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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GDJMSP, post: 1560254, member: 112&quot;]They gave 3 reasons - color, strike, and details. Of those 3, only 2 have any real meaning, strike and details. Color - color is a variable and always has been.</p><p><br /></p><p>Strike - more likely than not what they mean by strike is that all of the devices, lettering, &amp; numerals on the coin are mushy. Now a lot of people don&#039;t understand what mushy means when it&#039;s used in reference to a coin. But in simple terms it means that the edges of the devices, lettering etc. are not sharp and crisp. Instead, they are rounded off/over, they flow smoothly into the fields instead of having a markedly defined delineation. Mushy, puts that into one word. And yes it is a very broad and generalized term that accurately describes the majority of counterfeits.</p><p><br /></p><p>Details not being what they needed to be, that&#039;s another story. And not having seen the coin in question it&#039;s impossible for us to say exactly what that means. But if the details were different in any way from the known genuine varieties, then that difference would be a flag indicating the coin is likely not genuine. And anyone who is thoroughly familiar with a given coin can usually just look at the coin for just a few seconds, and yes that&#039;s all it takes - a few seconds -&nbsp; and know for a fact that something is just not right. They may not be able to put their finger on it exactly, but they know something is different and that makes them suspicious as to whether the coin is genuine or not.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is only then that a grader would even bother picking up his loupe to look at the coin. 95% or more of all grading is done with the naked eye. Graders don&#039;t use loupes to grade coins except when the coin is possibly worthy of a 69 or 70. They just use their eyes. </p><p><br /></p><p>But once a grader does pick up that loupe, then he can look and see if the details match known genuine coins, or known fake coins, or not. Some of these diagnostics can be very small, tiny little marks. They might be a raised mark or they might be a depression. They might be a tool mark or a die scratch. Professional graders know these things, they don&#039;t need to look it up in a book. But they have the books if they need them. And a difference in details or a set of known diagnostics is pretty much the last nail in the coffin. They are the things that define a genuine coin, or a fake. And when you know what and where these diagnostics are on a given coin, again it only takes a few seconds to pick up your loupe and see them. Once seen, it&#039;s all over.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now for it to really have been an explanation they would of had to have said all of that, and more. They would have then had to have gone on and explain specifically which details were different or which diagnostics were found. But their goal is merely to get the customer to drop the issue, so they give a broad, generalized reason and hope that will be enough.</p><p><br /></p><p>Honestly, I&#039;m pleasantly surprised you got that much out of PCGS as they are not known for having the best customer service. You should have bought a lottery ticket that day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Something that everyone should keep in mind - determining whether a coin is genuine or not is not always a simple matter. A coin have the correct weight, the correct size, the correct design details, even the correct specific gravity, and still be a fake. And it is with these coins that only an expert can tell you, with any degree of certainty after an in hand examination, it is a fake.</p><p><br /></p><p>And honestly, if NGC or PCGS tells you a coin has questionable authenticity, that should be enough 99.9% of the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you want to worry about something, worry about those rare occasions where they slab a coin as being genuine, when they are not. Luckily those coins are very few and far between.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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