Help - Buying a PCGS Slabbed Coin from China!?

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by kanga, Jan 3, 2020.

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  1. kanga

    kanga 65 Year Collector

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  3. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    lol no. Trust almost nothing from China.
     
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  4. Paul M.

    Paul M. Well-Known Member

    I never buy from China, Russia, or Eastern Europe.
     
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  5. Dave Waterstraat

    Dave Waterstraat Well-Known Member

    I just edited my reply before posting. It would have landed me a time-out...
     
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  6. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    I'm sure it must be possible to buy a genuine Chinese coin from a Chinese seller, but I can't imagine how you'd go about finding it. I don't think eBay is a good place to start.

    Remember, sellers can easily get negative feedbacks removed. All they have to do is offer a refund.

    Edit: not sure why I didn't say this at the beginning, but I'm not a Chinese coin collector, and I've never tried to buy them from eBay myself. I've seen obvious fakes there, and seen threads here about other fakes. But I'll definitely defer to the folks down-thread who know the area and have direct experience!
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2020
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  7. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    Also I do believe I have read about Chinese fakers selling "slabbed" coins with proper labels that are still fake.
     
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  8. Jaelus

    Jaelus The Hungarian Antiquarian Supporter

    See if you can match up the dealer pics with the PCGS cert photos. If you can find markers to indicate it's the same coin, go ahead and buy it. That's what I do when dealing with Hong Kong dealers. So far I've gotten only genuine coins (they all seem to use PCGS).
     
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  9. physics-fan3.14

    physics-fan3.14 You got any more of them.... prooflikes?

    It's a gold shield, so when you check the PCGS cert number it should have pictures. Do the pictures match the coins?

    I personally have bought coins from both China and Russia, but only after doing my due diligence. If approached with caution, you can be successful.
     
  10. kanga

    kanga 65 Year Collector

    As nearly as I can tell the pictures match.

    I've never had a problem with Hong Kong nor South Korea.

    I'm going to stick my neck (and my $250) out and do the buy.
    Results in a week or so :nailbiting:
     
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  11. Troodon

    Troodon Coin Collector

    I looked this coin up on the PCGS website and the picture does seem to match the seller's picture. (Worth noting that the coin matches, but it's not just the identical picture, which rules out the possibility that the seller just downloaded PCGS's picture, something you should be cautious of.) I think there's a very good chance this is legitimate.

    I'm always very cautious about buying coins from Chinese sellers but I'm not one to say "never buy coins from China." Just be cautious especially if a decent amount of money is involved. I've bought about a dozen coins directly from China and only ever ended up with one fake (strangely one that would only have been worth $15 if real).
     
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  12. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    Good luck. Looking forward to hearing how it turns out. Fingers crossed for you.
     
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  13. Mkman123

    Mkman123 Well-Known Member

    I've done it but it was a NGC coin and I was able to look at sellers pic and compare it to NGCs verification pic and determine it was legit.
     
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  14. messydesk

    messydesk Well-Known Member

    If it's fake, doesn't get delivered, or doesn't match what is pictured (take screenshots), eBay and PayPal have your back. Not much downside here. It stands to reason that older Chinese coins will tend to be available from China. I wouldn't worry too much. The people who get screwed by Chinese fakes on eBay are the ones thinking they're getting something for nothing and not doing their due diligence before the sale and after they receive the coin.
     
  15. Burton Strauss III

    Burton Strauss III Brother can you spare a trime? Supporter

    I've bought Chinese TPG coins for my slab collection, but I stick with low valued ones.

    There are a lot of high-end Chinese collectors (check out some of the valuations for older Chinese coins, especially gold). It certainly looks OK.

    It's been sold, so unless you pulled the trigger, woulda coulda, not sure about shouda
     
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  16. Paul M.

    Paul M. Well-Known Member

    I wouldn’t even buy Chinese coins from China, especially older coins. They have strict laws against counterfeiting post-revolutionary Chinese coins, but it’s the Wild West for anything else. And, a lot of older Chinese coins are relatively easy to fake convincingly with a lot less skill than it takes to counterfeit American coins.
     
  17. KSorbo

    KSorbo Well-Known Member

    I’ve bought PMG certified world currency from mainland China on a few occasions with no issues. It appears there are some major sellers there of that type of material. I would be okay with coins as well as long as the cert can be verified, especially a True View like the OP coin. I would never buy anything raw though.
     
  18. Stork

    Stork I deliver

    A lot of collectors in Asia. PCGS and NGC do a thriving business in China.

    Caveats of course with checking certs/slabs/photos etc. I would have gone for that one based on what is shown. Looks like a great addition to your collection!

    For those who 'never buy from China', it would be overly limiting for many with more far-ranging collections. Due diligence is critically important and following the eBay/Paypal rules will protect the buyer.

    I've not bought from this seller that I recall, but s/he's been an eBayer since 2007, which is reassuring. Has strong feedback, including from a page one buyer with over 30K feedback him/herself. Anything can be faked and there can be many a long game with eBay and feedback...but maybe not for this coin :).
     
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  19. kanga

    kanga 65 Year Collector

    Well, it appears the coin is on its way.
    We'll see in about 2 weeks.
     
  20. physics-fan3.14

    physics-fan3.14 You got any more of them.... prooflikes?

    If you are collecting Chinese coins, I think it would be very hard to complete the collection without buying any coins from China!
     
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  21. ddddd

    ddddd Member

    As others have mentioned, one can be successful buying from China. Just be careful (as you should from pretty much any seller) and do some research on the coin. Plus, eBay and PayPal have protections in place if an item is counterfeit or not as described.

    I have bought from both Russia and China (from eBay sellers with good feedback) and the coins were all good.
     
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