Is there any way I can get coins I buy verified if they are for real, without getting it slabbed? Say I buy key date wheats or IHC's and want to check if it is not a copy what would be the best way to do it?
You may be able to get verbal opinions from some dealers but there will not be any guarantee for that opinion. Similarly, if a TPG gives their opinion at to the authenticity of a coin they will do it by way of slabbing it - for a fee. Think about it - if they are going to stand behind their opinion they have to have some way to be sure the coin you claim they authenticated is the coin they authenticated. The only way to do that is to put it into one of their slabs. One alternative is to go to a large coin show where a TPG or two has a table and ask one of the graders to take a look and give an unofficial opinion. Again that comes with no guarantee.
My suggestion is to buy slabbed coins and then crack them out if you really want raw coins. Photograph the coins prior to cracking them and then keep the labels in case you want to sell them later.
Certified authentication to me implies slabbing. No reputable dealer could create a guarantee that would be universally acceptable. That means using a reputable TPG. And you can keep all the documentation you want, but if you crack it out it's the same as never having slabbed it in the first place.
Learn to grade and learn the die markers. Learn to grade and learn the die markers. All coins have diagnostics that confirm whether are not they are genuine. Now oftentimes with the lower grades it is very hard to tell - that plus even some clever counterfeiters copy the diagnostics to further fool folks. Learn this on less valuable or semi-key coins then move your way up to the keys - the knowledge will pay for itself many times over. A good coach or coin dealer friend is also a good way to check your findings. Actually that may also be a good topic for Coin Talk say taking one coin at a time like a 14-D Lincoln and going to it in depth for all to learn.
If you crack it open just through out the label cause no one will care. You could say that the AU you have was slabbed ms60. A good dealer will give you their opinion. Also if there are coin shows in your area PCGS & NGC graders are some times there & will give you an oppinion on site. It's sad to say but many people who over pay have a tenancy to find out that their coin is a fake or not the grade they told it was. On wheats the most common one I've seen that was a fake are the 1914 D, 1922 D & Copper 1943. That doesn't mean there are other dates that may or may not be faked just those are the ones I've seen more of.
Newbie............................................ .... ..........i agree with bhp3rd. learn the markers through research. you can find a lot of info through books and web sites. i have learned a lot myself BECAUSE of books and enjoy sharing my tips on line and through pm's and e-mail.
You guys keep saying that nobody will care once it has been cracked out, yet I saw someone bid $50 on a fake 1909-S VDB Lincoln. Don't underestimate the stupidity of human beings.
Well, $50 is cheap. As in AG it's $400 coin. Some do buy the fakes as place holder. Ebay is another beast & story. Heck a guy was selling his life off on ebay. They could have his house his job his car.... I'm just saying you spend extra for the slabbed coin why break it out. Saving the label is silly. Selling it one on one a dealer will ignore it & so would a "knowledgeable collector". It's those that have no clue about the hobby that will believe it to be true even if it wasn't. It's the 95/5 rule at wich the some of the top coin dealers go by.
What is so hard to believe? You sell it on E-Bay with a photo of the coin in the slab and the coin out of the slab and a photo of the label. It probably won't reach the same price as a slabbed coin, but it probably will outperform the raw coin with no documentation. The story about the E-Bay buyers was only to demonstrate how foolish they are.
Actually we were saying the same thing. Basically if your wanting to swindle some one there's always a fish that will bite.
