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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;numist, post: 21282277, member: 35&quot;]I&#039;ve been an active collector since the early 70&#039;s.&nbsp; Attending shows, joining clubs, auctions, you name it.&nbsp; If a coin was around I&#039;d sniff it out and make a deal.&nbsp; When the scammers really started hitting ebay a while back it soured me on making any more purchases.&nbsp; I put everything in storage and turned my attention elsewhere.&nbsp; Lately a rekindled interest brought me back.&nbsp; After digging out my collection I found a few fakes that I had purchased many years ago not knowing any better. </p><p><br /></p><p>Now I&#039;ve immersed myself in the study of counterfeits and counterfeit detection.&nbsp; My tools have also been upgraded from the simple loupe, &#039;ping&#039; test and common coin reference books to include better, more detailed references, digital imaging and diagnostic testing (metal analytics, specific gravity, etc.)&nbsp; Wonderful forums like this are a treasure trove of knowledge also.</p><p><br /></p><p>I figure it&#039;s a small price to pay to invest in those types of things considering the potential for greater loss if I don&#039;t.&nbsp; Of course this applies to raw coins.&nbsp; I don&#039;t have any control over what the TPG service do (or miss) except give those coins as much scrutiny as I can if I&#039;m really interested.&nbsp; Yes, it&#039;s a hassle going through a lot of extra steps nowadays but I&#039;d rather do that than let the scammers ruin the hobby I love.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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