When I was a beginning stacker, I was advised to buy graded coins. I consider it one of my greatest mistakes in stacking. There were times where what I paid for a graded coin, I could have had two ungraded coins...but you live and you learn.
There are some positives to graded coins:
- They are more likely (albeit, not guaranteed) to be genuine silver.
- NGC cases are great, better than the standard airtites. I do not own anything other than NGC.
- Coins graded NGC 70 come at a hefty premium, but they can fetch a lot in the open market if there are only a few coins graded at NGC 70. I only have NGC 69 or lower.
Negatives:
- The premium.
- A limited market of buyers when you resell.
- You sometimes pay for the label (I'll explain in a minute).
- They do not prevent milk spots.
Ok, so what do I mean when I say you "pay for the label"? Here's my example:
I paid about $40 for this coin in 2014. There is one for $31.95 (shipping included, and it is graded higher) on Fee Bay right now. I have lost about 25% in value. Currently ungraded versions are selling for the low $20s. If I would have bought only ungraded versions, I would be about even (the small rise in premium would help negate silvers decline over the last few years). I am probably down on every single graded coin I bought.
Paying for the label refers to that special little label that says "One of the first 2500 struck". That is why I bought it, for that little label. I thought that it would be more rare and sought after. Boy was I wrong! They come in all sorts of designs and some are completely irrelevant. Don't believe me? Look at this gem (photo taken from NGC's website, because there is not going to be one of these in my personal collection)
That is Rick Harrison from the TV show Pawn Stars. He signed this coin label...why did he sign this coin label?!? I'll wait while you ponder the answer...
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Ok, now my brain hurts, so I am moving on. Canadian Maple Leafs are notorious for milk spotting. I thought that buying one slabbed would be able to prevent the spots. Nope! Here's one of my 2008 Maple Leafs complete with a little "snow" in honor of the winter Olympics.
So what are your thoughts on this subject? Do you agree or disagree? Are there pros and cons I should have added?
If you enjoyed my post, check out my last post...complete with pictures of birds: @mikeshuh/the-unintended-side-effects-of-silver-stacking-a-kookaburra-story
Unreleated to my post (and kudos if you read this far)... I see logos at the end of many peoples posts. Are there templates for the #steemsilvergold or for #thealliance communities to use? I was just accepted into the Alliance and this is my first post written as a member of this awesome community (though I did retroactively add an Alliance tag to my last post)! : )