is there any way to tell if a certified coin is not really graded?i got 3 coins on ebay and one was a certified 2005 nickel and it says pgs ms70 but i can see a very clear nick on the face of it. should it have a bar code or a number?
make sure you stay away from grading companies like that, unless you can grade yourself. The ones to stick with, in order from best to not as good are: Anacs, NGC, PCGS, and then ICG.
You'll find a lot of disagreement about where on the list to put each of those companies, but there is widespread agreement in the numismatic community that those four are first tier and the rest are so far behind that the next highest group should really be called third tier rather than second. BTW PGS is not second tier!
That's what I was afraid of. That is a Coin World holder, you can buy them from any supply house, then you type in your own grade and put it in the holder. These people prey on new collectors. I hope you didn't spend too much or I hope that you can return them
PGS is one of the recent "fly-by-night" services. They've been around for a few months, but I would be very surprised if they have any "staying power". As such I would avoid them unless you are able to view them in person and are confident in your grading ability. They should be treated like raw coins, as should all slabbed coins.
