Slabbed Coins: What Are They and How Do You Collect Them?

Slabbed coins are coins that are placed in special holders and graded by different grading companies to what condition the actual coin is in. There are several companies that grade these coins and there are several ways of collecting these Slabbed coins. There are also different levels of grading that will also be discussed in this article.

Here is how the grading of coins breaks down. There is Mint State (UNC- uncirculated) which means absolutely no trace of wear. MS 70 is the perfect coin as is PR70 which means proof 70. Below this is Almost Uncirculated (AU) which means that there is a small trace of wear that is visible on the highest points of the coin. Below this is Extremely Fine (XF or EF) which means very light wear on only the highest points of the coin. The next grading is Very Fine (VF) which means there is light to medium wear on the coin, but all major features are still sharp on the coin. The next grading level is Fine (F) which means there is moderate to heavy wear on the coin but the entire design is still clear and bold. The next grading level is Very Good (VG) which means the coin is well worn and the design is clear but lacks details. The next rating is Good (G) which means the coin is heavily worn and the design is fading in spots. The next grading level is Almost Good (AG) which means the coin’s design is worn down to a smooth surface and parts of the date are fading. The last grading level is Fair (Fair) which means you can tell what the coin was but everything is worn down.

There are several companies that grade coins and here are the links to four of the well known and most reliable ones:

http://www.pcgs.com/ this is the link to PCGS one of the most well known of the grading companies.

http://www.icgcoin.com/ this is the link to ICG which is one of the older companies that grades coins.

http://www.ngccoin.com/ this is another link to a well-known coin grading company.

http://www.segsgrading.com/ another link to a grading company.

There are other companies such as PCI and SGS that grade coins very well and have great looking holders and do a great job of grading coins. All of these companies will grade your coins for a membership price or price per coin. Use Google to find other companies that grade coins.

Some of the best places to get Slabbed coins are either from coin shows or off of the Internet. Coin shows have a wide variety of Slabbed coins from cents to silver dollars. Coins shows also offer special Slabbed coins such as commemorative coins or unusual Slabbed coins such as half dimes or 2 or 3 cent coins. Another place is off of the Internet with Coin Grading companies or auction sites such as Ebay. Ebay also has a wide variety of Slabbed coins for sale. In fact I have acquired my best Slabbed coins off of Ebay for some very low prices.

Slabbed coins are coins that have been graded to what condition they are in and placed in special holders so they would not lose their condition. These Slabbed coins increase their value over their non-graded brothers and sisters simply being graded as such. Slabbed coins can be bought from the Internet either by way of auction sites or Internet Coin Stores/sites. Slabbed coins can also be bought from Coin Shows. Slabbed coins keep their value over time and are a joy to collect and share with your children.