I think you did the right thing in notifying him of what he had. Maybe save him from selling them to someone and a month or more later the guy comes back wanting a refund of money he probably already spent.
The last guy who tried to sell me fakes had his ad back up on craigslist the next day, after I informed him he had fakes, so I put my own ad up warning others. I've been considering buying a Sigma Metalytics Precious Metal Verifier
I wouldn't meet any stranger to look at coins. Call it my overly cautious nature. I would think it unlikely they would have any coin worth the risk.
As an uneducated coin newbie I wouldn't think of buying or selling anything until I've learned enough from books, research and listening to you guys...LOL
Isn't this a reocurring theme from families that buy coins from TV, only to learn later on that they over payed by multiples? I had someone tell me they had a bunch of rare coins and wanted my input on them. They brought over a small felt bag with maybe 20 coins in there. Half were silver, and all were worn, and nothing I could figure out was high valued after rummaging online and through a RedBook on each and every one. So it's all perception on everything from quantity to quality, etc. But this same problem occurs across nearly every segment of good. People buying fake purses, cheap musical instruments, fake online goods, other collectibles, etc etc. It's just not a coin thing.
Call me paranoid, but meeting a stranger to buy coins is a bad idea. You are coming with cash. Maybe you are being set up to be robbed. Maybe the person with the coins thinks you are coming to rob them. This can be a bad situation all the way around. Stick with coin shows, LCS, EBay and other auction houses, US Mint.
Many towns/cities now have designated 'online sales exchange' areas. The one in my city is in the police station so although I'm sure there is someone stupid enough to try such a thing; they probably wouldn't be getting far. It's actually kind of nice as it's just a simple room with a table and some chairs but to get in/out the front desk person has to buzz you in/out. That's on top of the room having glass walls which allows everyone to see into the room and there's cameras everywhere.
Imo the people selling fakes despite any appearance or demeanor that may suggest otherwise generally know exactly what they are doing. Very rarely do I think the 'Craigslist' type sellers of coins with fakes are innocent people who themselves got ripped off and still don't know it when trying to resell.
I think you're right, why else would someone get defensive or angry? If it were me, I think I would be apologetic for wasting someone's time.
I'm not so sure. I think telling someone that their possible retirement supplements, or inherited coins etc.. are fake could easily upset someone, especially if they are being told that by a stranger. Would be bad enough if they were told by a professional IMHO.
I think it's a counterfeit holder, with most likely a counterfeit coin in it. Yup, counterfeit coin, too.
Step #1 - look up the certification number in NGC's app or website. It immediately shows as a likely counterfeit. Step #2 - look up the first "x" coins from that invoice number, in this case, 3917663-001 through 3917663-004, the four "legit" coins in that invoice. Note that the slab and label style of this picture is wrong for the date on which this coin was slabbed. It's an older style label and hologram sticker. Step #3 - look CAREFULLY at the features of the coin compared with a "real" similar coin. The look of this one is all wrong. The fields are too flat, there are no variations of flow. Also note the details do not match.
The holder is a dead giveaway. Most likely, it would be in a holder like this. If you haven't already, you should report this to the FBI or something "similar".
