PCGS rant, rave or WTH?

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Exactly. Given how many times PCGS has not stolen submitted coins or mixed coins between submissions, I’m going to err on the side of the owner trying to pull a fast one. I just now got to a bigger screen, so I’m going to analyze the photos.

 

Is, it not possible that PCGS could have made a mistake , and got the coins mixed up ? I have never sent a coin in to be graded so I would guess that they must somehow keep all coins separated from each lot until it is finished then on to the next one . All he had to do was send the coin back , and if it turned out to be the wrong one ,which I kind of doubt , I am sure that a company as well known as PCGS would correct the issue to the customers appreciation. This is how good business runs. There is a lot of attitude showing through the person's post , and it would have just been easier just to send the coin back before jumping off the deep end. Dillan

 

Okay, so what I looked for was major metal movement in well-lit areas on both sets of pictures:

On the obverse, the rims tell the most-telling story. They are not the same coin. There are major hits above ST in TRUST on the certified example that are not on the raw example. In addition, there is a hit above the W in WE on the raw example that is not on the certified example. There is a similar story with the rim over ERTY. This excludes the theory that the coin was pictured in “pristine” shape and then beat up before sending it off. There are similar major marks in the hair, but their positions are clearly different.



The reverse, on the other hand, leaves me puzzled. While I found marks that are clearly different (red), I found some that are similar (green). But then again, a major mark over the center of the gap between the two right pillars disappeared between raw and certified.



I have no idea what happened, but given the evidence I am concluding that they are two different coins.

The owner could be overly disappointed with the grade received and took pics of a different coin to claim that it was the one lost. He could have also sent in a different coin that the one pictured with the plan of making a stink about it later. Both of these are far more likely scanarios than PCGS stealing the coin and switching it with another.

 

Just to be clear, I never suggested that PCGS stole the coin or that they would steal any coin. It just doesn't make sense that a multi-million dollar company would risk their reputation for such a stupid stunt. But, let's face it! Their employees are human and subject to making human mistakes. So, who is to say that someone didn't make a dumb mistake and is just covering their butt to keep from being fired? Geez! We see people on these forums making excuse after excuse every day just to keep from looking bad in the eyes of others because they made a dumb mistake, and they don't even get paid for doing it!

I don't think the coins are the same, either. Does that mean that someone switched them? Maybe yes, maybe no! Is it possible that the submitter used photos of a different coin? Maybe yes, maybe no! Is it possible that an employee at PCGS who was fearful of losing their job could have misplaced the original coin? Maybe yes, maybe no!

The only thing that is certain is that the submitter is unhappy. Just because he posted his rant on Craigslist is no reason to question the veracity of his statements. It just happens to be the cheapest method for voicing his displeasure. How much do you think it would cost to run an ad of that length in any newspaper? So, should we consider him to be a crackpot just because he used Craigslist to vent his anger? Maybe yes, maybe no!

Chris

 

No, but the owner explicitly did.

 

Yes, he did, and that was a boneheaded mistake on his part. Very few people are able to keep a "cool head" when they are angry.

Chris

 

It's clearly the same coin.

I've made tons of submissions. Once in a while I get a coin back and I'm really surprised by the grade (or rarely one unexpectedly gets details). When this happens, I look over the coin with a loupe to see if I overlooked something. Sometimes I find something I missed and say "oh well". Sometimes there is nothing to see, and the coin comes back with the grade I expected on a resubmission.

 

Neither he nor anyone else is pushing aluminum hat theories or claiming the earth is flat for that matter.
We understand your point without degrading allusions.

 

I don't work for PCGS nor have I ever worked for them for the 100th time but feel free to believe whatever you want.

It's essentially impossible. If a mix up had occurred they would have gotten an entirely different submission back as the mix up would have been in shipping. The chance of having two identical orders of that nature that could have been swapped is essentially nonexistent.

It's absurd to even imply that the chances of both of those are equal.

You mean the employee under video surveillance

Someone saying PCGS is stealing and swapping coins is on par with chem-trail aluminum hat theories. It's even more insane with low value coins. Whenever someone starts saying "but what if it were true" it's nothing but a hypothetical trap game. Something either happened or it didn't

 

I vehemently disagree

 

Based on previous stories I’ve heard, this I know can happen. I’ve never heard of a single coin getting mixed up.

 

I have!

Chris

 

That certainly has happened once in a blue moon. The single coin from a submission getting switched just makes absolutely no sense

 

Looking at the OP pics in the Craigslist ad, it makes me wonder how he could have taken such nice pics of it raw, and such fuzzy, crappy, off-kilter pics of it in the holder. So I'm guessing the nice close-ups are the seller's pics where the OP bought the coin. That seller could have very well doctored those photos or taken them at the flattering angle, thus deceiving the buyer into thinking he had a MS67 FB $10k coin. Who knows?

 

There are markers that match up between the photos. It is the same coin. Anything else that looks different is due to angle and lighting.

 

Yeah, I found that out!

 

I don't see FS in any of the pictures.

 

Look at the last reason of this list of reasons to collect coins:

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/reasons-to-start-collecting-coins-4589015

...they should add, "Just don't get involved in coin forum sites where TPGs are discussed."

 

Then explain how the major rim hits above ST in TRUST are clearly visible in the slabbed picture and completely nonexistent in the raw picture. Along with the rim lip. That is most definitely NOT a result of lighting.