Counterfeits: I was a tattle-tale at the coin show today.

no. again, i am sorry but i disagree. i buy from a small handful of dealers who are extremely particular about inspecting coins they buy and sell, and that is why i work with them. i am a realist, i am sure it has or will happen, but you are overlooking my principles to try and sound like your wisdom is so much deeper than mine. a common theme with you. i respect you and all, but this isnt the first time this has come up either.

 

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I think his only point is that all dealers (at least those that have been in business for a long time) have passed fake coins along at one time or another. There are some really good fakes out there and people who have been in the business long enough will encounter them. They aren't perfect at catching them 100% of the time...even the best dealers.

Will the good dealers have it happen less...sure. Will the good dealers give refunds without question when it is found they have passed a bad coin...of course. But, they have done it. Believing otherwise is just lying to yourself.

 

/hijack Camaro, if you don't know what the OP looks like, then you haven't read the El Cheapo coin show reports, and you are missing out. /hijack

 

I consider myself an online dealer since it's my full time and only job. But a counterfeit once got by me. It was an 1832 corroded and harshly cleaned capped bust dime. Probably VF details under all the damage. I bought it for $15 & sold it for $16 at auction, so I lost the shipping and fees. Buyer emails me and says he took it to 2 dealers and they said it was a cast fake. I refunded him immdeiately with my shock an most sincere apologies, and then told him to throw it in the garbage. But he mailed it back to me so I could study it more carefully (nice guy). Sure enough, he was correct. Common date, low grade, damaged, corroded, cleaned, cheap & a counterfeit. I tracked down the guy I bought it from and mailed it to him so he could study it like I did.
I never weighed it, and it was so ugly I couldn't get clear pics. Plus it was so common and low grade that I never gave it more than a glance! But... it got by me. I bet that happens more than we know. In fact, I bet more than that one has gotten by me, though I certainly hope not. I learned a lot from that counterfeit. Namely: Every coin is a suspect, no matter how cheap or common or insignificant it may seem.