slabs. They are authenticated. They are protected. Easy to store. They look nice. But most folks in china like the raw version...to each his own I guess. I just like the way the look and feel.
Why does anybody send in anything to be graded & slabbed? For the piece to be identified, authenticated, its condition to be expertly assessed & declared, and to help protect & preserve it. It also gives something that much more legitimacy.. All of which should probably help bolster its financial value. One could probably argue that there a few potential drawbacks, though.. When it's slabbed, it seems like it loses a bit of viewing pleasure -- as you might not be able to fully experience all the angles that you can with it as "raw." There's this thick plastic thing blocking some lines of sight, after all. Also, a raw naked medal that might be played with or touched could show some signs of wear over the years & decades. This can *sometimes* produce some interesting visual effects, which might even be more aesthetically-pleasing to some people in certain cases. For instance, I own an old slabbed coin which grades something like an 8 or 10 -- it's pretty worn. However, I personally think it looks very cool, even better than some examples of higher grades out there, due to it being worn in "all the right places." In addition, a raw naked medal *could* potentially develop some really neat toning that a slabbed medal simply wouldn't. And as we know, some collectors will pay that much more of a premium for a nicely-toned piece, than they would otherwise for a "clean" one. In the end, though, I like them slabbed because I'm just nipping the inevitable in the bud. Odds are, it's going to happen sooner or later by somebody along the way, anyway.. So might as well just get it out of the way & preserve that grade of 68 or 69 or whatever. Because decades (or even centuries?) from now, chances are that the 68 will be much more desireable -- and worth a lot more $$ -- than, say, a 58. Finally, it's not as cut-&-dry, though, either.. Because there are at least a couple very large & very high-relief medals, like 90mm & up, that I believe just won't be able to fit into the largest, thickest slab out there today. Just not showing up in the TPG census reports, either. And I don't own those medals, even though I probably would like to, because of my insistence on them being slabbed. Might change my mind someday, who knows. But right now, my budget wouldn't be able to handle that, anyway. :lol: Bottom line: Have to weigh the pros & cons.. And I think there are a lot more pros to slabbing than there is to keeping them raw.
"In addition, a raw naked medal *could* potentially develop some really neat toning that a slabbed medal simply wouldn't. And as we know, some collectors will pay that much more of a premium for a nicely-toned piece, than they would otherwise for a "clean" one." Might pay to re - think this, have a couple of " toned" slabbed ( graded 69 ) 2001 small D Pandas
Depends, really.. There is plenty of cool/good toning out there, and there is plenty of ugly/bad toning out there. :lol: Oftentimes I've paid up in the case of the former, and quickly passed on the latter..
What Barsenault and Gatito stated about grading pretty much sums up all the reasons I can think of why I might send in some Chinese medals for grading. Though very few fake medals exist today from what I understand, that could change in upcoming years depending on a number of factors. On the other hand, fake Chinese coins abound. I fear I have one (a 1 oz Lunar) that I will likely send in for grading next year. Giant fatty slabs with large sized ultra high relief medals inside are quite awesome to hold in the hand. It's not something that anyone can convince you to believe by telling you...you will just have to experience it to understand. .
I think the identification part is just as important as the authentication part, really.. Have you taken a recent look at a China medal box & COA? :lol: All of us here recognize the World Heritage Great Wall when we see it raw -- but are we certain that grieving loved ones will know what it is after we leave this earth? That's when the NGC label becomes quite handy.. Heck, hopefully by then, not only would they be able to look up the cert # at NGC's site, but maybe while there, also get a book value suggestion for what it's worth.. You know, instead of selling it at a yard sale for $10. Another thing I forgot to mention in my prior post.. Inside a slab? Good luck to somebody trying to clean that medal, LOL. Even worse than that man-handled AU 58, is an AU Details with Excessive Hairlines..
excellent points Gatito and Missing. Now I'm even more motivated to slab. My wife is totally 'not into stacking and collecting,' and I can see her selling one of my many prized possessions for 10.00 at a yard sale...totally clueless. I've spoken with Missing about this a few times. I need to educate, which I have done, don't get me wrong, but i probably also need to write stuff down, and the slabs do help with this...because there is a website, and she can just go to that site. Great thoughts gents.
Right, good reminder about educating those who might be left with the goods after we become bug food in the soil. I need to update my "instructions" a little, though it's already pretty extensive and clear in my view. Many slabbed coins / medals do not have a monetary value associated with them through NGC (no NGC "Price Guide" data) so even if slabbed, determining a fair market value may be tricky for someone who knows and cares little about our treasures. .
If you put a list together for the wife I would include an estimated value of the item and a recommendation of how and where to sell it. You might also give her the name of someone you trust to help her get the correct value for it since it is hard to keep a list up to date and values could be quite different in the future than they are today. In addition, she might be overwhelmed and not put in the work required to maximize the sale price.
On my running list, I not only include the price I paid but also details of the coin/medal/round (size, weight, type of metal composition, name of the product (such as "America The Beautiful series", and special features) and also details of where I purchased the coin/medal/blob. In my view, that is the minimum information that I believe is important to include on my list. I also include pictures of all coins/medals/blobs on this list for easier identification for the person(s) who will end up in possession of my collection when I become worm and maggot meal. .
Why? Is it because there are many fakes out there or another reason such as the grade is very important in the value and grading them is not easy? .
its for my own piece of mind and also I am collecting a minimum MS64 set of each, I dont expect to ever finish the collection as some fetch in the 10's of 1000's in premiums and some have never been graded that high either.
yes very ambitious and somewhat thwarted by my budget :lol: I've picked up most so far for less than $500 for halfs and less than $1000 fulls
Don't quote me on this, but rumor has it that ChineseMedals.com will soon offer a medal buy-back service.. "You give us your old used medals, and we'll give you cold hard cash, instantly.. Best prices in town!" Anyway, there should be no need for any of this, as these exquisite medals should instead be passed down in the family from generation to generation..
All points made so far are germane. However, what happens when we send these medals for slabbing at NGC? Quite a few of the silver coins/medals come back with or shortly develop white spots. I am all for slabbing and I have done quite a few. But there are some valuable silver coins/medals I am worried about sending to NGC. I know there is a lot of debate around this issue. At times I wonder if I should send brand new silver coins/medals to NCS first for preventative conservation before slabbing. Yet, is conservation of a brand new silver coin advisable?
Hey KOT, I've sent in a 'ton' of coins/medals to NCS and NGC, and I have to say, I've been quite pleased with the results. I had 2 low grades on the HK Expo Medal (1985), but I believe the spots were already there, as I didn't look closely enough. Plus, I don't think the low grade was the result of the spots. I think there were underlying issues with the two I submitted. The 1985 HK's haven't graded well. It seems like a 67 is like a 69. I know my coins have been conserved, because some have had black spots, and when I got them back, they were gone, and I scored a 70! One such example is the God of Wealth Brass, that a certain someone was willing to pay big bucks for...but it went into the treasure box. I've asked a 1000 questions about their temperature controls, and internal climate. They have state of the art climate controls, and they do everything in their power to be sure the goods received are stored properly. Unfortunately they are located in Sarasota, FL, and they humidity during this time of the year is oppressive. This could be a cause too. Especially knowing they are sent via snail mail (registered). Anyway, all and all, I've been happy.
Professional conservation of new coins is advisable if that new coin has some surface blemishes that will keep it from grading higher. No amount of conservation will fix a damaged or worn (new or old) coin. And I think that's the point Barsenault was getting at with the 2 1985 HK's he sent in....they had defects that were more than just surface crud. I doubt though at this time, that plainly visible significant milk spots can be removed from proof silver mirrored surfaces, even by professionals, without some minor degradation of the surface. I may be wrong. Now very minor milk spots removal may be a different story. Has anyone ever asked NCS about milk spot removal from proof silver mirrored surfaces? .
