Best Of

The mint is attempting to 'create demand' for its own products. That is what I think is happening with the 2026 coinage. For example, product limits which dont tell you the final mintage. etc. It completely controls the supply and number of designs, mintmarks, and strikes, mintage and it can price its products as it sees fit, after demand has been artificially created. The more of a fake scarcity they can create, the more demand. The more demand, the more they can sneak in a price increase of 20-40%, and cause more tulip-mania in the coin market. If scarcity plus cool designs were king, our man Dan Carr, @dcarr would be a trillionaire! (right Dan?)

Good luck trying to find them at the banks. Some guys have much better connections and seem to score new coins. I have a family member that used to work at the banks and still has connections. She said they used to be able to order the new coins for their collectors. After she reached out to her friends, she was informed that after COVID, they can no longer order the new coins specifically. So it just becomes luck of the draw whether you buy boxes of older coins or get new coins.

@jmlanzaf said:

@johnny9434 said:
That was lame to do on their part, just saying

?????

I don't think it's ever a good idea to send a lot of cash through the mail. Send a check or a postal money order instead.

@MsMorrisine said:
specific gravity tests require scales and water. they can be done routinely if certainty is needed. the biggest expense is time value

Yes, but I suspect that you, like me would do a specific gravity at home before sending the coin in and spending the money for authentication and grading, no?

And that 2017 was particular suspicious with a 99.1% copper value on the label, no such planchets were ever used, although the plating is probably about that value.

The real disappointment that I have in PCGS is two calls of off metal planchet so close in time without a thorough study.

And kudos to CoinOM for this open and honest discussion, we certainly did NOT see that with the 2017 coin.

@Rc5280 said:
"Nobody here has claimed every mint product is photographed for what is posted on the sales website, only that some are."

If memory serves, you claimed that some images are based on a photograph with no supporting evidence.

I have claimed that all images are not based on a photo, but instead rendered artificially, and I don't have supporting evidence either.

However, If you take a closer look, scale a rendered image(some are off) vs a real photo or an in-hand product, or perhaps even use some common sense, maybe you'll reconsider?

You seem to be the one making a mountain/hill to die on while simultaneously digging a hole to fall into.

But I could be wrong, and it wouldn't be the first time

Agree. No one has yet found a SINGLE example of a real photograph and I've looked at well over 100 of them.

And I slightly resent the implication, not from you, that I've provided no evidence for my assertion. I've provided over 100 examples of renderings and have found no actual photos. Yet I'm told that my assertion has no evidence while the counter- assertion requires only a SINGLE example, and no one has found one. It is the counter- assertion that has zero evidence.

It would be very hard to definitively prove there are no photographs without reviewing all of them. Why Mr. Nickel has found none is either laziness or proof that photographs are a scarce as actual Bigfoot creatures.

develop a network of trusted dealers ... BST forum is also a good alternative

Yes, I’ve definitely noticed an uptick in very convincing counterfeit coins… and slabs.

Years ago (a decade or more), I was comfortable buying raw coins on eBay. That changed when I started seeing increasingly convincing type pieces, especially early silver Draped Bust coinage. At that point, I shifted to purchasing only TPG-holdered coins.

When counterfeiters began producing convincing slabs as well, I adjusted again and limited my purchases to TPG coins from well-established dealers.

These days, I’ll still buy on eBay, but only from dealers I know or have previously done business with. Most of my purchases now are made directly from dealers at major shows.

Actually these coin designs look quite nice to me. Hate to say it but a lot of what I’ve seen coming out lately looks like kids that weren’t doing well in art class.