How do I spot counterfeit pcgs and ngc slabs?

It’s not just the coin world, the coin world is actually a very small part of it. Anything name brand or popular they’ve been doing it to for years In 2015 CBP and ICE seized well over a billion dollars worth of fake products which means a lot more got in. Fashion/clothing brands actually have a much greater problem on their hands than collecting ever will.

 

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You would think that with the flood of cheaply-made overseas products already flooding our economy that this would be more than enough to satisfy the lust for financial gain, but I guess that's just me being almost preternaturally naive about how the world really works. Sigh.

 

Stevearino, posted: "Insider’s post was tongue in cheek, I am quite sure."

Yes, it was and if you read desertgem's post carefully, he knew it and was emphasizing the opinion I wrote.

 

Then I'll be a pro at this, since I've been told by a reliable but forever anonymous authority that I am indeed a "world-class worrier".

 

LOL.

I seriously can not remember the last time I worried about anything......

I might have with that cancer thing a couple years ago but not much even then....

....And they hacked it all out.

 

I would envy your equanimity if I didn't know better than to ever envy anyone regarding anything.
I admit to being concerned when I had my heart attack in '95, but because I'm apparently constitutionally pre-equipped with a sort of "house on fire" response mechanism I always tend to worry the least about myself when the biggest things are going awry; in fact, while they were trying to keep me alive all I could think of was not seeing my wife and children ever again, whereas my possibly imminent demise was, and at the time seemingly inexplicably so, reduced to a far lesser afterthought.
That's just the way it is.

 

I remember a very good article about spotting a fake PCGS slab using the glue seems as a diagnosis. I couldn’t find it to share but a google search turned up the following;
https://www.thespruce.com/fake-pcgs-slab-diagnostics-4071199
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/scary-counterfeit-pcgs-holder.213450/
http://goccf.com/t/243849
http://goccf.com/t/245168

 

".....whereas my possibly imminent demise was, and at the time seemingly inexplicably so, reduced to a far lesser afterthought."

I get that.

Now fear? Yes. I had lots of fear. Mostly fear of pain and discomfort. I'm a real wussie that way but I decided long ago that worry, like self-pity, was a useless emotion.

 

As it is so memorable stated in the novel "Dune" by Frank Herbert, "Fear is the mind killer." Fear is a paralytic, and a useless and possibly even dangerous one at, ranking up there with and possibly even exceeding worry and self-pity. Three days after my heart attack I passed a kidney stone, and that taught me the true meaning of relativity; if the coronary was painful, this was approaching beyond-tolerable...two percocets, a morphine injection and a long morphine drip later I was able pass the stone. Then again, temporarily losing my then-two-year-old son for almost an hour in a crowd of thousands at a massive Boston expo in the 70's and being absolutely sure I would never see him again was incomparably more devastatingly more painful than the kidney stone event. Come to think of it, I don't know if this is a workable "philosophy" as to its employment as any kind of rational consolation, but in my humble experience there does indeed always seem to be yet another higher level on the disaster meter, so why not just relax and accept things as they come. As my dear brilliant wife always reminds me when I grouse about getting old, "Consider the alternative."

 

By reading the posts here on CoinTalk, I frequently see many collectors stating to avoid eBay or speaking badly of it. With the nearest respectable and trustworthy coin dealer almost an hour drive there and another hour back home, I could only make the trip on occasion. Even so, this dealer's inventory is negligible in comparison to what I can find on eBay. Also, I can search eBay for coins at all hours of the day. I don't know of any other source from which I can purchase coins. For those collectors who do not purchase their coins from eBay, where do you buy coins from?

 

I have had 100% positive experience with ebay over the past 10 years. So I don't totally oppose it
Especially as a seller myself!

 

I don't get that either. I've gotten some of my best coins from there and you're spot on about the selection 24/7

 

The greatest issues with eBay are, imo, a mix of unrealistic expectations and buyers not being honest with themselves regarding their true abilities.

One doesn't attend a yard sale and demand high-end professional service and/or knowledge, yet many expect just this when buying from any nameless schmo on the bay although it is, for all sense and purposes, the world's largest yard sale. Just as most anyone can place a table on their front lawn, most anyone can open an eBay account and play dealer. This should be common sense and is why the second said issue is so important: being as one cannot rely on just any/all sellers to be truly professional or knowledgeable, this means the onus is on the buyer to truly KNOW about whatever they're bidding on or buying. Unfortunately, this is far from the norm, and far, far too many eBay buyers also assume it's where the almighty "deals" are, focusing more on price than anything else. This is why eBay also doubles as the greatest outlet for dreck ever known.

Are there excellent and knowledgeable sellers on the bay? Absolutely, but how to identify them. Feedback? Nope... some of the biggest dreck peddlers here also happen to have stellar feedback. Rely on ridiculously long return and "shaft the seller" policies? Sure, lots do this (and is a big reason why many excellent small sellers have left) but it doesn't really do anything other than open up sellers to further abuse. Only buy slabbed? Aside from the comparatively (presently anyway) small chance of buying a fake slab, eBay is also an excellent outlet for "hot potatoes" (overgraded dogs or maxed out coins few knowledgeable will buy unless priced well under what the label suggests) so what's the answer? It's simple: being honest with oneself as to the extent of their abilities, and staying within them until or unless one can get to the point where they can make more educated decisions.

That said, one of the beauties of this hobby is that no one, yourself included, has to deal with the mentioned somewhat-local shop, or to rely on eBay. There are plenty of fine dealers out there perfectly willing to work with serious collectors, in many cases regardless of their available funds. Who knows, depending on where you live, there may be a highly knowledgeable vest-pocket/private-type dealer out there willing to help you acquire whatever it is you want, and do so while screening out the crap. Sure, you're likely to pay on average more than the almighty bay, but in the long run you'll almost certainly end up ahead and be the better for it.

The greater point is that very rarely in life do the best things simply fall into one's lap, so get out there and talk to people around you. Believe it or not, every day type places can sometimes yield unexpected results. In fact, two of the best and most profitable opportunities I've ever had came from a sports card shop back in the late 80's, and a coffee shop about 15 years ago, so give it a try. Who knows; you may be surprised.

 

There used to be two coin shops close to home. I used to go to them all the time. Every time I walked into a coin shop, I felt like a little kid in a candy store.

One of the shops catered to the wealthier clientele and had a beautiful display of US gold coins and late 1700s/early 1800s coins. Occasionally, for certain customers, I noticed he would go in his back office and come out with a tray full of gold coins. God only knows what was in his office safe.

The owner retired, and the new owner has turned the shop into an "upscale pawn shop." Well, time changes things. When eBay became a source for purchasing coins, I began using it almost exclusively - but only for slabbed coins. I got burnt a couple times buying raw coins from eBay.

Sorry for going off topic and thanks for letting me know eBay is OK.

 

I really like the way you put that. I too have long been of the belief that this is true of so much of what can be available to and possible for us in so many aspects of our lives, but that it is only going to happen if we "get ourselves out there", allowing for the occasion or opportunity to present itself and/or make itself evident, and last but certainly not least, that under no circumstance do we ever just give up and go home.

 

I agree that a lot of bad eBay mistakes are self inflicted getting over zealous thinking they just found a windfall coin especially with raw coins. That said a lot of the dreck criticism can be said of an auction house, coin shows, and a lot of dealers as well.

No matter what standard is used there’s always going to be low end coins for the grade. You always have to have a low end of the grade no matter what.

Maxed out isn’t a bad thing either, that just means it’s properly graded. If it’s not maxed out it’s undergraded. Maxed out and significantly overgraded or even overgraded are different things

 

You are absolutely correct and state a reason why I seldom list on the Bay. I have been into coins for 48 years and a dealer for about 35. I grade accurately with well worded descriptions and prices founded in the "Real" world for the quality . I try to describe any distracting issues too. Very few buyers appreciate this. The ones who do very often become regular customers off of eBay.