@William F, if you buy an uncertified 09-S VDB online, you're essentially begging to be scammed. This logic also applies to every other highly sought after key date coin like the 16-D Mercury or the 93-S Morgan. In the future, you should assume that any 09-S that isn't slabbed by a reputable TPG such as NGC, PCGS, ANACS, or ICG is automatically fake.
Yeah, I know, I'm beating myself up about it too, I guess some lessons have to be learned the hard way
Well done AmishJedi, Couldn't have put it better. Sorry William F, I too believe it to be Fake. The VDB gives it away.
I'm no expert in this sea of experts, but I think it's genuine...and actually not as bad as some seem to be saying, although for sure not good enough for a straight grade. You can take almost any two of the same genuine older coins compared side x side and find that certain device details, positioning, shapes, etc are slightly off/different one from the other...not that uncommon. It would help everyone, esp newer members (like me) if, rather than just declaring something "fake" ("counterfeit," etc), those comments would respectfully include the reason(s) for their opinions in the same post. IMHO.
The lettering is unlike genuine examples. The dots in VDB are too large. The center of the reverse is weak as if it was made from a mold. There are other listings showing coins nearly the exact same. The coin was purchased from Etsy.com. I think those are enough reasons to write this off as non-genuine.
@William F There are are 3 types of collectors 1. Those who bought fake coins 2. Those who will buy fakes 3. Those who bought fakes and don't know it yet We've all been in your shoes. It's tuition into the hobby, but it looks like you're learning from it Hope this works out for you
She knows exactly what she's doing. Buying in quantity, she may not have paid more than a buck or two for each one.
I'm making an Etsy store, its official. I say we ditch ebay and turn Etsy into (genuine) coin heaven.
Since she she won't accept the forum comments as proof, what about a statement from a local coin shop owner/knowledgeable employee? Also, many dealers will still suggest sending a coin in question in to one of the main grading services, to be safe. So my suggestion is that you could send it to ANACS for authentication. Their fees are the most reasonable of the respected legitimate professional grading services, so would cost you around $15, if recall correctly. I believe for an extra fee, they can do an expedited turnaround time, also. This option would also erase any doubts you might still have about authenticity of the coin. If you elect to go with PCGS or NGC, their fees would be around $30-$35, before adding charge for expedited turn around. Hope this if of help to you
Does NGC still do the thing where they look at an Ebay listing and tell you if they think it's genuine or fake? I remember hearing about that a couple of years ago. This seems like a case where it may be useful.
I actually contacted a somewhat local coin store this morning to see if they can do this, they havent replied yet