Why buy modern commens/bullion slabbed?

Theop

I am about to start buying some modern commens...

My question is why would anyone buy these slabbed, such as PCGS/NGC PRF 69-70 unless they are doing a registry set?

Since most of these coins are super high grade from the start and would be extremely unlikely to be faked, why bother?

I can understand the idea of owning a "perfect" coin in 70 grade, or something like that, but is it really worth the premium paid to have a 69 or 70 slabbed coin if you can just buy the coins sight-seen? With all the talk of the mint gouging collectors with their prices, isn't paying the slabbed premium just make matters worse?

So I want to know is it a value thing? ( Will high graded slabbed ones go up more than their raw counterparts? )

FrattLaw

Good-luck -- that's one tough set. I'm doing a raw modern commem set and finding some of the lower mintage coins is tough.

Often I find that they are sold as original Mint sets. For example the Buffalo commem. I saw many proof and uncs sold together as a set. I don't need both, I'm only doing a unc set, so it took some searching to find just a unc for sale.

So buying slab examples might be easier to find just one coin, but I wanted the original boxes and COA with the coins. So it wasn't an option for me.

I would think that the Registry would cause a difference in price between raw and slabbed. But is it worth it? Why are you doing this set? Pleasure or investment. If it's pleasure I'd stick with the raw coins. Investment -- slabbed all the way.

Think of this as well. If many of these modern commems are going into slabs, in 20 years there won't be any toned modern commems. Think about the potential if your set tones up nicely in an album.

Michael

nwcs

The only reason I have of buying bullion slabbed is to protect it if it's extraordinary. As for commems, I would buy slab if I was looking for quality. I've seen enough to know that quality isn't always there just because it's a modern commem.

flaminio

No need to buy them slabbed if you just want a pleasing set -- just about all of the ones available are of exceedingly high quality.

It's only if you want to enter the ethereal realms of the 69s and 70s that slabbing becomes at all relevant.

That said, buy my 68s on eBay right now! Don't make me look like too much of an idiot for ending auctions on a holiday!

Theop

Thanks for the advice.

I am not really planning on getting a complete set, for now. Just buying the ones I like.

I didn't mean to imply just because it is modern and from the mint, it would be good quality - just that I plan on buying everything sight-seen at local shows.

My gut reaction is to buy raw in the original mint packaging, but I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something major I was overlooking.

291fifth

The modern commems aren't as consistently nice as you may think. I suspect that many coins that go out for slabbing and come back as less than "69" are cracked out and put back in the government holders. I suggest you buy only PCGS for this series. When it comes to MARKETABILITY of modern commems PCGS is the favorite.