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Message:: [QUOTE="Lucky Cuss, post: 1871867, member: 44086"]I recently read that back in 2000, PCGS was encountering just about one quarter of one percent counterfeits among the coins submitted to them fior certification. Now I realize some particular issues are notorious in this regard, that there may in some cases actually be more phonies floating around than authentic surviving examples, but does that proportion seem about right in general? In a show, for example, where maybe 100,000 raw coins are for sale, should you expect 250 of them to be forgeries of one sort or another, regardless of how reputable and honest the vendors may be? Buying slabbed coins provides some protection, but even that sanctum has been violated in recent years. And since 2000, would you expect the prevalence of counterfeits to have gone up or down?  It bothers me that in the ensuing decade and a half that the Chinese have become so prolific, organized, and adept in this nefarious activity, and that the online conduits by which their product can be readily and widely distributed around the world have become so prominent. Depending on what you collect, it'd be easy cross the line from caution to paranoia with regard to this whole topic. What in reality is the current state of the hobby in this respect?[/QUOTE]