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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;binxterdoodles, post: 1601070, member: 39469&quot;]I&#039;m fairly new to coin collecting and have a lifelong goal of obtaining a US Coin type collection. I started with the easier coins to obtain and now am getting into the more expensive coins. Recently I was attempting to purchase a Trade Dollar and found one on eBay I wanted. Luckily I searched the Coin Talk forum first and discovered that the T$ is one of the most counterfeited coins out there. This VERY helpful and informative post by ksparrow <a href="http://www.cointalk.com/t63695-2/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.cointalk.com/t63695-2/">http://www.cointalk.com/t63695-2/</a> made me hold off my bid. Especially knowing that even the TPG holders are being counterfeited. So I&#039;m now trying to figure out the safest and best way to purchase authentic coins since fake coins seem to be getting very advanced and extremely difficult to determine fakes from reals. I&#039;ve searched forums without coming to a consensus. I live in a rural area without access to a physical dealer so I prefer purchasing online. I&#039;ve noticed that even bullion sites like APMEX sell rare, TPG coins. I asked what there policy was in regards to fake coins and fake holders and they said they employ many professional numismatists that verify authenticity etc but I couldn&#039;t help but picturing a room full of college students making some cash on the side as a &quot;professional numismatist&quot;. The person I spoke with assured me it was impossible to purchase a fake coin through APMEX and they&#039;ve never had an issue with this. He said, &quot;I suppose we would refund you but that&#039;s never happened&quot;. This answer made me feel a bit uneasy. There is also the Heritage Auctions website mentioned a lot on here but I didn&#039;t see any guarantee on their site that all coins offered for auction are authentic and in authentic TPG holders. In regards to eBay I&#039;ve noticed some sellers seem way more legitimate and guarantee authenticity or take back the coin. In regards to actually dealers with physical locations I came across this website <a href="http://www.pngdealers.com/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.pngdealers.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.pngdealers.com/</a> which assures that any Dealer that is PNG certified is a safe purchase.</p><p><br /></p><p>So what&#039;s the consensus as far as avoiding obtaining fake coins/holders when purchasing rarer and more expensive coins? To me it seems there is no way to be sure. Also as a fairly new collector I&#039;m assuming that I will not be able to spot some of the more sophisticated fakes and I&#039;m not sure I ever will be or will have the time to be able to learn how to spot all potential fakes. So, assuming you couldn&#039;t verify the coin&#039;s authenticity yourself, what is the safest way to buy a coin, TPG or raw? Are there any truly reputable online dealers that you would feel 100% safe purchasing from and never second guess (APMEX, Heritage Auctions)? How about specific eBay coin sellers that you wholly trust? Is a PNG certified dealer that has a physical location the safest route? Are there any safer websites or means of obtaining coins that I haven&#039;t learned about yet?</p><p><br /></p><p>I greatly appreciate any insights and help. Thanks in advance![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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