Counterfeit pcgs slab

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by tradernick, Jan 7, 2005.

  1. tradernick

    tradernick Coin Hoarder

    This was posted on the ebay coin board, I thought I'd share it here. Apparently several fake slabs have recently surfaced. Remember that although this one is an obvious fake, it still might be good enough to fool someone new to the hobby.
    Nick

    FAKE SLAB
     
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  3. ccgnum

    ccgnum New Member

    Is that a coinworld holder? There's a logo on the bottom right that I can't make out.
     
  4. rbm86

    rbm86 Coin Hoarder

    Not only is it fake, it does not exist. The coin is photshopped into the so-called slab. This is the handiwork of the Chinese fraudsters.

    My favorite is another listing in which the coin is "AU-75" :p

    Another tip they are bad sellers: they have second grade English skills.
     
  5. tradernick

    tradernick Coin Hoarder

    no it's not a coinworld holder. the logo you see is present on all photos that have been hosted by ebay.
    be sure to note the grade lol.
     
  6. Ed Zak

    Ed Zak New Member

    Seriously...most here can laugh at the Chinese attempt to sell fake PCGS and NGC slabs because it is so obvious. My only fear is that they can and WILL get better. Keep an eye (or two) out for them.
     
  7. collect4fun

    collect4fun Senior Member

    Do we now need a company to authenticate the slab? :(
     
  8. susanlynn9

    susanlynn9 New Member

  9. ccgnum

    ccgnum New Member

    Not the ebay pic hosing logo, but on the bottom-right of the slab, there seems to be a logo present on the other side.
     
  10. mitchell

    mitchell Senior Member

    If I may revive this by asking:

    With all the different slab labels PCGS has had over the years, what is it about this one that immediately stands out as fake?

    And how do we amateurs know?
     
  11. susanlynn9

    susanlynn9 New Member

    For starters, there is no such grade as MS58. The MS grades start at 60. Also, there is no currency designation ($1, 50C, 25C, etc.).
     
  12. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator


    Just for additional info - this is not true with the Proof grades. You can have a coin slabbed & graded as PF40 - or any of the other numerical grades.
     
  13. ziggy29

    ziggy29 Senior Member

    The quickest way to rule this out, other than knowing what all the different PCGS slabs look like, is to know that they use "AU58," not "MS58."

    Beyond that, one way to tell quickly if it *might* be real or if it's *definitely* a fake is in the code below the grade. This one says:

    3578.65/7980418

    The number to the right of the slash is the certificate number. You can look up the cert number at the PCGS web site at http://www.pcgs.com/verify.chtml. In this case, you can quickly see it's bogus -- Entering "7980418" in the box, you'll see that cert 7980418 belongs to a Proof 69 South Carolina state quarter.

    But let's pretend this lookup succeeded and that the certificate indicated that this was an 1800 bust dollar. To the left of the slash in the code, we see

    3578.65

    "3578" is the coin number as catalogued by PCGS. It's trial and error to find it, but PCGS's price guide at http://www.pcgs.com/prices/
    shows that the coin associated with PCGS #3578 is a red 1864 Large Motto 2-cent piece (look it up here: http://www.pcgs.com/prices/frame.chtml?type=date&filename=two_three_cent).

    Mismatch. Assume it's fake. And finally, the ".65" means the grade PCGS assigned was 65. So in this case, "3578.65" *truly* refers to an MS-65RD 1864 Large Motto Two Cent piece. Be VERY wary -- and assume something's almost certainly wrong -- if the coin being offered with that identifier is NOT that coin.
     
  14. susanlynn9

    susanlynn9 New Member

    Sorry, I should have clarified that. Because Proof is a type of strike, not a condition, the Proof grades can have any numerical grade. Because we were talking about an MS coin, I neglected to mention that.
     
  15. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    Again, these are NOT fake slabs. They are faked IMAGES. They are images of slabs that have been created digitally. To date the only actual fake slabs seen have been the first generation types created by a California dealer back in 1989, and the fake ICG style shells created and used briefly by the Merrick Mint. There may have been some fake SEGS shells made, and I have heard rumors about fake NGC slabs but no confirmations. But the only confirmed fakes were the PCGS slabs and the ICG shells. If anyone can confirm another fake I would love to see it and acquire it if possible.
     
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