At a pawn shop of all places

Yes you're supposed to, problem is proving it on a cash transaction that would just be he said she said. Generally the seller would just give the I would never sell a fake speech.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Or the "I would never knowingly sell a fake..."

 

No it doesn't but I doubt very much that any pawn shop that would take in coins wouldn't have a clue about what they are willing to pay for the coin and what they want to sell it for.

 

One problem, they can always claim a switch.
That's not the same coin I sold you. And then allege that it is YOU who is trying to cheat them.

 

OP, I would go there and ask them to make it right. Let them know you didn't know it was a fake, and you assume they didn't either.

If they don't, maybe come back here and let us know the business name and location. Google picks up CT threads pretty well, and any future customer of that pawn shop will most likely see they are crooks if they google the store.

 

Sure, they might. But they might also not be a pack of liars -- or, even if they are, they might decide it's in their best interest to take it back and prevent you from making a fuss.

 

It’s worth a shot to try and get it back but if they don’t voluntarily do it the money is basically gone. From how it was sold I don’t have high hopes for getting the money back, but on the bright side it was a rather cheap lesson compared to what it could have been.

 

Go back and try to get your money back - nothing to lose there. Tell them that they'll also have to notify Secret Service about a counterfeit (maybe they'll know no better).

If that doesn't work, list it (as a fake) on eBay...

 

Reverse appears modeled after the 1804 C-6 variety as halfcent1793 stated, just added an image. We have seen fake 1804's, 1806's and 1807's with the same reverse both on eBay and sent to the TPGs!

This would fit into my research collection well!

 

This isn't a guy you met on the street corner and got hustled by, he's running a business and has much more to lose than than the $50 that is owed to you. There are laws against businesses selling illegal merchandise, regardless of what the Secret Service will or will not do. I can't imagine that if you go in there and be diplomatic, you won't get your money back.

 

FYI, I'm not a lawyer, just intelligence guided by experience.

 

Not the best idea - some unscrupulous seller will buy it and list it as the real deal

 

eBay would remove the listing if reported, but I agree with the thought.

 

I think in the end you have two camps here. One camp falls under "if it looks too good to be true then it's too good to be true"; nobody is going to sell a $500 coin for $50. If you buy it then it's your problem. The other camp falls under "the seller should be liable for selling a fake coin and get reported"; refund the buyers money. In both instances, most of the blame falls on the buyer. Nothing was said here about the seller claiming it was real. If such claim was made then a full refund is in order. However, how many pawn shops put disclaimers on their merchandise?

If it was me I would have done a little more research first before paying $50. Even at that, $50 isn't a big sum of money to take a chance with. That said, looking at the coin in hand I probably would have taken a pass.

 

No ones saying the refund shouldn’t happen, it’s just that at least for myself I’m not naive enough to believe that people will always do what they hypothetically should. I’m much more practical and know the chances of a refund are very low when someone sold a multi hundred dollar coin for 50 bucks in a rushed quick manner instead of trying to sell him other coins as well.

Legally no one would care about a 50 dollar item in a he said she said situation so really he’s at the mercy of what they want to do unfortunately.

Should he get a refund, absolutely.
Will he get a refund, I highly doubt it.

Either way this can at least be a good learning experience that there’s no Santa when it comes to coins, if something is being sold for pennies on the dollar there’s almost always a reason.

 

There is no good way to give someone bad news..Sorry steve.e

 

If you are going to collect a series that is known to have counterfeits, which is about every classic series these days, you had darn better study the series and know which variety you are purchasing prior to laying down the cash.
I would definitely go back and politely ask for a refund stating the facts. You have nothing more to loose and $50 to gain(back).

 

Of course I would hope he gets a refund.
But let's not kid ourselves about the character of some of the people in the pawn
business.
They way he rushed the sale, seems to indicate he has done this before with bogus coins. Claiming to have other rare coins, which are most likely counterfeits, is an indication that he is not of the highest moral fiber.
Let's say the other rare coins he claimed to have for sale were real.
Wouldn't he spend time with someone who is interested in a purchase?

 

There are many Shady Pawn shops around, and just a reminder, most of these shops have employees that only know how to look on ebay, for sold listings. I have seen quite a few shops in the city that will try and pawn off their mistake, to any willing buyer.
It reminds me of a 1918 standing liberty quarter, I saw in a type set the other day. It caught my eye because it was in brilliant uncirculated condition. Took a look, and it was a 8/7, my jaw dropped. It was convincing, even the clash was there. I started looking through the set and found 4 other fakes, asked him the price and he said 300$. I took some photos of the MM and date, and walked out.
I told him he had some fake coins in that set, he shrugged his shoulders and walked away.
I know of about 5 pawn shops that knowingly sell counterfeits on a regular basis.

 

My thoughts exactly.

This doesn't just apply to coins either. Anybody in the sales business that has an interested customer right in front of their face would never act like that unless they knew they were doing something wrong and wanted you out of the store before you figured it out and changed your mind.